The other zombie
Homer Williams's plan to slap up a taxpayer-subsidized apartment jungle on the east side of Lake Oswego just won't die, despite the demise of the streetcar component of the plan. Now it's for "equity" -- the new developer buzzword that the politician puppets chant as they hand out tax dollars to their buddies.
If the Lake O. city council had any sense, they'd look at the failure of Williams's SoWhat District in Portland and send him, his henchman Matt Brown, and his bevy of EcoNorthwest consultants home. But no.
| Posted at 12:38 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (7)
Wasn't it the other Lorelei, played by Marylin Monroe, who said, "it's just as easy to love a rich man as a poor man"?
Go where the money is....again!
Posted by Portland Native | May 2, 2012 1:00 PM
I'm not at all convinced that the L.O. streetcar is dead for good. Homer, et. al. have a way of way of getting what they want in the long haul.
Posted by Usual Kevin | May 2, 2012 1:19 PM
Of course the consultants don't want to back away from the trough over a little impediment like "no streetcar." They seem to have managed, in their various proposals, to create just as much slop to feast upon:
"Without a streetcar, they had to add more parking areas . . ."
No streetcar? No problem! They can still keep some of the planned amenities:
"The Foothills vision no longer includes a new intersection at State Street and Terwilliger Boulevard; instead, a less expensive 'northern portal' could be built without crossing Tryon Creek, Brown said. The Willamette Steps, essentially a vertical park, would still sit near B Avenue on the east side of State Street; however, rather than a park-and-ride facility, the staircase would feature green space around it."
The question might be: Why build this stuff when there is no streetcar on the horizon. The answer, of course, is that - given even a small opening - the streetcar will be back on the table and part of the argument will be that the groundwork is partially done and the developers need only retrofit a little to make it all happen.
Posted by NW Portlander | May 2, 2012 3:37 PM
The Fleecing and Feasting of Portland!
Posted by clinamen | May 2, 2012 8:17 PM
I should add has led to addiction.
Posted by clinamen | May 2, 2012 8:22 PM
"If the Lake O. city council had any sense..."
Some of them do. The vote was 4 to 3
Posted by L.O. Resident | May 2, 2012 11:29 PM
This November's election for LO's City Council and Mayor will determine if Foothills dies a much needed death or is resurrected by hand picked Hammerstad flunkies.
Posted by K.W. | May 3, 2012 12:14 PM