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Our Where’s Growing Early 28th Ave. Q Revolution Newspaper Year Page 14 Page 8 Page 3 JUNE SOUTHEAST EXAMINER 2017 southeastexaminer.com “Your Neighborhood News Source” Vol 28 No 6 Portland, OR Infill on Steroids Gains State Traction: Riles Residents BY MIDGE PIERCE and old. But opponents say the Oregon A bill known as a “Build Baby Build” Home Builders Association (OHBA) legislative bill under the idea of addressing and others twisted it into a bill that over- emergency housing statewide is fueling rides local zoning and undermines city what critics call a widespread assault controls. The bill would allow building to on Oregon cities’ self-determination maximum density and heights potentially and livability. Adding insult, the bill is disregarding critical local planning tools barreling through the state legislature like discretionary design reviews. without adequate public hearing. As outrage mounted last month at House Bill 2007 would essentially an informational meeting in Salem, House Overview of the proposed cascading soaking pools between reservoirs 5 and 6. eliminate single family residential Speaker Tina Kotek slammed opponents as Designed by Jennifer Moran neighborhoods by making multi-plex infill racist NIMBYS. Arriving late to advocate housing mandatory across the state. The for the “high-yield” housing bill she Mt. Tabor Park Thermal Baths bill would permit duplexes and ADUs sponsored, she condemned “race-based everywhere in cities and towns of at least housing policies” and said opposition is An Idea for Preserving the Reservoirs, Creating 2500 residents. “grounded in Nimbyism” by well-heeled Energy, and Raising Revenue Critics call it a stealth bill that is residents using discriminatory practices Infill inflation modeled after Portland’s that restrict others from building wealth BY AMY PETERSON PSU SCHOOL OF ARCHI- in 2006, the city cannot use the open controversial Residential Infill Project and power. TECTURE STUDENT reservoirs for our water. The city has (RIP). A major difference is that HB 2007 The special hearing was convened built an underground reservoirs as a would extend dense Infill well beyond by Southeast Portland State Representative Since 1894, Mt. Tabor Park has replacement for the drinking water storage. the city’s current plans for Housing Alissa Keny-Guyer who chairs the Human hosted open air reservoirs for drinking Proposals for the defunct reservoirs range Opportunity Overlay Zones. Services and Housing Committee. After water for the City of Portland. As part of from burying them to creating skate-parks. Watchdogs are howling, “Wake up the meeting was scheduled she realized it the Long Term 2 Regulation invoked by Oregon. This is Infill on steroids.” lacked testimonial teeth because the bill the Environmental Protection Agency turn to page 19 As initially proposed, the bill would had already left her committee. speed approvals for affordable housing, a Apologizing for the snafu, Keny- move lauded by all who have witnessed Guyer said the sheer number of bills heartbreaking sagas of skyrocketing rents introduced to the legislature have made it Bio-gas / Poop to Power and rising property taxes displacing young turn to page 22 BY DON MACGILLIVRAY byproduct of sewage treatment process. This summer, the Bureau of Environmental Portland will soon be processing the Services will begin an innovative effort that Reactions to HB 2007 City’s sewage and making a profit doing it. will capture 100 percent of the methane This is making “power from poop.” With gas from our waste water which will BY MIDGE PIERCE the City of Astoria and various Portland over seven billion of us on the planet and significantly reduce our carbon footprint. It grassroots organizations and neighborhood all of us creating waste on a daily basis, will convert this smelly, unattractive waste With astronomical rental and housing associations. there is a lot of potential in making it pay. product that we all produce into a valuable, costs, no one denies the need for affordable Proponents hail it as a fair and just And now, this Oregon city has found a way renewable natural gas that can be sold on housing. The question is whether HB 2007 emergency housing measure that will to do just that. the open market. is the solution. reduce obstacles for needed market rate and Every year, the Portland Bureau This will be Portland’s single largest Critics call HB 2007 a “statewide affordable housing. Proponents include of Environmental Services processes 28 climate action project. This clean, locally- attack on local controls”, “sweeping Oregon Home Builders Association, 1000 billion gallons of wastewater. Methane is upzoning”, “homebuilders’ goldrush” and Friends of Oregon, Portland for Everyone a potent greenhouse gas that is a natural turn to page 20 “land grab writ large”. Opponents include and AARP. Restore Oregon, Portland Coalition for Here is a sampling of reactions to HB Historic Resources, United Neighborhoods 2007 that may soon be law of the land: for Reform, League of Oregon Cities, Restore Oregon Executive Director SE Updates Peggy Moretti cites unfettered build-out in unaffordable San Francisco as proof that HB 2433 would allow school districts BY MIDGE PIERCE the “trickle down theory” of Build Baby to develop low income senior housing in Build will not result in low cost housing. Bills move forward at rapid pace exchange for classroom assistance. Rather it is good intentions degenerating Several bills address tax cuts for into bad outcomes. If the devil is in the details, as nearly rehabilitation of apartments and homes. The Architectural Heritage Center 3000 legislative measures move through HB 3192 establishes a $5 million calls the bill a proverbial wolf in sheep’s Salem, it’s understandable that lawmakers, fund to help first time, low income home clothing. It takes a “one size fits all” many of whom have additional jobs buyers. approach that encourages demolition of elsewhere, find it tough to keep up or dig HB 2724 guarantees rent to landlords smaller, less expensive homes and does into specific bills. Still, citizens, outraged who take chances on high risk tenants with specific harm to historic districts. by “stealth” aspects of HB 2007 that bad credit scores or criminal backgrounds. The McCulloch Foundation says the impose mandatory density on all but the The gist of these bills sound bill being rushed through the legislature smallest Oregon cities are now seeking laudatory. But citizens who have witnessed would “virtually negate Historic District greater transparency and opportunities for the past several years of unfettered growth demolition protection” and take away input on proposed legislation. have learned that vigilance should go hand local development regulation from Oregon A number of lesser known bills in hand with rubber stamping. towns and cities. intended to help address the housing With housing solutions dividing A member of the Historic Laurelhurst crisis have moved beyond the housing residents, tensions can be cut with a knife preservation group says, “The Oregon committee chaired by Southeast Portland’s during neighborhood gatherings. Home Builder’s Association is using the state representative Alissa Keny-Guyer. State Legislature to force residential infill Below is a partial description of bills that Rifts rise between renters and NAs - no matter how poorly designed - on every seem to have strong support: city in Oregon.” HB 2004 would limit residential rent At a Southeast Uplift Meeting to Portland Together (not be confused hikes to fair rates of return. introduce Commissioner Chloe Eudaly to with 1000 Friends of Oregon’s local HB 2010 would create a task force to local grant recipients including a tenants coalition Portland for Everyone) believes review racial and discriminatory lending turn to page 22 practices. turn to page 19 2 THE SOUTHEAST EXAMINER JUNE 17 LE Letters to the Editor To the editor: being such a popular destination, anticipated and accommodated housing prices soared beyond such as related to growth. So, After reading so many control. The City’s efforts to a pedestrian death occurs on recent articles on housing, the provide for additional housing upper SE Hawthorne and due to homeless, traffic problems, etc., are too limited and include bad publicity the City installs a I am amazed that these issues only a few hundred affordable crosswalk facility. And a self- are being dealt with in such a units, apartments and ADU’s, proclaimed anarchist group fills piecemeal fashion. Don’t you (the and unpopular density increases in potholes because the City editors, the media, the government in established Single Family can’t keep up with street repairs entities, the public) realize that all Residential (SFR) areas. The itself. Likewise, safety issues of these problems are interrelated City should step back and provide abound on many other streets, as a result of inconsistent growth more housing choice including most of them major arterials, management? moderate density housing, and the City’s response is Vision How many of you are aware duplexes, courtyard apartments, Zero, which reduces travel lanes that the Statewide Planning tiny home locations, innovative and speed limits. Again, these Goals call for comprehensive and housing complexes, and reduce are reactionary measures which integrated growth management? the focus on apartments, ADU’s, do absolutely nothing to deal Granted, 30 some years ago and changes to well established with the traffic increases and virtually everyone knew of the SFR neighborhoods. Likewise, congestion which have placed Goals when cities and counties reduce commercial use of SFR’s Portland in the nation’s top 10 all over Oregon were still in favor of residential. You for worse commutes for many developing comprehensive land can’t accommodate more needed years running. The mindset that use plans. The thing is, the housing in SFR neighborhoods everyone will ride transit or a Statewide Planning Goals are still if many houses are no longer in bicycle needs to be re-evaluated applicable when the plans need residential use (i.e.