League joins charge against Portland urban renewal
The folks who say that Portland is breaking the law in its latest doings with its "urban renewal" slush fund have a new ally -- the League of Women Voters. The league has reportedly filed a brief in the pending state land use board case arguing that the Pearl District is no longer "blighted" and thus no longer eligible to be an "urban renewal" zone.
They reportedly haven't joined the part of the challenge to the legality of the city's goofy "satellite district" maneuver, under which Pearlie property taxes will be beamed to the far east side of Portland to build a school for a school district that doesn't want to pay for one itself. Apparently the League of Women Voters finds nothing wrong with that.
When you've got both the public interest groups and the fat cat developers all saying you're screwing up, maybe -- just maybe -- you are in fact screwing up. Just a thought.
| Posted at 8:26 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (6)
I commend the League of Women Voters for their involvement on challenging the extension of UR in the Pearl and beyond. I haven't read their brief, but I hope that they are also challenging the concept of when Urban Renewal areas are extended in time (like the Pearl) that a full analysis of the term "blight" is required to meet state statutes. Several times Portland has extended urban renewal areas beyond their initial 20 year life, even though the "blight" as outlined in the initial documents have been met or substantially met. Just saying that "blight exists" isn't good government.
Maybe it is time for the Oregon legislature to visit the Urban Renewal issue and give better definitions to the statutes.
Posted by Jerry | December 9, 2008 10:40 AM
The extension of the Pearl URA will allow the issuance of twenty year bonds through 2021, meaning we taxpayers will be paying for the Pearl until 2041. I will be 95 years old by then. Odds are I won't be around to finish the payoff.... you younger folks can pick up the slack for me.
In the meanwhile, the police stations are closed at night, the streets are horrible, the parks look like crap and the city council is trying to tack a fee onto almost everything that should be a basic service. We are being fleeced.
Posted by Dave Lister | December 9, 2008 12:58 PM
Who cares - I am sure Randy and Sam will come up with some arcane theory that we are all too dumb to understand to justify taking committed moeny from road repairs and police to fund his pet projects. I mean look at the wonders he did with PFDR.
Posted by Steve | December 9, 2008 9:20 PM
Joel,
I am all for funding education and building schools. The issue here is whether or not Portland is following the law when it comes to URA's. Oliver Norville, the prominent attorney who wrote most of the legislation on URA's and wrote the original charter amendement back in 1958 creating the Portland Development Commission is of the opinion that Portland is not.
Posted by Dave Lister | December 10, 2008 1:18 PM
The Pearl District is no longer "blighted." Now there's a revelation. Kudos to the LOWV for their stand, but anybody who cares anything about the rich stealing from the poor should have taken a stand a long time ago.
Posted by Ted | December 11, 2008 7:24 PM
Joel,
I am all for funding education and building schools. The issue here is whether or not Portland is following the law when it comes to URA's. Oliver Norville, the prominent attorney who wrote most of the legislation on URA's and wrote the original charter amendement back in 1958 creating the Portland Development Commission is of the opinion that Portland is not.
Hm, I posted a comment in this thread a few days, and Dave Lister seems to be responding to it here, but my original comment has vanished. I'm writing Friday Dec. 12 at 10:00 am.
Posted by joel dan walls | December 12, 2008 10:00 AM