Worried about the loss of older homes in Sabin? Come to the Demolition Forum and learn more about this trend...

What: discussion of affordable housing advocacy possibilities w/Oregon Opportunity Network
When: Thursday, June 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Where: NECN Office at King School - 4815 NE 7th Ave.
 
Oregon ON is a statewide coalition of community development and affordable housing organizations, which
is currently developing a campaign to advocate for "new, significant and sustainable resources for affordable
housing and anti-poverty services in Multnomah County." Executive Director John Miller will join us to talk about this new campaign, and how we can get involved.

We will also get updates on the work areas that were identified at our last meeting:

Coalition-building:
This sub-committee has prepared a draft letter that we can present to our various neighborhood associations and other community-based organizations, asking them to endorse our objective of increasing the stock of affordable housing. We will review and revise this letter, and discuss a plan for presenting it to our organizations.
 
Identify specific advocacy opportunities/campaigns: There are two immediate opportunities for advocacy that have come up in recent weeks: 1) A proposal by Commissioner Saltzman to dedicate funds from a lodging tax on short-term rentals (e.g. Air BnB) to affordable housing; and 2) The allocation of $20 million for affordable housing in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area. We will discuss how we want to be involved in these two issues.

The Portland African American Leadership Forum and the North/Northeast Business Association are gathering community members, including residents and those who have been displaced, of all backgrounds and perspectives, to develop a community-based development plan for the site.

NEW DATE AND LOCATION
 
Date: March 4
Time:  6pm-9pm 
Location: NNEBA Building -  311 N Ivy Street, Portland

"The number of single-family home demolitions has skyrocketed since the end of the recession. City regulators have approved more than 230 demolitions so far this year, up 40 percent from all of 2011. Now neighbors are pushing back, arguing they deserve ample advance warning when a house is about to come down." Read the full story in the Oregonian.

Ben Kaiser is moving ahead with building an 85' condo building on N. Williams, despite pleas from neighbors to scale it back a bit. Read more about the man and his mission in this story from the Oregonian.

The Portland Development Commission (PDC) voted last Wednesday to authorize the sale of a 2-acre lot at
the corner of NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Alberta Street for $502,160 or $2.4 million less than its appraised value of $2.9 million. Once the deal closes, Majestic Realty Corp. will build a 20,000-square-foot Trader Joe's at the site.

A group of concerned citizens gathered on Sunday to protest the decision which they believe "will further exacerbate gentrification in the neighborhoods of North and Northeast Portland."

Protestors questioned the need for a taxpayer-subsidized grocery store when there is a Safeway a half mile north of the site and a New Seasons one mile south. The money could be better spent, they felt, to help attract grocery stores to east Portland, where residents have far fewer shopping options. They also noted that meetings with the developer were held in secret, without any public input.

The citizens group expressed disappointment that PDC "failed to see the property as an opportunity to bring together neighbors and community members affected by gentrification" and urged the agency to operate with "more accountability, more transparency, and stronger focus on equity."

Prior to Wednesday's vote, the Oregonian's editorial staff argued that the deal was not in the public's best interest because it doesn't provide significant economic or social value, and they urged the PDC to vote against it.

In September, the King Neighborhood wrote a letter to the PDC, requesting that the public agency "seek new ways to engage the public in decisions about the direction of planning and developing neighborhoods" and offered to "partner with the PDC in constructing and maintaining robust, participatory democracy" in the interest of "developing innovative and creative changes to our neighborhood, through dialogue that is truly inclusive."

Researchers from Portland State University are conducting a neighborhood opinion and attitude survey.  The researchers hope to learn how Portland residents view police use of force. You are eligible to participate in this study if you live in the Portland metro area and are over 18 years of age. Respondents are asked take a short (10-15 minute) anonymous online survey.