Opportunity Gateway Program Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting Minutes
June 15, 2005

In attendance:
Duke Shepard, Chair
Dorene Warner, Vice Chair
Beth Baltz
Frieda Christopher
Bob Earnest
Grace Fitzgerald
Renee Jensen
Arlene Kimura
Jerry Koike
Alesia Reese
Carol Williams
Dann Wonser

Staff and Guests in attendance:
Sara King (PDC)
Ann Griffin (PDC)
Pam Johnson (PDC)
Randy Evans (PDC)
Lisa Abuaf (PDC)
Jon Connor (PDC)
Dan Layden (PDOT)

Not in attendance:
Teena Aisle
Ron Brown
Dick Cooley
Andy Cotugno
Steve Dotterrer
Merced Flores
Mark Gaulke
Ted Gilbert
Fred Sanchez
Phil Selinger
Laurel Wentworth
Aleta Woodruff

1. Welcome from the Chair

Duke opened the meeting at 6:45 p.m. and welcomed PAC members. He reviewed agenda changes and stated there was a quorum for the vote on officer election nominations. Sara introduced Randy Evans. He will be taking over Ann Griffin’s economic development work in Gateway.

2. 102nd Avenue Update

The 102nd Avenue project involves improvements along 102nd from Halsey/Weidler at the north to Stark/Washington at the south. PDOT staff has worked with a PAC Subcommittee (Jim, Doreen, Beth, Bob, Renee, and others) to evaluate various project issues and alternatives. Improvements include widened sidewalks (to 12’-15’) in locations where buildings do not impact expansion as well as added street trees, lights, benches, and other features.

PAC members inquired why these were the boundaries given additional opportunities to both the north and south. The boundaries are dictated by a federal grant and were based on transitions in street character. Since the project is within the Gateway URA, in the future, improvements can be continued to the north or south using URA funds.

The preliminary design for the north section includes expanded sidewalks and left turn lanes, maintains the jug handle at the north end, and introduces various medians. Ginko trees will be planted within the widened sidewalks to provide streetscaping while also allowing for sign visibility and utility accommodation.

A landscape treatment is proposed within the jug handle island, currently an open field with trees. The art is intended for both car and pedestrian scale. The concept, called “windscape,” includes recycled concrete formed into an artistic reflection of the topography of the district alongside brightly colored poles which will flex to wind patterns. A low fence may be placed on the poles to avoid vandalism. While not shown in the rendering, the large tree already on site will be preserved and conifers could be added around the periphery of the site to reflect other attributes of the Gateway district. The curb of the island will be modified as it comes into 102nd to permit a more efficient turning radius for trucks. The right turn only lane will be preserved.

The concept has been presented to the Design Commission which is very excited about the proposal’s potential to bring interest to Gateway. Additional discussion will need to occur with the Bureau of Maintenance to determine who will maintain the jug handle as well as maintenance costs. Beth and other PAC members will be working with community and business associations to address maintenance issues.

PAC members emphasized that the improvements should coordinate with Ted’s redevelopment project and inquired as to what responsibilities private property owners will take on with regards to implementing and/or maintaining the improvements in the future. Ted’s development will conform to the master street plan for Gateway which lays out what part of his property will be dedicated for right-of-way. PDOT has made efforts to preplan for new development; however, some improvements may need to be removed with possible future development.

Similar to the north section, the southern half will include expanded sidewalks when widening is not constrained by existing buildings. PAC members asked whether improvements would be made to side streets intersecting 102nd and expressed support for continuing sidewalk improvements around street corners. Dan indicated that improvements will wrap around the corner but not continue along the side streets.

One major change will be to balance lighting on both sides of the street. Medians will also be introduced in the south section; however, exact locations have yet to be decided. New medians will be fairly wide (7’-8’) and will accommodate larger scarlet oak trees. Members of the public and the PAC discussed whether a native species couldn’t be planted instead and whether larger trees might impede the visibility of businesses. Dan thought that the oaks are a native species.

Other specific improvements in the south section include:

• PDC owned property at the north end of Burnside will include on-street parking as well as widened sidewalks (by cutting into the property line). This is intended to support future ground floor retail. Precautions will need to be made so that the parking does not become routinely used by park and ride customers.
• The section of sidewalk adjacent to the Russellville development will involve little improvement outside of replacing some concrete with pavers to be consistent with the overarching design.
• The curb will be moved to the east at the Jim Fisher Volvo site to provide better traffic flow.

A significant feature of the south section will be a gateway at the southern traffic divider. The gateway feature will include additional crosswalks, a recycled concrete wall of curvature design, trees, and a feature art piece with a Gateway arch (18’-20’ tall). The gateway feature is not financed as part of the 102nd improvements, and funds will need to be found in the future.

Currently, there is approximately $700,000 available for 102nd Avenue project engineering and right-of-way acquisition. Approximately $1 million in construction funds is expected to be allocated in October 2005. Funds are earmarked in the federal transportation bill which is moving forward in the House and Senate.

The current plan for 102nd Avenue will go before City Council for approval in July or August 2005. PAC members are welcome to testify in support of the project. PDOT staff will also be contacting adjacent property owners on an ongoing basis regarding property acquisition, as required. Refinements to the windscape concept are anticipated to occur in Fall 2005 alongside some public outreach. The right-of-way process is expected to be complete by Winter 2006 with construction scheduled for Spring 2006. If PAC members have questions regarding the project or schedule, they should contact Dan directly.

3. Storefront Program Expansion Update

The expansion of the Storefront Improvement Program target area per the PAC’s discussion at last month’s meeting has been approved. As a result, a $20,000 storefront grant has been given to local businessman Herb Yamamoto. The next step is to amend the target area on portlandmaps.com.

Next year’s budget for the Storefront Improvement Program is $50,000 which is not a lot of funding. A data pull of small businesses in the Gateway area shows approximately 25 businesses on the Stark/Washington couplet are eligible for the program. In July, PDC staff will contact eligible businesses regarding the Storefront Improvement Program availability which may spur additional interest in the program. At that time, budget allocation for the program can be reevaluated based on response.

4. Public Comment

Duke asked if there was further public comment. There was no further public comment.

5. PAC Chair and Vice Chair Nominations

Nominations for this year’s Chair and Vice Chair are Dorene Warner and Bob Earnest, respectively. Thanks were given to outgoing Chair and Vice Chair, Duke and Dorene, for all their efforts. As a member of the Nomination Committee, Arlene asked if there were any nominations from the floor. There were no additional nominations. Arlene moved to accept the nominations. Alesia seconded. Jon called roll of voting PAC members in attendance. All votes were ayes in favor of the Chair and Vice Chair slate of candidates.

Chair and Vice-Chair terms are for one year, general PAC membership terms are for two years. New PAC members for the coming year will include:

• Clyde Nelson, Mill Park Neighborhood Association
• Jackie Butts, Key Bank
• Jackie Putnam, Greater Gateway Resident
• Tim Brunner, East Portland Chamber of Commerce
• Timothy Treible, M.D., P.C., Physicians’ Hospital
• Lynn Powell, Gateway Elks
• Susan Brady, Mt. Hood Community College
• Jim Doig, Gateway Resident
• Dick Loffelmacher or other, PacTrust
• Linda Robinson – Hazelwood at Large
• To be determined, David Douglas School District

6. General Announcements

The Oregon Clinic will be having their groundbreaking on Wednesday, July 6. They anticipate being done with construction in September 2005. Invitations to the groundbreaking were distributed.

There are three finalists for the position of PDC Executive Director: David Knowles, Bruce Warner, and Karen Williams. Two opportunities to meet the candidates are scheduled for Saturday, June 18th and Monday, June 20th from noon to 3 p.m. at the PDC offices, 222 NW 5th Avenue.

Laurel Wentworth is retiring. Her last day with PDOT is July 21st. While she could not attend the PAC meeting, she will be writing a note of appreciation to PAC members. A permanent PDOT representative to replace her has not yet been assigned.

In response to the City Club report, which calls for uniformity in urban renewal advisory committees (URACs), PDC is in the process of formulating a new advisory committee policy. On July 29th, the Commission will be receiving comments on the new policy.

Gateway’s Urban Renewal Advisory Committee guidelines were adopted in Spring 2004. They will need to be reviewed against this new policy. PAC members expressed concerns regarding term limits included in the new policy, and the impact this could have on the institutional knowledge and continuity of the PAC. A conforming URAC policy needs to be flexible enough to allow for each urban renewal area’s needs and the unique aspects of the Gateway URA.

If a July PAC meeting is held, URAC policy will be an agenda item for the PAC to discuss. Other agenda items may include a presentation on Ted’s development project. The July meeting may or may not be held depending on agenda items.

A subcommittee was convened to review the proposed URAC policy and to submit comments on behalf of the PAC. Alesia offered to chair the subcommittee. Frieda offered to join as well. The subcommittee will review the URAC guidelines and send out their recommendations prior to July 15th to help determine if a July PAC meeting is required.

Beth moved to empower the subcommittee to make a recommendation on behalf of the PAC if need be. Arlene seconded. Jon called roll of PAC members in attendance. All votes were ayes.

Duke adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m.

The July 20, 2005 meeting of the Opportunity Gateway Program Advisory Committee has been cancelled. The next Gateway PAC meeting is tentatively scheduled for August 17, 2005, location yet to be determined.

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