CoP give up their SDCs - Never happen. The guys can't see 2 inches in front of their nose.

I am kinda amazed at Gresham since that is a pretty big piece of change (usually about 10% of total cost).

Yeah, but do they paint their streets green?

Don't you love it, when consumers don't have any extra money to spend taxpayers support creation of more retailers. So why not subsidize apartments rents as that will attract more poor consumers.

Amazing how government can create jobs and investment by cutting taxes and fees.

ya won't need to bribe people to come to your party if you'd stop creating reasons for them to stay away.

I'm always leery of the claim that "This has resulted in 154 jobs being retained or created..."

"This has resulted in 154 jobs being retained or created..."

I read that and I also cringed just like when Obama (or any pol for that matter) claims something he did saved millions of jobs.

How do you disprove something that never happened?

82 happy businesses at a cost of $68,000. Seems like a good trade off to me.

I am familiar with downtown Gresham. It is pretty compact, and filling up 75,000 sq.ft. is a huge impact. Good for them.

Yar, them lubbers in puddletown ought ta wark the plank, says I. St. Helens be a right fine port for holdin' the fest, though, and can surely use the dubloons. Ye can fire a cannon there and nobody calls the coppers on ya. I'll be thar, I will, with lootin' and pillagin' and wenchin' on my mind. Them fellers in Gresham be right smart and not full o' manatee dung like them monkey fists in Portland. Yarrrrrrrrrr.

Aaaaarghhhh!

A bureaucracy run by folks like Sam, Randy, Amanda and Nick can't even come close to creating a partnership with private businesses and citizens to create economic growth. They simply think like spoiled bureaucrats. The Mayor and City Council have one mission: to grow the bureaucracy on the backs of taxpayers. They simply have no interest and don't care about Portland's economy. City Council and the Mayor have repeatedly made their case that raising fees and SDC's is necessary "as a revenue source"...forgetting the simple fact that if those fees and SDC's are too high, revenue can (and will) fall to near ZERO -- taking the existing tax base with it. This is backward, selfish, erroneous policy that is deeply hurting Portland citizens. Shame on them. Portland needs real leadership, and there's none of that in sight.

Very sad (sigh).

And, Gresham probably doesn't have parking meters downtown, either, like so many of Portland's business districts have or will be getting.

Problem often is that the same people working within that system and attitude come out then as candidates. . such as Sam out of Vera Katz's office, Cogen out of Saltzman's office, Fritz out of serving on the Planning Commission. Revolving doors such as Saltzman from Multnomah Co. going to City Council, Leonard from State to City Council, Blumenauer at Multnomah Co., going to City Council and then Congress. Seems if new ones are in, it doesn't take long to develop the same attitude, however, in my opinion, seldom are new ones allowed in if not approved by the insiders.

The policies are deeply hurting Portland citizens, and others in surrounding areas.

If it were a "renewable energy boat fair", the City would have waived all permit fees, and even offered to sponsor the event.

Erik H.
Most likely, those permit fees would be waived when it helps with the propaganda "image" - perhaps pirates didn't fit the image.