Mayor Sam Adams

On July 29 at 6 p.m., the Portland City Council will hear a report from the West Hayden Island Working Group (CWG), presented by Chair Anne Squire. 

I believe there's real potential and demonstrated need for both world-class habitat and a Port facility on West Hayden Island. 

But I know much work--and more due diligence--remains to be done.

In 2009 I asked the working group to consider the future of West Hayden Island (WHI).  Specifically, their charge was to:

“advise City Council on how marine industrial, habitat, and recreational uses might be reconciled on WHI; and, if the CWG determines that a mix of uses is possible on WHI, to recommend a preferred concept plan.” 

The CWG has thoughtfully discussed this question over the past year.  To assist the CWG, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability worked with a consultant, ENTRIX, to prepare several technical “Foundation Studies” exploring the relevant economic and ecological facts.  While the CWG remains divided on the question posed to them, I want to acknowledge their hard work.  In particular, I believe the principles and points of agreement they have outlined in their report can be a starting point for further productive discussion about the future of WHI. 

In order to give some structure to the Council’s discussion on July 29, I have offered a resolution (PDF) recommending how we might proceed.  After considering the CWG’s report, and the Foundation Studies, I recommend that the City continue planning for the future use of WHI, subject to the following parameters:

• At least 500 acres of the site should be designated as permanent open space, and managed as a natural area for the benefit of the regional ecosystem.  I would like the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to explore how that might be accomplished (land ownership options, how to pay for ongoing land management, etc.)
  
  
• No more than 300 acres should be designated for future marine terminal development, including all related development such as rail and access roads.  The marine terminal footprint should be located, to the extent feasible, over the existing dredge disposal site footprint. 
  
  
• Any docks should be designed to avoid shallow water impacts (if possible), and (where avoidance is not possible) minimize those impacts.  The proposal should not include a vertical sea wall or similar structure. 
  
  
• Nature-based recreational uses should be evaluated in more detail, particularly if recreational improvements can be used as a means to direct and manage human access in ways that support habitat objectives. 

• Traffic impacts should be examined in light of the most up-to-date Columbia River Crossing design options.  I want to be sure we have a plan in place to minimize any adverse impacts on East Hayden Island residents. The plan should consider air quality impacts (dust and emissions), noise, and light impacts 

I’m asking my council colleagues to consider the resolution, which would direct the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop a legislative proposal for annexation of WHI into the City.  They would also prepare a Comprehensive Plan and zoning proposals consistent with the above-listed parameters.  The decision on whether to proceed with annexation and possible development will not be before the City Council until mid-to-late 2011. What the City Council is considering this week is whether to continue studying a more specific question regarding West Hayden Island.

It is important that we resolve this long-standing question, in order to provide certainty to the Port and the region, and to inform our own state-mandated Comprehensive Plan update, occurring through the Portland Plan. 

Under Oregon land use law, city and regional planners are responsible for monitoring the supply of development-ready land, and ensuring enough supply exists to satisfy the expected needs over the next 20 years. This is necessary because land supply is regulated by the Urban Growth Boundary.  WHI was brought into the Metro Urban Growth Boundary in 1983 to “satisfy a long term regional need for water-dependent, marine terminal and industrial facilities.”  Industrial development is generally not permitted outside of the region’s urban growth boundary.  In addition, industry is not permitted unless land is zoned for that use.  The process of annexation, adopting zoning, developing specific plans, and obtaining development permits is expected to take 5 to 10 years.  If Portland intends to make any portion of WHI available for development for over the next 20 years, that planning process would need to begin now. 

It is equally important that we do further due diligence and analysis on several basic assumptions and issues, including the need for this facility, operational efficiencies that might allow more compact marine terminal facilities, and an evaluation of opportunities for increased coordination with the Port of Vancouver. Should the Council choose to continue this project, the next phase must to be done to meet the Council's expectations—these questions must be answered to the best of our collective ability. I propose holding Council work sessions during the next phase so Council can track this issue closely. That is how important it is to Portland to get this right.

The City Council has already received considerable written testimony on this issue, and I look forward to hearing additional public comment on July 29. Testimony sign-up sheets—separate sheets for those in support of, opposed to, or unsure about this resolution—will be posted at 5 pm, and council chambers will also open at 5 pm.

Following a brief staff presentation, Community Working Group Chair Anne Squire will present the group’s report. Chair Squire’s report will be followed by CWG members who wish to testify. This will be followed by public testimony, rotating between the three different sign up sheet to ensure fairness.

I look forward to the continued robust community conversation about this important and difficult issue.

Yours,

Sam Adams

Mayor

For more information, please contact Kevin Brake, Portland Development Commission, at (503) 823-3351.

An 800 acre site on West Hayden Island, currently within the boundary of Multnomah County, is proposed for annexation into the City of Portland. Any annexation will require the development of a land use plan to determine how the land will be used or developed. This is a significant question in a region with desires for greater green space as well as increased commercial and industrial capacity.

Tomorrow, the West Hayden Island Community Working Group (CWG) will hold an initial all day retreat to discuss and debate the question of land use. The CWG will advise the City Council on how existing habitat, and proposed marine industrial and recreational uses might be reconciled on West Hayden Island. If the CWG determines that a mix of uses is possible on the island, they would assist in recommending a preferred concept plan.

We will have ongoing posts about the progress of the West Hayden Island plan, but you can always check the project website for more information. If you have comments on the plan, please contact Rachael Hoy, City Planner with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, or Clay Neal, the Mayor's Public Advocate for Planning and Sustainability.

Boise preschoolers learn early lessons in sustainability from the composting system in their classroom.

City Council unanimously passed the North Reach River Plan on April 15th. In the passage of this plan, City Council created the North Reach Advisory Committee (NoRAC), a committee designed to help the City assess and report on the progress of the Plan’s implementation. The Committee will advise the City on the implementation of the River Plan/North Reach and will annually report to the Planning Commission and the City Council.

We are now seeking members for the committee!

The committee will be composed of 12 to 15 members. Members will be selected to ensure a balanced, “multi-interest” group that encompasses the following interests:

• Harbor industries and economic development (including industrial property owners, the Port of Portland);
• Ecological restoration and environmental protection (including watershed health, upland and in-water habitat interests);
• Institutional Property owners (including hospitals, the University of Portland and other educational institutions)
• Riverfront communities (Linnton, St. Johns, Cathedral Park, NW Industrial Neighborhood Association)
• Employment and workforce development (including labor unions)
• Recreation (including on-water boating, fishing, parks and trails)
• Infrastructure (including rail, road, and water transportation)
• Sustainability
• Tribal
• Fiscal accountability (e.g., members of the City’s Budget Advisory Committee)
• At-large members (representing broad, regional perspectives)

If you are or know anyone who is interested, please learn more at the Office of Healthy Working Rivers Web site and/or contact Ann Beier at ann.beier@portlandoregon.gov.

Thank you for your interest. The mayor sincerely looks forward to working with this committee on this important plan for our city.

UPDATED:

We had a great time on Saturday, May 8th, volunteering at the Hooper household in NE Portland. With the sun shining, we built a 4x8 raised garden bed and filled it with organic soil and compost, leaving the Hooper family with 32 square feet of food-growing potential. Check out some photos on the Mayor's facebook page, and consider volunteering with Growing Gardens in the future. It was a blast.

///////////////////////////////////////////////

On Saturday, May 8th, seven volunteer groups will meet in Northeast Portland to begin a day of volunteering with Growing Gardens. Each team will build and place a new, raised-bed garden bed at 7 different houses throughout NE Portland. Each new gardener (the homeowner or renter), will then be provided seeds and paired with a Growing Gardens volunteer mentor who will work with the new gardener over the next three years to ensure that the garden is successful.

Representatives from the Mayor's Office make up one of those teams, and we're really excited to have surpassed our fundraising goal of $600 (to pay for the garden bed materials and the long-term support from Growing Gardens).

Thanks to everyone who donated!

Now, we're thrilled to do the dirty work and get that garden installed. We'll be sure to take some photos on Saturday and will continue to spread the word about the amazing work that Growing Gardens is doing in our community to connect low-income Portlanders with healthy food at their doorsteps.

In the meantime, Growing Gardens is still (and always) accepting donations. If you want to donate specifically to the Mayor's Team's Dawn of the Bed effort, go ahead and list our office as how you heard about Growing Gardens... Thanks!

Further Information:

Check out the Press Release sent out by Growing Gardens.

This month marks the first anniversary of the Better Together Garden, a produce garden on the grounds of Portland City Hall. Tended by dedicated volunteers, the garden provides fresh produce to the Elm Court Loaves & Fishes to feed seniors in their Meals On Wheels program. The garden is also an important symbol of Portland’s commitment to sustainability.

The Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council asked Portland City Council to create a garden at City Hall to inspire Portland residents to plant their own gardens and an extra row for the hungry. On Earth Day, 2009 (April 22^nd), City Council passed the Better Together Garden resolution and, in the following weeks, the front lawn of City Hall was converted to garden space. In honor of the garden's first anniversary, we installed a beautiful sign, crafted and donated by Portland artist, Daniel Baca.

The Better Together Garden includes 700 square feet of vegetables and is surrounded by columnar apples, a fig tree, blueberries, lingonberries, currants, and strawberries. The garden was installed in four days by community volunteers with donated materials. As Steve Cohen from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability explains in the video, the garden is administered in conjunction with the Master Gardener extension program at Oregon State University. Master gardener Jennifer Aron, from Peaceful Gardens, volunteers her time every week to oversee the ongoing project.

Come check out the garden or, better yet, start a garden in your own front yard. There are lots of resources the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's Web site. And, if you're able, plant an extra row for those who don't have the ability to grow their own food. We really are Better Together.

Portland is a city lauded for its historical commitment to environmental sensitivity and urban sustainability. And your city government is taking bold steps toward reducing our Portland's impact on our surrounding (and global) environment. While we are diligently working on city policy to effectively curb our emissions, environmentally and economically enhance the Willamette River, and divert 30 percent of our residential waste from landfills, we also appreciate some time to celebrate the Earth.

Earth Day is this Thursday, April 22^nd, and there are many opportunities for Portlanders to congregate and celebrate, including the PSU Earth Day Festival.

WHEN: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010

WHERE: South Park Blocks at Portland State University

COST: The event is free and open to the public.

CONTACT: PJ Houser, PSU Earth Week Coalition, 503-725-8951 (o), 971-275-6734 (c), psuearthweek@pdx.edu.

Join a coalition of student groups at the PSU Park Blocks for a celebration, which promises to be the largest Earth Day event in PSU history. Students have organized a variety of sustainability action projects that are taking place all week across the city. Activities range from planting gardens at Portland Public Schools to an eco-documentary marathon to cooking in a cob oven and mixing green cleaning products.

The week culminates with the campus-wide Earth Day festival on Thursday. Attendees can look forward to local food vendors, live music, sustainable technology demonstrations, workshops, and special guest speakers.

We hope you can make it out to have some fun and learn how you can take some steps toward leading a more "Earth Day-every day" lifestyle.

Click here for more information and a complete list of Earth Week activities (April 17 – 24).

Visit the PSU Earth Day Celebration Facebook page.

And there's still time to help out! Check out these volunteer opportunities and send an e-mail to psuearthweek@pdx.edu or ecpsu@pdx.edu.

Through the Portland Plan surveys and community meetings, thousands of Portlanders have consistently ranked the economy and the natural environment as top priorities over the next 25 years. Yesterday, the City Council demonstrated their commitment to those priorities, voting unanimously to move forward with the River Plan for the North Reach. This strategic plan is ten years in the making and will encourage both economic vitality and environmental stewardship for one of the most important waterfront areas in our region.  

The River Plan for the North Reach, which has been led by the City's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, seeks to balance job and industry growth in Portland’s working harbor, while adding protections for threatened species along the Willamette River. The plan also contains a trail component to provide more access to the river along the 11-mile stretch of the North Reach, from the Fremont Bridge to the Columbia River.

During the past year, Mayor Sam Adams held regular meetings with business leaders, environmental advocates and staff to address concerns about the proposed regulatory process, environmental impacts of river development and corresponding mitigation requirements. “The River Plan pushes our planning envelope, and its success will be measured by the jobs created and the habitat restored,” said Mayor Adams. “It’s a plan that keeps in mind the tremendous success we’ve seen in our working harbor and ensures that it continues to prosper and provide jobs. But it also addresses the environmental health of one of our most significant natural assets, the Willamette River.”

The plan streamlines and clarifies regulations for developments along the North Reach section of the Willamette River. Just as they do today, riverfront businesses that want to build or expand will need to apply for a permit from the City under the new River Plan. While old regulations were vague and required that all development go through a lengthy review process, the new regulations outline in this plan make the process and the requirements much clearer.

Additionally, Mayor Adams took the initiative to create the new Office of Healthy Working Rivers in 2009 so that the City would have the capacity to coordinate support through the regulatory process. For example, today – and under the new regulations – if a property owner along the Willamette River wants to build a dock, she will need to get permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of State Lands in addition to one from the City. But now, as outlined in the River Plan, the City’s new Office of Healthy Working Rivers will help coordinate the process ensuring good communication and collaborative problem solving.

The plan will become effective on Jan. 1, 2011, but City Council will hold another hearing before it goes into effect to review fees associated with the plan. The plan's implementation will be transparent and will be overseen by a diverse North Reach Advisory Committee, or NoRAC. This is the first plan with a city-appointed oversight committee. I expect NoRAC to carefully track permits and to report to the council if immediate changes are needed to ensure the process is streamlined, fair, and on track to meet the river plan's multiple objectives.

The council also outlined additional work to be done on the plan before it is implemented on January 1. Those items will come back to the City Council this fall. The success of this plan will be judged by the jobs created and the habitat restored. 

This is a comprehensive plan for a complex area, and its success requires strong partnerships among stakeholders and the city. The Portland River Plan takes the necessary steps toward enhancing the working harbor, supporting industrial jobs, increasing access to the river and improving environmental conditions. With it as our guide, we can improve all aspects of the North Reach.

More Information:

Read Mayor Adams’ Op-Ed in the April 2^nd, 2010 Oregonian

Here’s the Press Release from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability

The River Plan comprises two more sections: the Central Reach and the South Reach. Work on the Central Reach is starting up in conjunction with the Central City 2035 Plan.
Here is the River Plan website with more information about the River Plan/North Reach.

The Willamette River is an extremely important fixture in Portland's urban landscape. The resource is vital for the overall health of Portland's natural environment as well as the success of our burgeoning river-dependent industries that are sited along its shores. That's why the City of Portland is currently in the final stages of approving a North Reach River Plan to direct city and partner agencies, as well as our partners in the private sector, how to manage the Willamette for the benefit of it's natural system and to protect economic interests that rely on the river.

To successfully achieve the goals of the plan, we need the help of qualified scientists.

The City of Portland is looking for nominees to help us review a new proposed habitat mitigation system for the Lower Willamette River (North Reach only). This mitigation system would be set in motion once a business or developer applies for permits that necessitate the City's review of development in the river and greenway.  Specifically the City is proposing a combined system using the Habitat Suitability Index to quantify habitat conditions that the City would then use in the Habitat Evaluation Procedure. We would then combine that process with the Habitat Equivalency Assessment for quantifying mitigation and for the initial certification of private or public habitat mitigation banks.

We are looking for a peer-review panel of independent scientists to assist with the development of this system.

Please see this announcement and contact Kaitlin Lovell (503.823.7032 or email) with questions or to nominate someone (Deadline for nominees is April 23rd, 2010).