december ’10 VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 FREE Northwest Portland neighborhoo Serving ds since 1986 — celebrating our 25th year! mikE ryerson Wireless deQ provider reverses faces few itself on hurdles eScO audit By Allan Classen Agency preparing Pearl neighbors came out to challenge a to sign deal with proposed Clearwire antenna at Northwest Patron at self-service lot behind Pizzicato. 13th and Kearney last month, but found most of their concerns didn’t matter. consultant it rejected Federal jurisdiction over telecommuni- By Allan Classen cations gives cities no authority to ques- do we really need tion health and safety impacts of elec- tromagnetic radiation, leaving neighbor- Oregon Department of Environmental hoods and citizens no grounds to object to Quality officials agreed to do something anything other than the aesthetics of the for Northwest Portland clean air advo- parking? cates last month that for most of the year antenna itself. more they said they could not do: approve a The city’s director of cable commu- sole-source contract with Bay Area con- nications, David Olson, told about 30 Arguments over parking in Northwest Portland have you sultant Jim Karas to evaluate ESCO’s residents and students at a Pearl District confused? Inside we: manufacturing processes. Association meeting that federal law gives companies the right to install their equip- • Deconstruct the shifting positions taken by business DEQ is prepared to sign a $60,000 ment in the public domain. people. Page 3 contract with Karas to audit ESCO’s two steel foundries and recommend measures The site proposed by Clearwire is on a • Measure parking lot usage currently and in recent years. Page 20 to reduce toxic air emissions. Karas is pre- PGE pole, which would be approximately pared to begin work in early January. doubled in height to 66 feet. The antenna • Outline ample off-street parking that already exists. Page 24 would be in a 10-feet-tall canister that is Just two months earlier, DEQ told 32 inches in diameter. A cabinet would local activists that Karas could not be also be attached lower on the pole. hired because he had failed to sign a certification of insurance form when he Clearwire, which offers wireless inter- developer plans to level 1900 house, submitted his bid last May. But that deci- net access, already has five antennas in the sion was reversed after a meeting with district, all of them on buildings. When replace it with apartment building representatives of the Northwest District asked about their effect on human health, mikE ryerson Association Health and Environment Steven Topp, a locally based consultant ing requested by the devel- Committee, Neighbors for Clean Air and who spoke for Clearwire at the meeting, oper to receive non-binding Northwest Environmental Advocates. said, “That’s a dicey issue.” design advice from the His- Initially, DEQ only agreed to open Topp said radiation emitted by Clear- toric Landmarks Commis- a new round of bidding. But soon the wire equipment is far below federal base- sion is scheduled Monday, agency switched gears again and agreed lines, and that studies of risk are incon- Dec. 13, 1:30 p.m., at 1900 that Karas could be hired outright without clusive. SW Fourth Ave., Room 2500A. a new application process. “The jury is still out,” he said. Despite its age and con- Michael Hall, dean of students at Continued on page 21 nection to prominent early Pacific Northwest College of Art, which Portlanders, the city clas- is adjacent to the proposed site, said sifies it as a “historic non- 971 studies have been conducted on the contributing house.” That subject “and only 132 showed no health classification may have been impact.” based on false informa- inside Topp said none of the studies were tion identifying the house repeatable and therefore were not scien- The house at 2124 NW Flanders St. was built in 1900 by two doors to the west as the tifically valid. Nathan Simon, brother of Portland mayor and U.S. Senator Nathan Simon House. The Hall and others raised the matter of a Joseph Simon. Examiner used contemporary concentration of microwave towers in the A Beaverton developer intends to city directories, Sanborn maps and census Pearl, perhaps creating a cumulative haz- demolish a 110-year-old house at 2124 reports to confirm that 2124 NW Flanders ard even if each meets federal standards. NW Flanders St. to erect a four-story, is the Nathan Simon House. Two nearby property owners—Riv- 28-unit apartment building. The developer is Dennis E. Sackhoff, erstone Condominiums and PNCA— The house, which has been subdivided president of Arbor Custom Homes, which apparently thought there was some risk into apartments and rental rooms, was has built 18 residential projects in the Port- because they turned down Clearwire’s built as a single-family home for Nathan land suburbs since its formation in 1988, request to mount this antenna on their Simon, a Portland attorney for 46 years according to its website. The project closest buildings. Owners of the 24-Hour Fitness th and the brother of former U.S. Senator and to this site is Arbor Vista at Northwest 95 building were also approached, but the Portland Mayor Joseph Simon. and Cornell Road. Go Ducks roof would not support wireless equip- The project must go through historic Sackhoff bought 2124 NW Flanders for Young fan, vintage sweater ment. design review because it is located in $850,000 three years ago. Continued on page 21 PAGE 10 the Historic Alphabet District. A hear- “Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.” — The Santa Clause “Okay, this is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?” — Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone 2375 NW Northrup Street Unit 1: The Valencia You won’t believe — a 2 bedroom condo unit has been 2364 NW Hoyt Street created in a grand 1913 Craftsman building and is only If only this 1906 Josef Jacobberger Colonial Craftsman could $216 per square foot. At a price like this you owe yourself talk, that is exactly what it would be saying. Once restored, this a present. Consider a garden-level unit that is sleek and new diamond in the rough could be the scene of holiday parties for with heated concrete floors, an open floor plan and floor- the ages. Gracious public spaces on the main level with oak to-ceiling alder built-ins in the granite-and-stainless kitchen floors still intact will soon recall their original elegance. Seven and living room, a travertine marble full bath, and Clean Air bedrooms on the upper floors could accommodate family, guests, Energy Recovery Air Ventilator. a media room, an office—no limit to your options. And off-street 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1,198 Sq. Ft. MLS# 10080897. parking for four cars—incredible. $259,900. 7 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, 3,672 finished Sq. Ft. with a full unfinished basement. MLS# 10089193. $550,000. “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. “Hanukkah is the festival of lights, instead of one day of What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” presents, we have eight crazy nights.” — Adam Sandler — Dr. Seuss 516 NW 18th Avenue Imagine the menorah set in the bay window and shining 414 NW 22nd Avenue through the windows or the tree you could have with these One can’t get too much more than this high-style Victorian. 11' ceilings. Celebrate all the holidays in the elegance of the Picture the grand dame, now restored with all the glorious Victorian era with new systems for modern living. And a detail of the era, dressed up like a Dickensian Christmas. On newly remodeled period-appropriate kitchen to prepare the the outside: San Francisco. On the inside: Paris. The chef’s holiday feasts. No sleigh needed here: with a Walkscore of 98, dream kitchen will be the center of your holiday party—if you you’re close to everything without needing a car—although can get them past the sumptuous living and dining rooms or there is off-street parking for one. out of the fully outfitted recording studio in the lower level. 3 bedrooms, 1½ baths, 1,800 Sq. Ft. MLS# 10058085. 3 bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, 2,715 finished Sq. Ft. with a 1,000 $549,000. Sq. Ft. partially finished lower level, off-street parking for two cars. MLS #10086021. $729,000. 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, decembEr 2010 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. No fan of Trader Joe’s Regarding “Trader Joe’s: a noisy neighbor with trouble hearing (November 2010),” a trip to Trader Joe’s is no picnic for customers either. The parking lot is a public menace to both drivers and pedestrians who dare to cross it. Searching for a spot is akin to bumper cars at a state fair and downright dangerous for those on foot making their way across the lot. merchants flip again on When I addressed the situation to Trader Joe’s corporate headquarters, I received a curt form letter essentially dismissing me.