Overlook Neighborhood Update (May 27)

1) Neighborhood cleanup a success
2) Patton Square Block Party (June 2)
3) Trimet closes Adidas bus stops
4) Stop using parking meters
5) Portland’s zoning code – The basics (June 2)
6) Budget and tax reform town hall (June 3)
7) Good Neighbor Agreement with Hazelnut Grove Homeless Camp


1) Neighborhood cleanup a success

Thank yous go out to the two dozen people who came out to help clean up Overlook last weekend. The area around N Killingsworth Street and N Denver Avenue looked fantastic after all of the hard work. Special thanks to organizers Cynthia Sulaski and Alan Crana. Thanks also to Grand Central and Blend Coffee for providing sustenance, to Metro and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability for financial support.

Click here for more pictures.

2) Patton Square Block Party (June 2)

Join your Overlook neighbors, businesses, nonprofits and friends of Trillium School for the Patton Square Block Party on Friday, June 2 hosted by the Trillium Schoolyard Project.

Patton Square Block contains the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, a community-based art center founded in 1982 by Portland’s first African-American elected official, Commissioner Charles Jordan; Patton Park, one of few green spaces along the Interstate corridor; United Advantage, a small, local, nonprofit credit union; and us, Trillium School, a K-12 public charter school founded on the values of self-awareness, preparedness and citizenry.

As this is a benefit for continued upgrades to our schoolyard, student zines, artwork and sweet treats will be available by donation, but music, games, hands-on art and hopefully some catered refreshments – if not potluck fare – are free. If you would like to be a vendor, or table for your organization, please contact kayk@trilliumcharterschool.org.

RSVP online.

Patton Square Block Party
Friday, June 2, noon-5
Trillium Schoolyard (5420 N Interstate Ave.)

3) Trimet closes Adidas bus stops

Trimet has shut down the bus stops on N Greeley Avenue near Adidas. The 35 and 72 lines will no longer stop at the bottom of the stairs. Riders can still catch the bus north of Adidas at the Greeley & Sumner stops.

Trimet unilaterally made this decision without seeking neighborhood or rider input. If you have difficulty making it to the new stop or would like to share comments with Trimet, you can do so using their customer service form online.

4) Stop using parking meters

The Portland Bureau of Transportation, in partnership with Portland State University and Portland Parks & Recreation, has launched Parking Kitty, a new mobile parking payment app.

Users who download Parking Kitty onto their smartphones will no longer need to pull a paper receipt from a City of Portland parking kiosk. Users simply need to enter the parking zone and their license plate number into the app. The app also allows users to remotely monitor how much time they have left and extend their parking time up to the maximum allowed in the parking zone.

Learn more and download the Android or ios app.

5) Portland’s zoning code – The basics (June 2)

Are you purchasing a property in the City of Portland? Need to know what uses are allowed and what standards apply when developing a site? Want to learn where the zoning code is located and how to navigate it?

Join the Bureau of Development Services’ Lunch and Learn presentation to learn how to use the Zoning Code (Title 33) to answer some basic zoning questions.

Topics discussed will include:

  • Summary of how Title 33 is organized
  • What are the Base Zones
  • How are the additional use and development regulations applied
  • What are Overlay Zones
  • Where are the Plan Districts
  • Land Division and Planned Developments
  • Administration and Procedures
  • What are Land Use Reviews and when are they required
  • General Terms and Acronyms
  • Help – Zoning Hotline and Development Services Counter

Learn more online. Registration is not required.

Lunch and Learn – Zoning Code
Friday, June 2, noon-1
CH2M, Lincoln Conference Room, First Floor (2020 SW 4th Ave.)

6) Budget and tax reform town hall (June 3)

Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and other lawmakers will host a town hall meeting on Saturday, June 3, to hear from people about the state budget and increasing taxes. The Legislature faces a $1.4 billion budget gap despite record high state tax income. Come out and share your thoughts about how Oregon should spend tax dollars.

Budget and tax reform town hall
Saturday, June 3, 10-11:30 a.m.
Benson Polytechnic High School (546 NE 12th Ave.)

7) Good Neighbor Agreement with Hazelnut Grove Homeless Camp

Thank you to all of the Overlook Neighborhood residents who came out for our recent OKNA general meeting to share their ideas about a Good Neighbor Agreement with the Hazelnut Grove Homeless Camp. The robust conversation and great thoughts about what to include were very helpful as we enter into a mediation process organized by the city.

Residents in attendance asked to see what a GNA might look like. You can view the Kenton Neighborhood’s agreement with a homeless pod project due to open there below. Additional related documents are on the Historic Kenton website. After representatives of Hazelnut Grove spoke positively about the Kenton model at an OKNA meeting a few months ago, the OKNA Board is hopeful that they will embrace something very similar here while everyone works to find a permanent home for the homeless campers at Hazelnut Grove.