05/10/2021
Land Use Update
Summary of and follow up to ALNA Land Use Zoom meeting on April 29, 2021.
Opportunity to bring change
Design Overlay Zone Amendments (DOZA)
Is this how we see commercial, retail, food and drink establishments, and gathering places (i.e. ground floor active use) be required for future developments? To promote a walk-able neighborhood alongside increasing residential density and absence of parking requirements?
We are nearing the final stages to change the zoning code for the Design (d) Overlay - there is a public hearing before City Council this Wednesday May 12 before they vote to adopt the recommended draft. A representative of the ALNA Land Use Committee will provide virtual "in-person" testimony to bring attention to our recommendation.
In October 2019 Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association provided in-person and written testimony, along with neighborhood residents who provided 31 online testimonies to add the Centers Main Street (m) Overlay where the d-overlay currently exists and extend it to the intersection of N Rosa Parks and N Denver. The m-overlay requires minimum 25% ground floor active use space.
Our recommendation did not make it into the subsequent draft.
Click the map link above, and see the next blog post (^^^further above^^^) for how you can again provide your input to bring this necessary change. Thank you.
Property next to Peace Lutheran Church
2111 N Rosa Parks Way
Proposed 4-story apartment building with 31 units, the "Kennedy Apartments", at 18,788sf (~606sf/unit if allocated equally), with no parking (not required being near public transit), and including an affordable housing element that allows for higher density. See information about the Residential Multi-Dwelling 2 (RM2) Zone to see how this proposal maximizes allowable development.
Demolition of the former single family home has been completed
Early assistance has been completed but the building permit has not yet been applied for, the applicant has up to a year from making neighborhood contact
No public meeting is required for this project. The information in the above link, notice to the neighborhood association, and the signage on property is all that is required (contact level I). Per the City's new 2019 requirements for Neighborhood Contact, while this proposal is greater than 10,000sf, it is not in the Design(d) Overlay Zone we have east of N Denver along N Rosa Parks, and for the land from and including N Interstate to I-5 that has required public meetings (contact level III) for many other recent developments.
Relevant questions from our neighborhood Developer Questionnaire in addition to other raised by the neighborhood have been forwarded to the architect and will be relayed when responded to.
Anticipated parking impacts for Peace Lutheran Church and nearby residents are recognized, as well as for most other developments in Arbor Lodge, and a future meeting has been proposed to learn what our options may be to help alleviate.
"Downtown" Arbor Lodge (former Far West Fibers Recycling site)
6545 N Denver Ave
Since January 6, 2020 the building permit has been Approved to Issue i.e. ready to be picked up from the City once the applicant (the owner, Path Development) pays the fees in excess of $1million. Normally, per the City's permitting policy an application would be considered Abandoned after 180 days (though can be reactivated) then Void after another 180 days at which time the permit must be reapplied for under current zoning code, however, the City has suspended the abandonment program because of COVID-19 and has not communicated any plans to reinstate it.
The permit is for a 4.5 story apartment building with 66 one-bedroom units, no parking, and no ground floor active use i.e. it is all residential. This is for the southern half of the cleared and fenced property at the corner of N Denver and N Rosa Parks (6545 N Denver, previously 2005 N Rosa Parks) and while currently zoned Commercial Employment (CE) the permit is vested under the similar though less restrictive previous zoning of General Commercial (CG) as the application was submitted just prior to the code change on May 24, 2018. A building permit for the northern half of the property, 6541 N Denver and zoned Residential 5000 (R5), has not yet been applied for. Both parcels were purchased for $1.6million on June 6, 2018. See notes from the neighborhood contact meeting on April 18, 2018 for more information.
Recent communication with the original architect reveals that the developer wants to break ground this year though recognizing the current inflated cost of construction materials.
Nite Hawk Cafe and Lounge is FOR SALE!
6423 N Interstate Ave
The Nite Hawk property and the two adjacent parcels are for sale, for $3.95million.
The marketing materials emphasize residential apartment development potential.
The zoning is Commercial Mixed Use 3 (CM3) that allows for Mixed Use but does not require it i.e. no ground floor active use requirement, and has minimal parking requirements being in proximity to transit. The base code allows for very high density and an allowable 75ft height given bonus provisions. This property does have the Design (d) Overlay which can help, see below.
Members of the ALNA Land Use Committee are attempting to communicate with the seller's agent to open dialog that can lead to working with a developer willing to work with the neighborhood i.e. balance Portland's need for housing with places to walk to.
See the map link and information below about DOZA and the Centers Main Street (m) Overlay for how this pending zoning code change can influence the future of this site.
E-mail the ALNA Land Use Committee at landuse@arborlodgeneighborhood.com