From Portland State to NFL history EDITION Julius Thomas grabs hold of another record pass — SEE SPORTS, B1 GREATER PORTLAND PortlandTUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2014 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPERTribune • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY City angles for parking’s ‘sweet spot’ Tax bills, parking spaces inside the reality Division Street projects point to effective building and offer them to his new tenants. Nearly a month changes in onsite parking requirements ago, he sent them notices they often could land one of the indoor By STEVE LAW he had to include tenant spots for $85 a month. But The Tribune parking. he was surprised by the But many residents and mer- response. Only one tenant was don’t mix When developer Aaron chants are angry about the interested. Jones started building the spate of apartments built with- Other tenants told him there Nearly two decades 74-unit Division Street Lofts out parking 10 to 15 blocks to was ample free parking still in on Southeast Division Street the west, making it harder for Upper Division, so why should into M5 and M50, and 48th Avenue months residents and customers to they pay him to park? ago, it was yet another multi- park. And some neighbors “The reality is we can’t force problems are emerging family project on Division complained to Jones that he people to pay for it,” Jones with no attached tenant would cause the same problem says. By SHASTA KEARNS MOORE parking. up the street, in what he calls His experience, and the di- The Tribune Jones fi gured he was doing “Upper Division.” lemma he faces for his next TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO the right thing; he wanted to So when Jones acquired a project on Division, offer a Southeast 50th and Division, which now hosts a popular burrito stand, It’s property tax season, keep rents below $1,100 to transmission shop a block will be redeveloped into a new apartment building. Unlike many other and you know what that $1,200, and couldn’t do that if away, he decided to stripe 28 See PARKING / Page 6 new apartment projects on Division, this one will include tenant parking. means. No? Well, you’re not the only one. Oregon’s property tax system increases in complexity every U.S. Transportation year, due in large part to initia- tives passed in the 1990s. De- Secretary Anthony cades later, the ways Measures 5 Foxx talked with and 50 act and interact on tax (from left) Oregon bills remains confusing for long- Congresswoman time and fi rst-time home owners Suzanne Bonomici, alike. Mayor Charlie Hales “Tax for an and Commissioner individual Steve Novick on the property can “Measure Tilikum Crossing. fl uctuate a lot 50 and TRIBUNE PHOTOS: and it’s on JONATHAN HOUSE seemingly Measure 5 very random produce circumstanc- some pretty es,” says Tim Fitzgerald, a interesting researcher at scenarios the Oregon Department and can of Revenue. impact Things got people’s so confusing that in August taxes pretty 2013, De- differently.” schutes Coun- — Bob Vroman, ty Assessor Clackamas County Scot Langton produced a assessor YouTube vid- eo introduc- ing the “Property Tax Fairy” to TriMet’s explain how three properties with the same real market value could have dramatically different tax bills. “We’re constantly still in that education mode,” says Clacka- new route mas County Assessor Bob Vro- man, who will host 13 town hall meetings in October and Novem- ber for taxpayers to learn and ■ Transit agency gets fresh start with labor pact, support for projects ask questions. “Measure 50 and Measure 5 produce some pretty By JIM REDDEN “It’s a win-win for every- interesting scenarios and can im- The Tribune one,” said TriMet Deputy pact people’s taxes pretty differ- General Manager Robert ently.” A remarkable scene un- Tilikum Nelson. Last November, the City Club folded last Wednesday in a Crossing will Resolving the labor dis- of Portland tackled the issue in a TriMet meeting room. carry MAX pute cannot happen soon report called “Reconstructing Amalgamated Transit trains, Portland enough, Portland pollster Oregon’s Frankentax: Improving Union 757 Bruce Hansen Streetcars and Adam Davis told the board the Equity, Financial Sustainabil- was warmly greeted at the buses between earlier in the day. Davis, co- ity, and Efficiency of Property annual retreat held by the South founder of DHM Research, Taxes.” regional transit agency’s Waterfront and said the bitter fi ght had “Like Frankenstein’s creature, board of directors. Hansen inner east helped pull TrIMet’s public the Frankentax plagues those smiled as he exchanged Portland. approve down from 77 per- who breathed life into it,” accord- greetings with TriMet TriMet Board cent in 2007 to 66 percent ing to the City Club report. General Manager Neil President Bruce today. It argues that, by attempting McFarlane and the board Warner is on “It was casting a pall over to hold steady certain parts of members, who treated him the right. everything,” Davis said. the tax equation, Oregon voters like an old friend. According to Davis and only managed to restrict their Until Wednesday morn- room, news had broken that ment is ratifi ed by the board Hansen, who was accompa- others who made presenta- service levels and divorce taxes ing, TriMet and the union the two sides had reached a and union members later nied by ATU International tions to the board, public from economic reality. Measure representing most of its em- tentative agreement that this month, the vibe in the Vice President John Costa, confi dence in TriMet is 5, which limited tax rates to no ployees had been at odds for promised to usher in a new room suggested it is a deal who sat in on all the media- more important today than more than $5 per $1,000 of real years because of their labor era in their relationship. both sides can live with. tion sessions (since May 8) ever before. They said Tri- market value for education and contract. But by the time Although details won’t be “It’s very positive to have that led to the tentative Hansen walked into the released until the agree- a contract to vote on,” said agreement. See TRIMET / Page 2 See TAXES / Page 7 Prison inmates, dogs form a healing bond And then she applied again. Coffee Creek’s Puppy Program During the next six years, Hinde applied to the Canine Companions for Independence helps break down prison barriers program at Coffee Creek Cor- rectional Facility three times By CAITLIN FELDMAN dog and instantly knew she before being admitted. Pamplin Media Group had to be part of whatever pro- “It was well worth the wait,” gram it belonged to. She ap- she says. “I did some stupid stuff PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP: JAIME VALDEZ The fi rst day Jennifer Hinde plied right away and was de- Inmates stand with dogs they helped train during a graduation at walked into prison, she saw a nied. So she applied again. See DOGS / Page 9 Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to ACROYOGA Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that re ects the stories of our communities. Thank you — SEE LIFE, PAGE B10 for reading our newspapers.” Inside — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Tuesday, October 7, 2014 TriMet: New generation depends on transit ■ From page 1 Met is needed to fulfill such regional goals as finding mil- lennials jobs and increasingly dense development to pre- serve farm and forest lands. Wade Lang, an official with the company planning to build more than 1,500 new apart- ments in the Lloyd District, said transit was essential for attracting tenants. “You don’t have to own a car to live here. Having op- tions right outside your door makes it marketable,” said Lang, a vice president and re- gional real estate manager with American Assets Trust. The San Diego company’s first project, Hassalo on Eighth, is being built at the intersection of the eastside MAX and Port- land Streetcar lines. Lifestyle decisions The day started with Tri- Met being praised by U.S. Transportation Secretary An- thony Foxx, who came to town and offered a spirited defense of projects like the Portland- to-Milwaukie light-rail line. After touring the Tilikum Crossing bridge across the Willamette River that is part of the line, Foxx said it was just one of several transit projects that have made the region’s transportation sys- tem — which includes roads, trains, buses and bike and pe- TRIBUNE PHOTOS: JONATHAN HOUSE destrian trails — a model for U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urged Congress to increase federal infrastructure spending during his Oct. 1 visit. the rest of the country. “You are building for today and the fu- ture,” Foxx ■ Those hurt economically said during a by the Great Recession — in- press confer- “After hearing how integral cluding millennials who can- ence outside not find work and those who the recently transit is to where people lost jobs or were forced into completed lower-paying ones — are rely- OHSU Col- decide to live, it makes our ing more on transit to go to laborative school, job training programs Life Sciences mission to provide more and and the jobs they still have. Building ■ Aging baby boomers are along the better transit service even also turning to transit as they new MAX downsize from their single- line that is more clear.” family homes in the suburbs under con- — Bruce Warner, TriMet board chairman and move into apartments struction at and condominiums in urban the west end centers.