North Portland

Sam & Mr. H.M. Bird -- Owner and Chairman of the BoardSam visited Columbia Steel and had a chance to hear about the company's strengths and the challenges it faces.  Located in North Portland, Columbia Steel is America's leading manufacturer of steel alloy and iron alloy impact and wear resistant replacement parts for basic industry.

As Sam's Public Advocate for transportation, the year 2007 continued to provide me with abundant opportunities to assist citizens with their questions and concerns regarding City services and projects. Specifically, the insightful and passionate inquiries we received challenged me, along with other bureaus throughout the City, to "think outside the box" and in turn to provide action-oriented responses to citizens seeking results.

Under the changes, lobbying entities who spend more than eight hours "attempting to influence the official action of City officials" must register with the auditor. Under the original ordinance sponsored by Sam, elected officials and bureau directors must publish their official calendars. This is an effort to disclose who is meeting with city leaders and whose interests are being represented in the decisions of the council.

Cesar Chavez was an American hero whose life's work yielded important gains for all Americans.

Symbols, such as street names, send important signals about the community's values. And there is no question in my mind that Portland will be a better community when Cesar Chavez is duly honored with a major street renaming.

Proposed changes to the City of Portland's Transportation System Development Charge (TSDC)  program, as well as the list of improvement projects, reflect the direct involvement of several hundred stakeholders over the course of the TSDC Update study.  The Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) -- representing a broad spectrum of Portland's residents, business community and interest groups -- oversaw the project from its inception.

Jennifer Anderson

The Portland Tribune

The unexpected downpour this week didn’t throw Eva Frazier for a loop at all.

Peggy Anderson

On Sunday, June 17, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams joined ten Nob Hill business owners and residents in a walk along NW 23rd Avenue to assess the street's proposed reconstruction and to hear the views and concerns of those who live and work in the area.  Adams oversees Portland's transportation system - which Adams says is "in trouble." The commissioner's website www.commissionersam.com outlines the following facts about the city's transportation infrastructure:

Recent attention to the N Mississippi Avenue streetscape has raised a lot of interest and questions about City policy on streets & sidewalks, the street itself, and how, when and why street improvements are made.

What follows is hopefully a comprehensive look at the N. Mississippi Avenue streetscape. Feel free to submit your questions below and I or someone with more knowledge than I will post answers.

Our heroes back from Iraq.The weather was warm without being too hot, bright but not too sunny (if that is possible this time of year!); I had a great time again participating in the 45th St. Johns Parade. 

2007 St. Johns ParadeThe parade route started at Roosevelt High School at noon and ended at the St. Johns Community Center.

Dear St. Johns Community Members,

It is my pleasure to send this update regarding the downtown St. Johns Brownfield project.

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) has performed environmental site assessment and cleanup at 8735 N Lombard St In downtown St. Johns. BES is also taking ownership of the property from the Portland Development Commission (PDC) in order to facilitate public involvement, issue a public Request For Proposals (RFP) and sell the site to a selected developer. To date, two public meetings have been conducted, information collected and a steering committee is being formed.

This letter was published today by the Oregonian from Sam.

The Oregonian editorial board is right in their March 27 editorial. It is the City's job to "build a plan that works for all the [Hayden Island] neighborhood."

The development hiatus that City Council unanimously approved six months ago on Hayden Island allows the residents and the City to complete a neighborhood plan that can address the unique transportation challenges of the island.

Written by: Lisa Libby, Watershed Community Outreach, Bureau of Environmental Services

In February the NatureHood Festival in North Portland drew more than 70 New Columbia and Portsmouth neighbors together to hear storytelling with an environmental twist, enjoy refreshments, and learn about natural resources close to home.

Recently, I had the opportunity to do an on-site visit with Ben Kaiser who is developing a new housing product in the area of Portland between North Mississippi and Vancouver. This is a part of town that needs good infill development.

Backbridge Station is situated at the intersection of North Williams, North Vancouver, and N.E. Fremont. It's part of redevelopment underway on a number of vacant lots in the close-in Boise and Eliot neighborhoods.

Sam knew this was a controversial idea. Putting parking meters in a Neighborhood Business District in order to generate revenues to reinvest back into the District was the topic of  the book "The High Cost of Free Parking" by UCLA Professor Donald Shoup.

Sam first heard this idea at the 2005 Railvolution Conference. Sam realized that this could be an opportunity to improve our City's parking management. Demand for on-street parking to access neighborhood businesses exceeds supply. That means we need to be vigilant about ensuring effective parking turnover. The proposed addition of parking meters, which are proven to increase turnover, would make parking more efficient.

As a North Portland resident, Sam experiences and understands noise issues. Within weeks of being in office, Sam and his staff began addressing cargo aircraft noise from the PDX airport. This quickly expanded to train, freeway, and race track noise throughout the City with the proponderance of the noise focused on North Portland.

Sam recognized that citizens living in North Portland faced a significant set of noise sources and promised to evaluate the extent of the problem and to develop possible solutions. With a small earmark in the 2006 budget, Sam initiated a two-year project to evaluate the noise problems in North Portland.