The Portland Development Commission formally decided to recommend block U to city council for development of the controversial homeless center in Old Town, this afternoon.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? Block U is PDC’s final answer…

The decision brings a bitterly-fought and at times, surreal neighborhood engagement process to a conclusion, [GOD, PLEASE], and will see the Housing Authority of Portland build the access center and 200 housing units between Broadway and NW6th, north of Hoyt, next to Union Station.

The Blanchet House, where Patrick Nolen and I ate the morning after spending our recent night on the streets, will remain on block 25 between NW3rd and 4th, Flanders and Glisan—where the proposed access center was originally going to be developed, incorporating an updated Blanchet House. Now PDC will sign over the adjacent Dirty Duck bar to Blanchet, plus $2m in redevelopment funds so that the Blanchet can rebuild on the Dirty Duck corner and stay open next door while it does so, before moving.

PDC is likely to have to chip in $28m for the access center on block U, but HAP is yet to do a final budget. The Chinese community says it will now “redouble its efforts” to redevelop the remainder of block 25 privately.

City council is now likely to accept PDC’s siting recommendation next Wednesday, March 5, and the site will move into the hands of the Housing Authority of Portland to begin development on June 27th this year.

The decision today was made despite an 11th chance bid by private developer John Beardsley to derail the process offer by private developer John Beardsley to deliver the project for $20m less than the $53m HAP is projecting, by working in the private sector to develop block ‘O’—currently being developed as the “East of Pearl” building.
BEARDSLEY: “I’m a free agent…I’ve got to speak for myself…”

HAP’s development director Mike Andrews said he’d first heard about Beardsley’s proposal on Monday, and the PDC commissioners said they wanted to avoid further delays by moving ahead with the project now. If Beardsley can make his “soft numbers” pencil out, the commissioners suggested HAP take him up on them. But apart from being financed on the back of a napkin, Beardsley’s suggestion would take at least two more years to get built. So the deal goes to council next week.

Meanwhile the community is licking its wounds.

“I’m pleased we’re coming to the conclusion of this process,” says Old Town Visions Committee co-chair, Howard Weiner. “There’s been more process on this issue than on any other issue I’ve been involved in, and it’s good to see them finally moving forward on the project. But the neighborhood is broken into a million pieces. I’ve never seen people treat each other with such disrespect as they have at meetings about this issue.”

He’s probably referring to this. And true to form, Transition Projects boss Doreen Binder told the Daily Journal of Commerce last week that she “doesn’t give a damn what the neighborhood association thinks.” Larry Norton says her attitude is “let them eat cake.” Still, be the change you want to see in the world, Doreen…