I'll bet it would be OK if it were a bike shop.

Thanks
JK

The extra attention is lavished on Tonkin because:

1. It's an auto dealership,

2. It's in east Portland so anything to make business more difficult is a good thing.

Now, a big huge neon and flashing-light sign? That's OK (and in fact now owned by the City of Portland and intended to be seen from well over a quarter mile away). A big neon sign atop an arguably historic building that alters its appearance and is designed to be seen from across a river? That's OK. A gigantic IKEA three-sided billboard that you can actually see from five miles away on I-84 within Gresham city limits? That's fine too. Billboards that promote the Portland Timbers? That's OK. But the same billboard for any other use? That's not OK.

Karlock is right: if it had been a bike shop, the city would be tripping over itself to promote it.

They bent the sign rules for IKEA. Do they like the Swedes better than the Japanese? Seems a little racist to me . . . better get the new Office of Equity involved.

I'm with Eric - this is a job for the Office of Equity. If only they had a director, staff, mission, budget, office, etc.

I will design the logo and I will start the Twitter feed.

Thanks.

Brendan
Public Relations Commissar
Office of Equity

The city is probably worried the light from the Toyota sign will drown out the two signs across the street for Mr Peeps and Mr Peeps Showgirls.

Are you sure the commission isn't just stalling until one of the Tonkins comes up with a few thousand good reasons why it should approve.

If Ron Tonkin agrees to install a giant animal sculpture out front, I hear they can get fast-track approval.

Maybe they don't want any competitive advertising for an alternative mode of transportation that close to The Peoples Glorious Light Rail Train. How would they have handled it in the GDR?

Didn't Tonkin get in a hassle with BDS about his Honda dealership a few years back? Maybe it's time Randy's HIT squad got going again.

Otherwise, Tonkin should just put a bird on it.

Wasn't Tonkin involved in a recall effort or considering running for office recently?

You're right, Evergreen. Randy, not Sam, is head of BDS, but given that they're BFFs, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Sam asking Randy to cause trouble for an opponent (or Randy doing it unprompted).

Eric, Randy's no longer in charge of BDS. It's that other guy...name escapes me...not Fish....

The Legend - Dan Saltzman.

Outer Southeast is a bastion of good taste and impeccable design. My sincere thanks to the Commission for upholding this high standard.

OK, commenters, I can see you questioning why the city even bothered with this (although if someone in my neighborhood were planning on illuminating 1,344 square feet of wall, I'd probably want the proposal examined). Fine. But you guys do realize, right, that they APPROVED this?

I think I remember something about the Tonkin family willing to donate the money necessary to have a masthead on what is now known as the Schnitzer. If I remember correctly, their donation was refused, meaning the Tonkins have a long legacy of being deeply insulted and discriminated against by the local control freaks. Come on, I know that corner, and a calm glow would provide a security element to that neighborhood.

It is very possible that the city has wanted to give Tonkin a bad time, that land the Tonkins own might be coveted for developing more density housing in the future.

Neighbors may very well prefer the Tonkin auto dealership to what the city envisions for the area. Much easier to have an auto display in the neighborhood than dealing with rows of ghetto housing in the neighborhood.