Far SW Neighborhood Association

Minutes March 24, 2015

Marcia Leslie called the meeting to order.

Neighbors who signed in: Cyndy Gillis, Virginia Hendrickson, Kathy & Zoe Steiner, Marcy Dodge, Michael & Shea Conover, KatrenkaRember, Mitch Greenberg, Jeri Armistead, Zachary Glatt, George Vranas, Ned Devereaux, James Freed, Peter Johnson, Steve Beining, Bud & Denise Jeffords, ArianeHolzhauer, Wes McMullen, Ruth Falsetto & Ray, Sue Wilson, Miechelle Nations, Gary Whitney, Gene Hammond, Marcia Leslie, Jacqui Burri. (10 more?)

Guests: Ryan Carlson, Dave Unsworth (TriMet), Erika Nebel (Novick's office), Rep. Margaret Doherty, Anthony Buczik, Matt Binh, Heather (Metro), Joan Fredericksen (BPS), Sylvia Bogert (SWNI), Karen Kane, Mark (PCC).

Presentation on SWCP (Southwest Corridor Plan)David Unsworth: Tri-Met;Matt Bihn: Metro.

David and Matt provided background information on the SWCP and the Barbur Concept Plan, which incorporates planning to improve the transportation system from downtown Portland to Tigard and Tualatin. The focus has been on the northern part of the route, and consideration of tunnels in the OHSU and Hillsdale areas. The focus is now shifting to the PCC/Far SW Neighborhood area. The two options for improving transit are Light Rail (LRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). LRT requires separa-tion from traffic and possibly could be sited on the I-5 corridor or on Barbur. BRT can be in mixed traffic or in an exclusive right of way with sidewalks and bike lanes. Adding LRT or BRT to Barbur would require stations with amenities. Having High Capacity Transit (HCT) on Barbur would spur redevelopment of Barbur, perhaps preferable to LRT on the I-5 corridor which would not benefit Barbur’s redevelopment.

One of the primary goals of HCT is to provide a shorter trip time for people who need to travel from Tualatin to downtown Portland. Currently, if there is no traffic, the trip takes 14 minutes but, because of variations in traffic, the driver must allow 58 minutes in order to guarantee arrival on time. The goal of HCT is to provide a 30 minute trip.

Direct access to PCC is the issue that is driving Southwest Corridor planning in the Far SW Neigh-borhood. One option is to improve 53rd Avenue, by paving and adding sidewalks, to improve pedestrian and bike access from Barbur to the campus, but not to provide through traffic for cars to PCC on 53rd. A further modification of 53rd would involve a cut-and-cover tunnel for LRT to PCC at an additional cost of over $376 million. This would be a major disruption for homeowners on and near 53rd during construction. There might also be significant environmental issues since the area has many springs and creeks. A third option would have BRT travel from Barbur on Capitol and 49th to the campus. One issue with the BRT route is that it would add 5 minutes to the commute from Portland to Tualatin.

The SWCP Steering Committee, with input from community members, must weigh the cost and benefits of BRT and LRT. Federal New Starts money can cover 50% but there is competition with other cities for the funding. The Steering Committee is charged with considering all reasonable options. Prior to final decision making, an Environmental Impact Study will be completed. In July the Steering Committee will make decisions on possible alignments, direct or indirect access to OHSU, Hillsdale and PCC. In December decisions will be made for Tigard and Tualatin.

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Steering committee members:

  • Metro Councilor Craig Dirksen, co-chair
  • Metro Councilor Bob Stacey, co-chair
  • Tigard Mayor John Cook
  • Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle
  • Portland Commissioner Steve Novick
  • TriMet general manager Neil McFarlane
  • Sherwood Mayor Krisanna Clark
  • Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden
  • Washington County Commissioner Roy Rogers
  • Durham Mayor GerySchirado
  • ODOT Region 1 manager Rian Windsheimer
  • King City Commissioner Suzan Turley

Neighbors had the opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns about the cut-and-cover tunnel option for 53rd Avenue. Neighbors are encouraged to attend the SWCP Technical Workshop on April 20th at 6:00 pm at the Multnomah Arts Center. The SW 53rd Street Tunnel Petition was available for neighbors to sign. The petition supports the greenway connection from Barbur to PCC, the reconfiguration of the SW 53rd and Pomona intersection, opposes the cut and cover tunnel on 53rd and supports the BRT option.

January meeting minutes were approved.

Committee Reports

SWNI Board,Marcia Leslie: Issues that have been addressed by the Board include input from committees to the Comprehensive Plan, the deadline for all input was March 13. The Schools Committee has brought up issues on proposed boundary changes and Common Core. SWNI is the only neighborhood coalition that publishes a monthly newspaper, which is a valuable source of information for all community members regarding the activities of the neighborhood associations and SWNI committees. The SWNI Board of Directors is currently seeking nominations. Marcia reminds the Far SW members that her term as chair will expire next year and she does not plan to seek another term.

Public Safety,Marcia Leslie: Marcia offers a handout, “Deter, Detect and Defend Against Identity Theft”. Representatives from the Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Unit made a presen-tation in the March meeting on dealing with mentally/emotionally disturbed and addicted people, and resources that are available to help them. Active since 2007, the BHU targets addiction to decrease criminal behavior. They work with the DA's office and parole officers to connect addicts to community services. Every dollar spent on diversion and treatment saves $10 in jail/court-related costs. Due to lack of staff in PPB,neighborhood policing has been virtually eliminated.

Land Use: Nick Merrill was not present to provide a report

Parks,Virginia Hendrickson: Construction has been completed on the South Waterfront Greenway. Playground equipment has been installed in Marshall Park and construction completed, an opening ceremony is planned for June 13th. Willamette Park redevelopment plans are being made, to ac-commodate the expected increase of cyclists when the Sellwood Bridge is reopened. Separate routes will be available for cyclists and pedestrians. Construction should begin in January 2016.

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Transportation,Wes McMullen: Wes suggests going to swcorridorplan.org for further information about the SWCP. He also provides his email address for neighbors who have questions. The SWNI Board Meeting February Minutes list the 10 TSP (Transportation System Plan) projects prioritized by the Board. One of the priority projects is the Barbur/PCC greenway on 53rd Avenue.

Old Business: None

New Business: A) Karen Kane from PCC will do a presentation on their Stormwater Runoff project at our June meeting. B) A draft of the new FSW Bylaws will be presented for consideration/com-ments in June. They will be significantly different than the existing bylaws which are posted on the

FSW web site under SWNI.org.

Upcoming Events:

April 20th – SWCP Technical Workshop, 6 pm at the Multnomah Arts Center.

April 22nd – Southwest Watersheds Open House, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Senior Center.

April 25th – April Hill Park Spring Bird Walk, 8 am to 10 am (see April SW News).

April 25th – Friends of Spring Garden Park Annual Native Plant Sale, 9 am to 1 pm (see

April SW News for map on front page).

May 2nd – SWNI Spring Cleanup, 9 – 1 pm at Portland Christian Church on Dosch Rd.

May 12th – SWCP Community Forum, 6 pm at Wilson High School.

June 30th – SWNI Volunteer Recognition Event, 6:30 at Multnomah Arts Center.

July 6 to August 5th – Concerts in the Park in Willamette Park (see April SW News for

bands and times).

Adjourn

Next Meeting June 23, 2015