Yea but, they produce all of their in-house food at each grocery store. That translates to manufacturing jobs and those are what Oregon needs so desperately. I'm surprised that taxpayers aren't volunteering to support the wages.

"There ís no direct financial impact of this action on the City of Portland. The E-Zone program does not decrease projected growth in property taxes. The five-year property tax abatements only apply to new capítal investment, and once they expire, the increased value returns to the tax rolls."

It only applies to new capital investments, and only for five years. This would approach but does not meet yet with a Georgist/Geonomic progressive view of taxation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgism

I volunteer to support the impact of this on current revenues to the tune of $0, my portion of the difference. I also kind of already support them by purchasing food from them. I also look forward to the Grant Park Village going in where New Seasons will anchor at NE 32nd and Broadway.

If course, it would be better if everybody got an equivalent tax holiday, as it would heavily promote infill while protecting farm land.

Seth,
Could not find the link, but I had this August 14, 2005 Oregonian article "Curbing urban sprawl Canada style".
Oregon vs. British Columbia - two approaches to protecting farmlands:
Created: Both systems set up in 1973;both lauded as successful.
Emphasis: British Columbia drew boundaries around farms;Oregon around cities.
Acreage: British Columbia gained 160,000 productive farm acres; Oregon lost 900,000 acres since 1980.

. . . British Columbia has regularly shifted Agricultural Land Reserve lines, but mostly based on better analysis identifying the most productive soil. . .

Point being, about options. I note now when going outside the UGB here, I see that the farmland that used to grow food is heavily in production for urban street trees. I also see McMansions and estates.

As I have mentioned here before, I am not for sprawl either, however, one could view density in extreme form as a vertical negative and sprawl in extreme form as a horizontal negative. Not much of a choice having to pick between those two, and again, my point there were/are other options.

Abe, New Seasons will be moving a lot of that in-house production to this new location so the stores will not be making as much as you're used to now. Also, they will not be hiring new staff for this location.

New Seasons probably gives a lot of campaign donations.

Thanks
JK

I'd love to see just where New Seasons grows that wheat at each store location...
They don't "produce" food, the assemble and package it.
But hey, George would be proud...

New Seasons supports a uber liberal extreme environmentalist philosophy. Their point of view is unscientifically supported and is akin to placebo practices such as Chiropractors, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. It is supported by pseudo intellectuals that support all kinds of PC crap such as allowing companion animals in public transportation and other public places, believing that Fibromyalgia is a disease instead of a mental disability, supporting all anti hunting activates, humanizing animals, and loving mimes. These are the same people that have brought Portland down. Not only that the folks that work at New Seasons are some of the most smug ignorant people I have ever met. Ok, folks, go flame me. I will get a kick out of that.

Ha ha. Just be sure their meat is really organically grown and hormone-free. Is it? Is it? Don't believe the hype, people...Oh man, this town is so full of c***.

Isn't this right in line with your "Sweetheart Deals" blogpost of exactly a week ago? Or is a week "ancient history" nowadays? These "sweetheart deals" have been going for at least 25 years, and seems just in the last couple of weeks to have hit the national news media (NYT, NPR and no doubt more).

This is certainly a first cousin if not a sibling.

They have a pretty awesome produce section. I wish I could afford to take advantage of it. The sausages are great, and a good value, but not near as good as Sheridan's.

More elitist discrimination from CoP in an attractive "sustainability" wrapper. I wonder how this sits with attorneys for Kroger and Safeway?

Re. the post about Portland vs. BC and farmland preservation: I don't know what the story with CAFOs is in Canada but what small farming operations they have destroyed they have effectively enslaved - yes, even in Oregon unless you're looking a hobby farms owned by those well enough off to be able to dodge dying land restrictions and produce just enough to tote to the local farmer's market.

Not so very long ago, you could travel old 99 through the valley and see many Century Farm signs at the gates of farm property. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've seen a Century Farm sign in Oregon.

That is sad about the Century Farms.
Now one see gates, gates to the McMansions and estates.

Forgot to note, that I have been going through files and came across this information from the Oregonian July 9, 1997 article "Parks Nursery may grow houses instead of plants."

Excerpt:
Last year, there were 11,780 acres of farmland inside the urban growth boundary. That's down 40 percent from 1990 when there were 19,800 farm acres.

I have mentioned this before but may be worth mentioning again, do be a label reader on products even organic. I saw some frozen vegetables product of China. This rankles me when vast farm acres we had here were growing food and now instead are growing urban street trees for the smart growth.

If there were locating this in Lents or outer East Portland, I would be supportive. The Central East-side does not need to subsidize a business already doing well.

Food prices going up and up. Shipping food around costs. As I mentioned above, I see many farmlands that used to grow food now filled with housing developments (most likely covering up our best agricultural land) and growing urban street trees. Wall Street using food as commodities big time doesn't help with prices and/or feeding people of the world.
By the way, does anyone remember the best tasting strawberries that used to be grown here?