Soaring souls Festival hits the right PortlandTribune notes — SEE LIFE, B1 THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015 • TWICE CHOSEN THE NATION’S BEST NONDAILY PAPER • PORTLANDTRIBUNE.COM • PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND THURSDAY Will taxi companies get a bad deal when Uber revs? companies say it will still be Traditional fi rms say diffi cult to compete fairly. For they’ll have a hard example, they’ve been required to outfi t a share of their vehi- time competing cles to accommodate passen- gers with wheelchairs, but By STEVE LAW Uber would be allowed to The Tribune merely refer such customers to other companies — even tradi- Get ready for taxi deregu- tional cab companies — rather lation, Portland style. than accommodate them. The Portland City Council Cab fares would remain may embrace the arrival of capped by the city for tradition- Uber and similar cab services al companies, while Uber WHERE into the city’s taxi market for a would be free to charge what it four-month trial period, under wants, except during emergen- ground rules suggested Mon- cies. That means the company day by a citizens task force. could continue its use of con- The Private For-Hire Trans- troversial “surge pricing,” portation Innovation Task when rates go up during peri- Force, led by retired state ad- ods of high demand or other ministrator times. Mike Green- Greenfield said the task WILL fi eld, proposed force had to work under a tight that Uber, Lyft timeframe after Portland May- and other or Charlie Hales struck a deal “transporta- with Uber that assured the tion network company could enter the mar- companies” be ket in April. The task force pro- allowed to posed an initial set of terms for compete with the 120-day demonstration traditional taxi HALES project, and the city will use services, if that time to gather information PORTLAND they meet on cab response times, handi- some basic standards for insur- capped-service metrics and ance, driver background other data. Then the task force checks, vehicle safety and oth- intends to propose more defi ni- er terms. tive rules after the four-month The task force will deliver its trial period. recommendations to the Port- The city intends to levy ex- land City Council starting at 2 tra fees on the transportation p.m. Thursday, April 9, fol- network companies to pay for GROW? lowed by a public hearing. The the data analysis, which is esti- council has scheduled an April mated to cost $20,000 to $30,000 15 vote on the demonstration said Bryan Hockaday, a policy project. adviser for city Transportation Greenfield said the task Commissioner Steve Novick. force sought to create condi- Dylan Rivera, spokesman for tions for a level playing fi eld the Portland Bureau of Trans- between taxi companies and portation, said the city is confi - Uber-style services, which al- dent Uber will cooperate with lowed people to turn their pri- the demonstration project, not- vate cars into taxis that are ing that it recently paid $67,750 “hailed” by customers on their in fi nes levied by the city for smartphones. However, traditional taxi See TAXI / Page 2 The construction of new multifamily housing, like this building in the Pearl Records show how District, must exceed current rates to meet Portland’s goals in gun was stored at the draft Comprehensive Plan update. shooter’s home INSET: Get ready to see a lot more multifamily Father, brother Padgett, who owned the AR-15 housing buildings, rifl e that was kept in a locked City planners predict like this one under presumably had keys case in his bedroom closet. construction at Lucas Padgett told police his 20-year, multifamily Northwest 21st in their possession younger brother knew about Avenue and the gun, and had opened the construction boom Quimby Street, By KATY SWORD case previously using his key. during the next Pamplin Media Group That key — along with a sec- that home builders 20 years. ond copy in his father Michael Police have continuously Padgett’s possession — were say isn’t realistic TRIBUNE PHOTO: said they don’t know how kept on their JONATHAN HOUSE Jared Padgett obtained his key rings, By JIM REDDEN brother’s rifl e, which he along with “When we The Tribune used to kill fellow Reynolds house and car look at High School student Emilio keys. Portland planners say the Hoffman, before turning the Lucas told what is city can house half the people HOW FAST CAN gun on himself June 10, 2014. police Jared secured, expected to move to the met- PORTLAND GROW? But a records request to the never had ac- what is ropolitan area during the next Troutdale Police Department cess to those 20 years. They predict 123,000 The Portland Bureau of — fi led by The Gresham Out- keys. But he access, new housing units will be Planning and Sustainability look — has provided some in- also told police what is the built in Portland by 2035. says multifamily housing sight into those events. Trout- they were rou- The Metro Council heard that construction will exceed the dale police released a 31-page tinely kept in defi nition prediction from Portland Bu- annual record for the next document Monday, April 6, de- the kitchen. reau of Planning and Sustain- 20 years. The Home on that?” Builders Association of tailing police interviews with “My keys ei- — Troutdale ability Director Susan Anderson Metro Portland says recent Padgett’s brother, Lucas ther go on my Police Lt. Joel and Principal Planner Tom increases cannot be main- desk or they’re Wendland Armstrong last Tuesday. Ander- the region. According to the Bureau of tained. Here are the num- hung in the son and Armstrong had been in- But the housing projection Development Services — ber of permits issued for kitchen on the, vited to give the council an over- is based on a controversial which issues construction per- the past 14 years: uh, key ring,” Lucas told police view of the Comprehensive Plan premise. According to Ander- mits — 31,563 such permits 2001 — 854 during their investigation update that will guide Portland’s son and Armstrong, the vast were issued between 2001 and 2002 — 1,974 shortly after the shooting. growth until 2035. majority of the new housing 2014. 2003 — 3,540 After the shooting, the Mult- “Portland has essentially half — 75 to 80 percent — will be That’s an average of 2,254 2004 — 1,877 nomah County district attor- of the region’s capacity over the multifamily housing. For that such permits a year. But to 2005 — 2,734 ney had considered charging next 20 years,” Anderson said. to happen, multifamily con- reach the draft Comp Plan up- 2006 — 2,236 family members for allowing The council had requested struction will have to more date goals, between 4,612 and Jared access to the weapon. the briefi ng to help decide than double the rate of the 4,920 such permits will have to 2007 — 3,253 But the DA determined in No- whether it needs to expand the past 14 years. be issued every year for the 2008 — 3,001 vember the rifl e was secured Urban Growth Boundary it ad- BPS defi nes multifamily next 20 years. 2009 — 654 before Jared obtained access to ministers later this year. Most housing to include apart- That rate has been ques- 2010 — 782 the weapon. of the councilors seemed im- ments, condominiums, auxil- tioned by the Home Builders 2011 — 1,060 “All indications in the report pressed with the presentation, iary dwelling units, duplexes, Association of Metro Portland, 2012 — 2,145 were that the father and with some saying Portland’s rowhouses and townhouses. which does not believe such a 2013 — 2,966 planning process could serve The vast majority are apart- 2014 — 4,487 See RECORDS / Page 3 as a model for other cities in ments and condominiums. See GROWTH / Page 2 “Pamplin Media Group’s pledge is to Portland Tribune deliver balanced news that refl ects the ON CRUZ stories of our communities. Thank you Inside — SEE SPORTS, PAGE B10 for reading our newspapers.” — DR. ROBERT B. PAMPLIN JR. OWNER & NEIGHBOR A2 NEWS The Portland Tribune Thursday, April 9, 2015 Taxi: City Council to hear recommendations ■ accept rides that are hailed From page 1 from the streets. That is de- signed to assure traditional operating illegally here in De- companies retain that share of cember. the market. “We are receiving indica- Commercial-level insurance tions that the industry is inter- for Uber vehicles is another ested in complying,” he said. requirement the task force The city made it clear those says is comparable to require- The city is fi nes must be paid at the onset ments for regular taxi compa- hoping to buy a of the task force proceedings. nies. That could impose an ad- site to build PBOT, which is devising the ditional cost for Uber, though more affordable pilot project, will see to it that the company recently an- housing in the Uber and other companies re- nounced new insurance cover- Pearl District spect the new requirements age. Terms of such an umbrel- near this during the demonstration proj- la insurance policy covering building at ect, Rivera said at a media each car haven’t yet been au- Northwest 13th briefing Monday afternoon. thorized by Oregon’s state in- Avenue and “We’re going to monitor close- surance regulators. Overton Street. ly. We’re going to hold the in- The biggest controversy dustry accountable.” among task force members was TRIBUNE PHOTO: JONATHAN HOUSE The task force proposed re- in serving people with disabili- laxing some city regulations for ties.