The holding pattern for boondoggles is getting crowded (Jack Bog's Blog)

Oh boy. As if Portland isn't in deep enough hock. Now they're getting ready to appoint a "blue ribbon panel" -- of Good Old boys, no doubt -- to "champion" a "public-private partnership" to buy up big chunks of contaminated property along the Willamette River in Portland and turn it over to a "master developer." The panel will have people on it from the Portland Development Commission, Metro, the Port, and Governor Ted's office.

Sounds like Neil Goldschmidt's Rolodex. And here's what they'll be up to:

The Master Developer would be responsible for negotiating purchase sale agreements with individual property owners in order to gain control of multiple parcels of land and would perform vertical build out in accordance with a development plan for the area. This improves economies of scale for remediation and redevelopment by having one entity in control....
The STAMP team recommends the creation of a legal entity in which all 25 properties could be transferred to, this could be a public/private partnership. This new legal entity would manage and finance the remediation of upland environmental liabilities, geotechnical engineering, infrastructure development and vertical build out.

The STAMP Team Feels that this option benefits the current property owners because it allows them to deal with upland environmental liability by pooling government resources and using disposition and lease proceeds to offset a portion of or all of the cost....

You might want to head down to the Arlington Club some afternoon in the near future and watch your tax money get sucked in.

Comments (4)

Hey, if anyone out there is a voter, please:

VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT THE INCUMBENT!

I only require a full set of teeth and an ability to read, write, and speak English. ANYONE would be better than these fools that take the credit for what makes Portland Portland. They piggyback on people like Tom McCall (READ:Teddy K) and Bud Clark (READ:Vera). They insolate themselves with yes people (Sam Adams, Vera's 12 year old lap dog), pander to the unions (Randy Leonard), are incompotent (Erik Sten), or disembodied (Danny Saltzman).

Do EVERYONE a favor and vote for ANYONE but the incumbents!

Posted by Z | October 12, 2007 4:06 PM

Z, you're on to something.

I wonder if the Arlington Club gave us the Dry dock that brought thousands of jobs and pollution to Swan island? Was it the Arlington Club that brought us prosperity with the Convention Center? Was it he Arlington Club that brought us the Transit Center and all those cute trains and trolleys and ended traffic congestion?
And which commissioners have kissed the ring of the head of the Arlington Club and will be anointed the mayor? Can't be " Smell Bad Leonard"; he even pisses off the good ol' boys of the Arlington Club.

Posted by KISS | October 12, 2007 5:22 PM

STAMP=URBAN RENEWAL=MORE TAX DOLLARS. Plain and simple. It is not "for the children".

Posted by Lee | October 12, 2007 6:35 PM

The good ole' boys will probably just pave over the contaminated river bank with more condos or some other nonsense, just like they did the rail yards that are now the Pearl District; taking our tax dollars and laughing all the way to the off shore banks.

Posted by portland native | October 13, 2007 7:12 AM

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Friday, October 12, 2007

The holding pattern for boondoggles is getting crowded

Comments (4)

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