Instead of an overall plan, we have piecemeal applications, when it is convenient to plug it in for developers and property owners along the line.

Jack,

You forgot the biggest players in that area Paul Allen and his main development lead J Isaacs.

I live in the neighborhood. I have been fascinated by who invests, sees limited governmental enforcement, and wins out on the public in this district.

You might look at recent and historic developments in this area and see if you can identify the ties that I see to elected officials in Oregon. Of particular interest are the folks who have been buying up properties for years before the City, PDC and other government agencies dropped $$$ there. Is it possible they had special fore-knowledge?

Or am I just another East Coast, New Jerseyite with excessive sarcasm and mistrust of most elected officials?

Follow the $$$$$, as I have spieled on this in the past, Oregon is dirtier then good old New Jersey. Now if New Jersey only had the beauty of the NW!!

Paul van Orden

Put up whatever crap you like, as long as I don't have to pay for it. Just keep in mind I-5 WILL need to be widened through the Rose Quarter. The "green" fad will be long gone, & we'll still be driving cars.

It's not too much of a stretch to think that the Headquarters Hotel will be back in the picture sometime in the not too distant future. PDC has recently demolished the structures on the full block between NE Oregon and NE Pacific, and is in Design Review for a "public plaza".

I find this interesting because part of the Westin Headquarters Hotel Conceptual Study (2003) called for a low-rise building on this site called a "public plaza" that would connect to the larger hotel building to be built between NE Holladay and NE Pacific.

Hmmm. Did they break ground on the Hotel without inviting us?

Wait, Jack! I can't find my wallet! Is there a lost-and-found at PDC?

Did you notice how the outline looks like a toilet just waiting to flush the dollars away?

Anybody know what percentage of our property taxes goes to "urban renewal", and how has that percentage changed in relation to the percentage that goes towards public education?

I guess hotel staff don't need much school'n.

Good one Bill, but the toilet bowl is GREEN!

Let's not be so fatalistic. An urban renewal initiative will be coming to Portland soon; after the voters of Clackamas Co. approves voter approved urban renewal for their county. Then these kinds of shenanigans will come to an end. The people who profit from their endeavors will be those that pay for it, and the politicians will have less chance to play Developers with taxpayer monies.

Look how wonderful Portland is
http://www.railvolution.com/hostcity.asp

If I didn't actually live here and were only hearing about everything second hand, I would think Portland were a privately owned theme park being run by a secret board of directors with a local flunky set up as spokesperson and designated fall-guy who's main job is to keep the local population ponying up the $$ to pay for the park's expansion before being evicted to make way for paying customers.

Or maybe a sort of settlement being forced on the indigents?

It's all very strange...

In the future I imagine books will be written about what happened here.

Yep, you called it about the hotel. There's no idea that would benefit a big landowner that's so stupid that it's ever shelved permanently.

jc:In the future I imagine books will be written about what happened here.

I imagine there are many who comment here who have mounds of material for those books.

Mr. Woods,

If you live in Portland, your property tax bill will clearly list the dollars going to urban renewal and to all other purposes, including public schools.

Last year, urban renewal collected 11 percent of property taxes in the Portland Public Schools district. PPS collected 27 percent.

The bills aren't out yet this year. Information about last year's property taxes from the PPS perspective is here:
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/news/1763.htm

Sarah Carlin Ames
PPS Public Affairs

Sarah PPS - You do know that renters don't see that info, right? And they do indirectly pay property taxes.

We analyze our property tax bill every year, including showing the "urban renewal" tax. Most recently:

http://bojack.org/2009/10/urban_renewal_passes_cop_pensi.html

As to how much "urban renewal" steals, and from where:

http://bojack.org/2010/08/portland_urban_renewal_tax_suc.html

Paul van Orden:

Or am I just another East Coast, New Jerseyite with excessive sarcasm and mistrust of most elected officials?

Bob T:

Wow, another one (Jack being from Newark). Now just what town are you from?

Anyway, Jerseyites get to spend lots of time reading about all kinds of corrupt things - even one about kickbacks for autumn leaf collection in Woodbridge.

Bob T
Portland

Dare too keep PDX developer's off the trough.

Lee: . . An urban renewal initiative will be coming to Portland soon; . .

Really, is this in the works?
The city will put the max they can in URA before this happens. They may even be legislating in order to do more.
And, they will spend every last one of our dollars to make sure that initiative fails.
Propaganda works so well here.
Despite all that, I do hope you are right Lee, that the shenanigans will end.

I have no problem paying taxes to fund public education. Paying 2¢ for urban development in this 'theme park' is preposterous. It never benefits anyone but the developers, and certainly not the disadvantaged.

Looks like the "dumbing" down of America works here.
Never enough for education, but always riches for the insiders.
Leaders of our community are either hiding or think this is all OK? Why don't the ones who do care at least get together to do something about this imbalance? Or are they?