Lincoln High School condo tower charade continues
The latest installment of the fake public involvement process can be viewed here. My goodness, how many millions do we need to blow on shiny window dressing before we let the Mark Edlen types burn through another neighborhood with tax dollars? "Concept development charrettes" from hell.
Comments (5)
Can't stop the development money these days. The REITs demand it. They are pushing big bucks at urban development and urban governments everywhere, as one of the few ways savers and investors can get a decent yield in today's no interest rate environment. REITs are tax advantaged too -- they will not be denied.
Posted by Newleaf | March 19, 2013 4:15 PM
Jack,
Lincoln is the one large school in decent condition and has newly upgraded sports fields. Blight of course.
These issues get decided long before they are made openly public.
See link from 2009:
http://pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.realestate/files/BOMA_workshop_9-23-09(web).pdf
That planning was long term without citizens, and only after it has been decided do we ever hear about it and then are run through a check the box process with the outcome determined.
If you read through the Lincoln document you'll see that they propose financing improvements by giving up public land to create retail noted as "revenue" generating, on approximately 1/2 the site. (Commercial and Housing) Are we in the subsidizing housing business now?
Is this an equitable trade off since the public owns that land? what do we get for it?
See the revenue stream from the 34 schools sold since the 90s and that will provide guidance on any projections, and just what we will get by disposing of more public land.
I believe that thinking is very short term and public land should never be relinquished, especially to "public / private" situations where the public supplies that real property asset and it's gone forever. We lose all around and often have to buy replacement lands for more $ to meet other bureau "goals"...
Posted by mark | March 19, 2013 4:18 PM
Charrette. Isn't that Latin for "charade"?
Posted by reader | March 19, 2013 4:24 PM
In the eyes of Portland officials, there is no "public land" in Portland, just real estate holdings yet to be brought up to their "maximum value" for the "public good".
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | March 19, 2013 4:25 PM
2013 Mar 19 Tuesday 17:50 U (5:50 PM PT)
Just considering traveling to LO City Hall in a sustainable manner by a walk in the rain to comment upon stacked citizen involvement wrt interplay of transportation system plans of LO and Clackamas County along with planning for Stafford Hamlet (area) infrastructure.
Note to all City of Portland, City of Lake Oswego and bits and pieces here and there in SW Portland and LO.
GET READY FOR SEWER RATE INCREASES.
This is to pay for:
1. Speculative development in the Stafford area, ala the Metro mess in Damascus.
2. Population on Barbur Blvd for the SW Light Rail to Tigard. Mind some effluent drains through Tryon Creek State Natural Area to the Tryon Creek sewer plant.
Else why is it necessary to increase the treatment capacity of the Tryon Creek Sewer Plant by 33%?
Attend tne next CAC meeting in LO or Portland.
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/397611
Ask questions now or open up your wallets.
It is the sustainable thing to do.
Posted by Charles Ormsby | March 19, 2013 6:03 PM