North Macadam

Revised
North Macadam Urban Renewal Area
Urban Renewal Advisory Committee
MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, December 4, 2003
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Portland Development Commission
Commission Conference Room

1. Welcome & Opening Comments
Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (URAC) member Mark Edlen opened the meeting at 1:00 p.m.

2. Review & Approval of October 16, 2003 Meeting Minutes
The minutes were approved as submitted.

3. Doubletree Disposition & Development Agreement
Jane Blackstone (PDC, Development) provided a brief project overview and noted upcoming milestones for the project. A handout was provided.

Project Overview

• The North Macadam Urban Renewal Area (NMAC URA) boundary amendment to include the Doubletree Hotel site has been approved by the Development Commission.
• On December 17th, the Development Commission will consider taking action on condemnation of the Doubletree Hotel site and will discuss a draft Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) with Portland State University (PSU).
• PSU plans to redevelop the Doubletree site to include a mix of land uses—housing, retail and parking—but will focus on housing for PSU students and staff.
• Given its urban context, the Doubletree Hotel site is considered underutilized.
• The Doubletree Hotel building will be used as-is until more detailed development plans are developed. Redevelopment of the site will occur in phases.

DDA Provisions (see handout)

• Up to 150 units of affordable housing may be included as part of the Doubletree Hotel redevelopment, if funded by PDC.
• Project outreach and involvement of neighbors will occur throughout project planning and redevelopment and PSU will enter into a Good Neighbor Agreement with the American Plaza Condominium Association and Lovejoy Apartments owner.
• To offset the cost of a future NMAC URA boundary amendment, PSU will pay a total of $50,000.
• The PSU project must meet L.E.E.D standards.
• The Agreement also details contracting standards and guarantee provisions.

PDC staff requested the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (URAC) to make a recommendation on the draft DDA to the Development Commission. URAC Chair Mark Edlen asked for URAC and public comments on the draft DDA proposal.

URAC Comments
URAC member Jerry Ward submitted a letter from the CTLH neighborhood association detailing their concerns about this project:

• The boundary expansion uses the one opportunity for a minor boundary amendment;
• Closure of the Doubletree hotel reduces hotel tax revenues;
• The URA boundary amendment is a substantial change to the urban renewal plan;
• The site is not within the University District so it cannot be used for University expansion according to the Comprehensive Plan definition of Institutional Campus; and,
• It creates a new application of Good Neighbor Agreement, as it is defined by City Ordinance.

Responses to concerns raised by URAC member Jerry Ward:
Troy Doss (Bureau of Planning):

• The Urban Renewal Area (URA) is not a zone so T33 (City Code) does not apply when making boundary changes to the URA; another set of rules govern the process to change the URA boundary.
• The Institutional campus zone refers to a base zone in the Comprehensive Plan, which does not apply to the University Plan District.
• Development of the University is not limited to the University Plan District.
• Anyone can enter into a Good Neighbor Agreement that is defined by the involved parties, unless triggered by an action that is regulated by T33 (Zoning Code); this action is not regulated by T33 (Zoning Code).

Cheryl Twete (PDC, Development):

• CTLH concerns appear to relate to the boundary expansion, which has already been acted on by the Development Commission.
• What is before the URAC today is a request for URAC feedback on the content of the draft Development & Disposition Agreement (DDA) between PDC and PSU.

URAC Committee Chair Mark Edlen:

• The URAC can review the CTLH boundary amendment concerns at the next meeting.

Jane Blackstone (PDC, Development) & Jay Kenton (Vice President, PSU):

• The intent of the Good Neighbor Agreement noted in the draft DDA is to work more closely with the neighborhood and have a process to resolve any issues that may arise on this site. The term was used in the context of the specific agreement between PSU and the neighborhood, not as defined by City Ordinance.
• City Council has recommended that a good neighbor approach be included in the DDA to reinforce a positive working environment; City Council did not require compliance with the Good Neighborhood Agreement as defined by City Ordinance.
• The Good Neighbor Agreement can be modeled after the City’s model but it does not have to follow it exactly and may include a mediation process; the terms and conditions of the Good Neighbor Agreement must be mutually agreed upon between the neighbors, PDC and PSU.

URAC Committee Member Bob Durgan:

• URAC Committee Member Bob Durgan moved that the URAC accept the draft Development & Disposition Agreement with the caveat that additional information is brought to the next meeting to address CTLH neighborhood concerns.
• The motion was approved.

4. EPA Brownfields Assessment Project
Kia Selley (PDC, Development), Richard Roche (Parametrix) and Sumner Sharpe (Parametrix) discussed the EPA Brownfields Assessment project. A handout describing the site selection criteria was provided.

Project Overview

• This project has been discussed at the URAC for several months, beginning in November 2002. Funding was received from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct site assessments in the South Waterfront District to help move redevelopment forward and to educate the public on brownfields issues in the District.
• Draft site selection criteria will be used to assess sites to create of pool that is eligible for assessment. Anticipate that 3-5 sites will be assessed and ongoing outreach and public involvement.
• The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will work closely with PDC staff and the Parametrix team on this project. DEQ staff person, Chuck Harmen, was introduced at the meeting as a public resource and the project contact.
• Project bulletins will be prepared frequently throughout the course of the project and will be posted on the PDC website at www.pdc.us.
• PDC will host an open house for the public to learn more about this project and its findings on January 28, 2004 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in room 2500B of the 1900 building (1900 S.W. 4th Avenue). A meeting agenda for the open house will be posted on the PDC website January 2004.

Project Update
Richard Roche (Parametrix) provided a brief project update.

• A Phase 1 Inventory is in the process of being updated which will help identify sites to be considered for phase II assessments.
• None of the properties in the South Waterfront District have enforcement orders for cleanup from the DEQ, which typically occurs when site contamination poses a high risk to human health and the environment.
• Several property owners are working in partnership with the DEQ.
• Sites to be assessed as part of this project may be development parcels or public right-of-way.
• Site screening criteria will help determine which sites could utilize phase II assessments to move forward redevelopment.
• The DEQ and EPA are working in partnership with PDC staff and the Parametrix team to ensure that the project is successfully completed.

Sumner Sharpe (Parametrix) described the draft site selection criteria.

• Sites that are eligible for phase II assessments may be smaller than whole ownerships. The project team will apply the criteria to select a pool of sites, approximately 3-5 sites, for assessment. The list of potential sites for assessment will be presented at the January open house for public review and comment.
• The criteria will help avoid duplicate assessment of sites, such as those that are already involved in the DEQ voluntary clean-up program.
• The criteria will also help focus assessment efforts on sites that have the highest redevelopment potential.

Feedback was requested from the URAC on the site selection criteria.

• URAC member Steven Gray suggested that the criteria should prioritize sites that are ready for redevelopment.

Public Outreach Overview

• Kia Selley (PDC, Development) summarized that the criteria will be finalized in December and a draft list of sites for assessment would be prepared in January, for public review at the open house.
• A Brownfields Primer will be presented at the January open house. The Primer is an educational piece that will provide an overview of the site assessment process, describing technical terminology and presenting case studies to demonstrate how brownfields sites can be successfully redeveloped.

5. Macadam Avenue

Matt Brown (Portland Office of Transportation) presented on the Macadam Avenue project. A briefing sheet was provided.

Project Overview

• A report was developed in 1998 that was used as a basis for transportation planning in the District.
• In March 2003, Design Principles were developed for the project as well as a list of Outstanding Design Issues.
• A major source of conflict is between I-5 traffic and Macadam Avenue through traffic.
• District portals must accommodate future traffic to facilitate District goals.

Three Transportation Improvement Approaches
Short term – allows Phase I Central District to move forward
Mid-Term –Macadam Avenue improvements
Long-Term- Improve Bancroft Portal

Short-Term Improvements
Bancroft Portal

• Allow (1) free-flow lane from Hood Avenue instead of two.
• Provide an additional lane on Macadam Avenue at the Bancroft Portal (for a total of 3 lanes).
• Add a signal at the I-5 ramp at Curry Street to make I-5 access safe by eliminating traffic weaving (I-5 and Macadam Avenue traffic).

Mid-Term Improvements

• Provide access out of District from Curry Street and Gaines Street.
• Connect ramp from Macadam Avenue to northbound Downtown access.
• Potentially add a connection to the District, south of Bancroft Avenue, possibly at Hamilton Street.

Another update on this project will be provided at the February 2004 URAC meeting.

6. Central District Construction Update
Jane Blackstone (PDC, Development) provided a brief update on the Central District redevelopment.

• Redevelopment of blocks 25 and 30 will begin in January 2004; the Design Review Commission will review building design for these projects in January 2004.
• Bids will be received at the end of December 2003 for the Central District street improvement project.

7. Tram Briefing
Matt Brown (Portland Office of Transportation) provided a brief update.

• Tram architects have been asked to reconfigure different aspects of the project to reduce project costs including the Tram landing in the District, wood construction versus steel construction, and technical requirements put forward by Tram equipment manufacturer.
• The Tram Citizens Advisory Committee is working on a list of projects that are being proposed for the neighborhood area west of the District.

8. Budget Update
The URAC will begin the budgeting process in January 2004.
Nancy McClain, PDC Finance Director, will brief the URAC on this process at the January 2004 URAC meeting.

9. URAC Operating Procedures & New Member Update
New URAC members will join the at the January 2004 URAC meeting.

10. Closing Remarks
(None)

---

for PDC's News & Information E-Mail Lists
Archive of sent E-Mails
Unsubscribe from our E-Mail Lists