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March 2006 Boise Newsletter Articles:
DRUG FREE ZONE GETS A FACE LIFT
After months of community meetings and neighborhood debates, mayor Tom Potter has come up with a new and “improved” Drug Free Zone.
Potter's new plan would require police to arrest someone or issue a citation on a drug related offense before an exclusion can take place. Other changes include: exclusions will be automatically reviewed by a city code hearings officer, people with exclusions will no longer need a waiver to enter the zones to travel to work, home, or school, and City Council will set up a committee to report annually on the exclusion ordinances.
Although better than before, Potter's plan seems to fall short of many neighbors hopes to tie exclusions to a criminal offense which would require a judge to decide guilt with proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Requiring that it be tied to an arrest or citation is a step in the right direction but for many folks it’s not enough.
Also Potter's new plan does nothing to address the fact that 85% of the people in this area who are excluded are black, with that percentage being slightly below city wide at 60%. By the time you read this the mayor will have already made his proposal to city council, who will hold a vote on March 15th.
If you would like to voice your opinion on the subject, contact you city commissioners at: Sam Adams: commissionersam@ci.portland.or.us, Erik Sten: erik@ci.portland.or.us, Randy Leonard: randy@ci.portland.or.us, or Dan Saltzman: dsaltzman@ci.portland.or.us
‘MISSISSIPPI LOFTS’ PUSH THE LIMIT
Stand back!
A new development at 4138 N. Mississippi is on its way to becoming the biggest and tallest building on Mississippi street. The developers are taking the zoned height limit of 45ft to the max.
That’s four floors. The first of which will be retail with the next two levels being studios, flats, and town homes and the top floor being penthouse lofts. These units will be for sale with prices starting at $200,000 and going up to around half a million dollars.
This will be a huge step for Mississippi street and the Boise neighborhood. Many people have voiced their concern about the lofts over the last few months for a variety of reasons; affordability, height, privacy, and character to name a few.
Affordability is becoming more and more of an issue in the neighborhood with prices of homes in the area skyrocketing, rising more than 350% since the mid 90's. It is becoming increasingly difficult for blue collar folks, those who built this neighborhood, to afford to remain in the area let alone move into it. The median family income of Boise residents was $25,400 acorrding to the the 2000 census with 28.2% of folks below the poverty line.
Boise has seen great turnover in its residents since 2000, however, the “cheapest” of the Mississippi lofts would still be unaffordable to many of the current residents.
Height is another issue, an issue that is coming up for the first time in this neighborhood. We have all enjoyed those beautiful evening sunsets and views of the rolling tree line of the west hills for a long time without any thought that they might end someday. The lofts will have four floors and 32 new sets of neighbors looking into their backyards and homes.
The height will effect not only neighboring houses but the whole of Mississippi. Going up four floors will set a new precident on the street and other 4 floor buildings will be soon to follow no doubt. This building will drastically change the character of Mississippi street as well as the whole neighborhood.
If you have concerns about this development or other developments of this kind in the neighborhood please contact Justin Fallon Dollard of the city's Land Use Services at 503-823-7983 / 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 4500. The period for review of the Mississippi Lofts project will expire on March 22nd. You can also contact your neighbor, Justin Arnhalt at 503-284-1377 or 3828 N. Commercial or the Boise Neighborhood Association land use co-chair, bht, at 503-956-9191.
The annual neighborhood Spring Cleanup is just around the corner. The event will take place on May 13th from 9am-1pm, location is yet to be determined.
So get all your trash ready for this once a year event. We will be collecting yard debris, bulky trash items, and recyclables.
Come on out and do your part to make this a positive community experience. You could volunteer at the site, coordinating traffic or helping to unload vehicles. Maybe you’d like to get to know your neighbors and organize litter collection on your block. Help out an elderly or disabled neighbor by hauling their trash. Not interested in spending the day outside?... bring some snacks, or warm drinks down to the volunteers.
With local businesses, residents, neighbors, and friends participating, this year’s Spring Cleanup will be a great way to welcome the warm weather and get to know your neighbors!
Contact Emily at (503)956-9192 with questions, concerns, or if you want to help out on the day of the cleanup.
For updates on Spring Cleanup, be sure to check the website BoiseVoice.org, and the April issue of The Boise Voice newsletter.
Lot Splits: This seems to be a popular area as the price of land continues to rise. The idea is to take a traditional lot that is 5,000 or more square feet in size and divide into lots that are around 2,500 in square feet. The City of Portland Bureau of Development Services reviews these proposals against the relevant standards.
Michael Buckley has been given approval to split the lot at 3712 N. Borthwick into two 2,500 s.f. parcels with conditions. He must meet requirements for solar access by slightly changing the sizes of the lots. He must also plan to install drywells for storm water run-off as there is no public storm-only sewer available to the property. Any appeal of this approval must be taken up with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) in Salem.
Mixed Use, Retail/Residential: Peter Wilcox, David Yoho and Bill Jackson are seeking historic design review approval from the City for a proposed mixed use development in the Mississippi Conservation District on three parcels at 4138 N. Mississippi. The applicants are asking for a modification to parking standards by requesting that loading for the retail tenants be done on the street instead of in the parking structure of the building. Without this modification there will be increased truck traffic in the alley behind the development. This proposal was reviewed at a recent Boise Neighborhood association meeting. The developer asked for a letter of support which did not materialize as many attending felt they needed more information. Any written comments pertaining to this development must be submitted by 3/22/06 and should be addressed to Justin Fallon Dollard at the Bureau of Development Services, 1900 SW Forth Ave., Portland, OR 97201.
The Land Use Committee welcomes your comments and concerns. Join us on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Liberty Hall on 311 N. Ivy