Housing Projects Popping up in Pearl
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BUDDHISTS CLEAN UP PORTLAND’S MESS PortlandTribune— SEE SUSTAINABLE LIFE THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014 • TWICETWICE CHCHOSENOSSEENN TTHEHHE NNATION’SATA IONN’S BBEBESTESST NNONDAILONDAILYONDAILY PAPERPAPER • PORTLAPOPORTLANDTRIBUNE.COMRTLANDDTRTRIIBBU • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY TriMet vows to restore service Agency seeks union concessions, but says fares won’t increase By JIM REDDEN The Tribune TriMet is promising to re- store service without in- creasing rates in next year’s budget — especially if the union repre- senting most of its employ- ees agrees to additional health bene- fi t cuts. “This bud- get continues our effort to achieve long- term fi scal “I am EFFICIENCY? stability, while restor- committed TRIBUNE PHOTOS: JAIME VALDEZ ing and im- to staying Pre-measured pasta saves precious minutes when a cook throws a dish proving ser- on course together at Grassa, according to PSU business professor Mellie Pullman vice for our (above). Pullman says many Portland restaurants still have a way to go riders,” Tri- to reduce YEAH, WE’LL GET if they want their effi ciency to match the quality of their food. Met General our benefi t Manager Neil McFarlane costs so we said when re- can focus leasing the TO THAT budget. “I am on our core committed to mission of staying on providing ■ course to re- Trying to run city effectively, duce our ben- more efi t costs so service to we can focus technology can be help or hindrance on our core our growing mission of region.” providing — Neil s far as Mellie Pullman is con- more service McFarlane, cerned, the fact that Cover Oregon Time is Money to our grow- TriMet general is far over budget, still only nomi- ing region. manager nally operative, and labeled the PART OF A This will keep A CONTINUING SERIES worst of the new health care exchange web- our commit- BY PETER KORN sites in the country shouldn’t come as a ments to our shock. Have you or- employees, retirees, riders and dered at a Portland local government? In a series of stories last payroll taxpayers for the long “You have to lunch counter lately? month, the Tribune discovered that low-in- term.” have people Pullman is a Port- come housing built with federal grant money The proposed $494 million land State University cost more than $200,000 per apartment, while operating budget comes at a who are brave business professor who the same apartment could be built for $70,000 critical time for TriMet. After enough to ask serves as a consultant when government money and its attendant years of cutting service and in- to restaurants and regulations were not involved. creasing fares because of the the inconvenient brew pubs. Her special- Another recent Tribune story highlighted revenue reductions caused by question and ty is efficiency. And the ineffi ciency and waste involved in medical the Great Recession, the re- listen closely to when it comes to effi - clinical trials, which often are called off after gional transit agency is begin- ciency — getting the signifi cant grant money has been spent, be- ning to restore service on heav- the answers.” job done well with as cause researchers are unable to fi nd enough ily used and other lines. It is — Phil Keisling, little waste of time and volunteers to participate. In fact, experts say, also continuing work on the PSU government money as possible — researchers typically continue spending mon- $1.49 billion Portland-to-Mil- professor Portland and Oregon ey long after it has become obvious that a tri- waukie light-rail project, the just don’t seem to make al’s objectives will never be met. most recent of its regional it as high a priority as Portland being Portland, what better place MAX lines. some other cities, she says. to start looking at effi ciency than the food But to prevent further fi nan- Which got us to thinking about this whole industry? Effi ciency and artisanship can work hand in hand, according to PSU cial problems, MacFarlane says idea of effi ciency. Technology is supposed to business professor Mellie Pullman, just like the noodles being made TriMet must extract further make us more effi cient, right? What about See EFFICIENT / Page 2 from scratch by Grassa kitchen manager Todd Voelker (above). See TRIMET / Page 13 Housing projects popping up in Pearl sure is nice to see some activity vacancy rate and high demand Multifamily units, and a couple of cranes,” says in the Pearl District. More ten- Tiffany Sweitzer, president of ants and condo shoppers are tallest residential Hoyt Street Properties, whose expected as Portland’s soft- tower in city planned company is involved in three of ware and related technology the projects. sector continues to surge. By STEVE LAW The Pearl District continued “The demand is there for it, The Tribune to attract new residents so they’re trying to play catch Christopher throughout the up to get demand Thoms lifts his After a fi ve-year lull, the Great Recession met,” says Bob son Asher onto housing boom is back in and the tepid re- TribTown Ball, who is build- netting at The Portland’s Pearl District. covery that fol- ing the 177-unit Fields Park Developers are working on lowed. But new de- PEARL DISTRICT Parker apart- playground. at least six multifamily projects velopment “stalled ments, the first Thoms is a totaling more than 1,300 units, out” when the recession hit, multifamily project in the Pearl former neighbor all north of Lovejoy Street in especially in the relatively qui- of that size since the recession. who moved to what’s known as the North et area north of Lovejoy, says Ball says he lucked out by Tigard, but Pearl. The new apartments and Ed McNamara, a former devel- selling his last project, The Wy- brings his son condos could fi ll out most of the oper who owns two Pearl proj- att, for $111.5 million in 2008, back because undeveloped property in the ects and now works as a policy before the stock and fi nancial of the quality bustling Northwest Portland director for Mayor Charlie markets plunged. of the Pearl district, and bring more then Hales. “So I was in a very good posi- District park. 2,000 residents to the central Now lenders are beginning tion to be out of the market- TRIBUNE PHOTO: city. to open up their checkbooks, JONATHAN HOUSE “After the last fi ve years, it taking note of Portland’s low See HOUSING / Page 11 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune ’ ‘LIBRARY’ APPEALS TO deliver balanced news that refl ects the WHISKEY AFICIONADOS stories of our communities. Thank you Inside for reading our newspapers.” — SEE LIFE, PAGE B1 — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, March 13, 2014 Effi cient: Ask the inconvenient questions ■ wrong when they put projects From page 1 out to bid, Kahn says. Four years ago, Kahn led an audit of the Pullman says she knows that city’s newly acquired computer she’s in an effi ciently run lunch system for business services. He deli when she’s standing in a titled the audit, “Expensive, late, long line and a staff person and incomplete.” comes out from behind the The project was bid at $14 mil- counter and takes her order. lion and ended up costing $41 That means her drink or sand- million. Eventually, the city wich is likely to be ready soon changed contractors in an at- after she gets to the front of the tempt to get a working system. line and pays the cashier. When Kahn reviews the audit, That hasn’t happened yet to he stops at page 27, which re- Pullman in Portland. And if ports that a contractor hired to someone gets to the front of a provide quality control sent a line and isn’t quick with his or report to a number of city proj- her order, in Portland, Pullman ect managers for 12 straight has observed, that’s OK. In other months with red alerts signify- cities, well, anyone recall the ing the project was in trouble. “Seinfeld” Soup Nazi episode? Yet, Kahn says, those red You hold up the line, you get out alerts were ignored for 12 of line. straight months. The city did not “If you look at any New York assign an individual with au- lunch place they have the whole thority to look into the problems. fast line pace wired,” Pullman Even today, Kahn can’t quite says. pinpoint the system breakdown, Successful national chains, the lack of incentive for some- Pullman says, have fi gured out one to call a halt. effi ciency. If there’s a long line in University of Portland econo- a Portland Starbucks an employ- mist Mark Meckler thinks mis- TRIBUNE PHOTOS: JAIME VALDEZ ee will often hit the line to get guided incentives explain why Two restaurants sharing a kitchen can yield effi ciency. Here, Lardo cook T. J. Hansen works down the line from a Grassa cook. The two drink orders started. That’s be- the red alerts were ignored. restaurants sit next to each other in Portland’s west side. cause Starbucks has cross- First, Meckler says, the city trained its employees. should never have bid the proj- Pullman says she’s been in ect with anything but an output- any number of Portland high- based contract. That means, if Effi ciency Portland restaurant end eateries where, for instance, the contractor doesn’t come in mavens have drinks don’t get made and on time and with the agreed up- long disagreed served quickly and fresh orange on system, the contractor pays a with city policy Grassa a model of juice isn’t pre-squeezed and penalty.