JUNE 09 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 10 FREE Serving Portland’s Northwest Neighborhoods since 1986 JULIE KEEFE A different kind of trendy the new ThurmanPublic life thrives around Food Front. By Allan Classen Northwest Thurman Street go, sign petitions at Food Front, snack and chat at the n the worst of economic times, Northwest sidewalk tables surrounding St. Honore bakery and Thurman Street is blooming. drop off laundry at T.S. Cleaners or videos at Trilogy. is a mixed-use area that While closed storefronts on Northwest 23rd Mothers push high-end strollers past his stand on their Avenue make the headlines, Thurman Street way to the branch library at the eastern end of the has quietly evolved into a vital hub of local com- block. works—for businesses and mercial and social activity. Almost everything needed To his left, Bair can see Dragonfly Coffee House, a for daily life is available on the 2300 block of Thurman, comforting slice of hominess where locals munch and and not a single retail space is empty. read. Dragonfly owner Erin Timmins feels the same residents—by focusing on I rd pressures that are dragging down so many small busi- The “T” intersection of 23 Place and Thurman is ground zero. From this vantage point, Dan Bair stands nesses in the district, but she hasn’t lost sight of the big- behind his barbecue grill every weekday, occasionally ger picture. Last month she welcomed the district’s first services neighbors need glancing up from his work to watch people come and Continued on page 24 Democracy in a ‘company town’ Forest Heights residents seek way to say no inside AllAN CLAssen By Allan Classen orest Heights, the 1,800- home subdivision in the West Hills, is the largest planned unit development in state history. While not a private community in every sense, it is in ways a public/private hybrid operated by a hom- Feowners association that has the power to assess fees to maintain streets, landscaping, hiking trails and other common areas. The homeowners association is gov- erned by an elected board of directors that handles not only property-management matters but organization of an annu- al community garage sale day, July 4 Pearl grocers fireworks and other events. The Forest The Little Green Grocer that could Margaret Rogers is fighting a proposed community center and pool that would partially sur- PAGE 8 round Forest Heights’ Mill Pond. Continued on page 5 QUEEN ANNE VICTORIAN EART –H OF OLD NOB HILL HISTORIC ANNA BALCH HAMILTON ITALIANATE (NOW DUPLEX) (NOW FOURPLEX) 2247–2249 NW Irving Street 2729–2733 NW Savier Street 1891 elegantly crafted lady on one of the Historic Alphabet District’s Early homesteader Danford Balch had a daugher, Anna. Anna’s first undisturbed residential blocks. Quiet leafy garden, yet steps to all you’ll lover was shot and killed by Balch after eloping with the 15 year old. ever need for quality living. This century-old dame is hoping for an owner/ Father Balch went on to be the first person legally hung in Portland. occupier to make her gorgeous. Presently 2 units, make a little extra Anna and her second husband lived in this house and raised 10 income with the second unit but live as if a single-family residence—the children here. *per City of Portland Historic Inventory big old porch and white picket fence give it a welcoming presence. The old homestead has been converted to 4 units and still has high 60 x 100 Ft. lot, One 2 bedroom/den/1 bath unit and one 2 bedroom/ ceilings, bay windows, and old world patina. Own a slice of our city’s 1 bath unit. 2,659 Sq. Ft. per county. $795,000. early history. Grow a victory garden on this extra large property. Raise your family and rent out rooms to pay for the kids’ college. 74 x 100 Ft. lot. One 2 bedroom/1 bath unit and three 1 bedroom/ 1 bath units. MLS #9042174. $725,000. ZINC UBER-CHIC NEW CONDOMINIUMS AT 722 NW 24TH AVENUE NO REASON TO WAIT…AFFORDABLE, ECO-CONSCIOUS AND LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Priced Under $200,000 NW Portland’s newest condominium conversion, located on the corner of NW 24th & Johnson, in the heart of the NW Alphabet District, is straightforward 1961 construction updated with new period-appropriate & eco-chic finishes. Brand new kitchens and baths with bamboo floors shine in these comfortably sized 1 bedroom/1 bath units. F 19 – 1 bedroom/1 bath units F Stainless appliances F Units range from 497-520 Sq. Ft. F Italian Mirage Granito countertops F 18 storage units F New electric zonal heat F In-unit washer and dryer F New electric hot water heater F 6 parking spaces on-site available for F New electrical panels purchase F New plumbing F On-site bike storage F Parking courtyard – water-permeable F New zinc & mahogany exterior finishes pavers F New windows F HOA’s $150/mo (est.) F New PVC roof F Zip Car location directly in front of F Bamboo floors complex THE DAN VOLKMER TEAM DAN VOLKMER PRINCIPAL BROKER BURDEAN BARTLEM, KISHRA OTT & ANNE YOO, BROKERS WALTER AND TED, TOO. For your real estate needs in the Northwest neighborhood. Call us to find out your property’s top market value. 503-497-5158 www.danvolkmer.com Anne, Burdean, Kishra, Dan, Walter & Ted 2 Northwest Examiner JUNE 2009 Letters can be sent to By Allan Classen [email protected] or 2825 NW Upshur St., Ste. C, Portland, OR 97210. Editor’sEditor & Publisher Turn readerLetters should be 300 words or fewer; include areply name and a street of residence. Deadline third Saturday of the month. Air pollution astounding Thank you for the excellent article about air quality in Northwest Portland [May 2009 Northwest Examiner]. I have been a Childpeace [Montessori School] parent for three years, but even before that I was aware and concerned about ESCO emis- sions. You can smell those foundries all over Northwest Portland and even on the east side of the river if the wind is blowing that direction. It’s astounding that ESCO Too good to believe has been allowed to pollute a residential neighborhood for so long. Couple this with their toxic dump on Sauvie Island, and it adds up to a company The city finally has a preliminary traffic under the increased traffic load if a couple that doesn’t care about its community, no matter how much money they donate to study of the Northwest 23rd and Vaughn of cheap, easy fixes were applied; some local schools and community centers. area, five years after the state required lane markings could be changed and the Portland to produce it. The Oregon Land traffic signal for vehicles exiting the free- Sattie Clark Use Board of Appeals ruled that the city way could be adjusted. Both modifications N. Ainsworth St. hadn’t provided evidence that its plan go in the direction of letting traffic flow to upzone industrial property along the off the freeway and into the neighborhood Who said ‘not trendy’? north side of Vaughn Street would not more freely. In this way, freeway conges- Did I imagine it, or was there an element of gloating threaded between the lines overwhelm the intersection where the tion can be relieved or at least managed at of your front-page story, “Businesses close one after another” [May 2009 Northwest I-405 freeway dumps onto Vaughn Street. something near current levels. Examiner]? The city claimed it could cram 30 per- Of course, the extra traffic wouldn’t dis- You paraphrased The Oregonian story as reporting that the “no-longer-trendy cent more traffic through the same streets appear. The congestion would be pushed 23rd Avenue is ‘fraying under the weight of the recession,’” but it wasn’t clear whether and intersections without anyone noticing, onto neighborhood streets. More cars rd that “no-longer-trendy” remark was yours or theirs. It wasn’t included in quotes, so I but LUBA didn’t buy it. Satisfying LUBA would pour onto Northwest 23 , Vaughn must assume it was an editorial jab thrown in to provide a little extra gravitas. was difficult because the intersection at and the U-turn that leads to Thurman. Given your personal history of antipathy for business owners and developers the time of the 2003 decision had already And drivers heading to the freeway via rd (who were, after all, responsible for turning 23rd Avenue “trendy” in the first place), sunk to a “D” level of congestion, one 23 or Vaughn streets would also run into the tone of the article sounds a lot like Rush Limbaugh, sharpening his ax, hoping notch above a failing “F” grade. greater congestion than they do today against hope that President Obama will fail, just so he can say “I told you so.” Loosening restrictions on office build- because the signal would give them short Perhaps a more productive use of The Examiner would be to do a story ings on Vaughn, as was proposed, com- shrift so it could favor traffic leaving the on what developers and building owners are doing to help 23rd Avenue busi- bined with other growth in the area could freeway. nesses survive the downturn (in anticipation of becoming trendy again). There’s easily push the intersection into unac- The plan gives the city everything it a pretty good story there if you’re interested in doing some investigation. It might ceptable gridlock. And when you think of wants. The cost of $200,000 is miniscule. actually give you an opportunity to print something positive on the subject.