2) OKNA opposes fossil fuel expansion in Portland
3) Fourth lane on Going Street Bridge opens
4) Interstate 5 ramp closures continue
5) Placemaking grants available
1) November general meeting
Join your neighbors at the monthly Overlook Neighborhood Association general meeting on Tuesday, 6:30-8 p.m. at the Kaiser Town Hall (3704 N Interstate Ave). We’ll receive a construction update from adidas and discuss implementing a temporary parking permit zone around the adidas campus (more below). We’ll also hear updates from board members and have time for residents to share their thoughts. View the agenda.
On the topic of a parking permit zone, adidas has worked with the city to allow a one-year parking permit zone around the campus. Adidas will fund the program and not provide permits to employees. The zone will expire after the campus construction project is complete. At that time, the new underground parking garage will open, which everyone hopes will alleviate the desire to park on neighborhood streets. If it does not, the neighborhood can consider pursuing a permanent parking permit zone that would require residents to purchase permits.
On Tuesday, we’ll discuss the temporary zone and must make a few decisions for the city about specifics. We must decide:
- Does the neighborhood want to do this?
- What hours do we want the zone enforced? (Standard is M-F, 8-5)
- How long should visitor parking be? (The city suggests one hour to make enforcement easier.)
- How many permits do we want to allow per household? (The city recommends up to two vehicle permits and one guest permit per household.)
- What should the boundaries be?
The questions about how many permits and the boundaries must decided within financial constraints. The budget for the program covers the area indicated on this map (click on the image). If we decide to add other blocks, we must remove some.
Come to the meeting on Tuesday to share your ideas and help decide how we want this to work.
2) OKNA opposes fossil fuel expansion in Portland
Our neighborhood dodged a disaster when a Union Pacific train pulling volatile petroleum products on the N Going Street Bridge to Swan Island derailed. With that reality front and center and the neighborhood’s normal support for clean air, protecting the environment and public safety, the Overlook Neighborhood Association Board this month adopted a resolution against expanding fossil fuel facilities and transportation in Portland and all of Multnomah County.
OKNA Chair Alexandra Degher will send a letter sharing our resolution to the Portland City Council and Multnomah County Commission. Read the letter and resolution here.
The Portland City Council will vote on whether to ban new fossil fuel terminals and development at its meeting on Wednesday at 2 p.m. There will be time for public comment at the meeting. The meeting will be at City Hall (1221 SW Fourth Avenue). Those who support the ban on new fossil fuel terminals are encouraged to wear red.
3) Fourth lane on Going Street Bridge opens
The Portland Bureau of Transportation opened a fourth lane on the North Going Street Bridge to Swan Island last week, two weeks earlier than expected. With an emergency contract approved by the Portland City Council, PBOT’s road maintenance crews, structural engineers and contractors worked quickly to coordinate and expedite bridge repairs to improve access to the Swan Island Industrial area before the busy holiday shipping season, a crucial time for businesses on Swan Island.
Swan Island is part of the Overlook Neighborhood.
A Union Pacific Railroad derailment on Sept. 7 damaged columns that support the bridge, leading PBOT to initially close the bridge entirely, and gradually reopen lanes. The bridge provides the only public access to the Swan Island industrial area, home to about 200 businesses and more than 12,000 jobs. Daimler, UPS and FedEx all have large operations there, generating significant freight traffic for time-sensitive deliveries.
Planning for permanent repairs to the bridge, including planning for access to Union Pacific’s property during construction, is on-going. Permanent repairs would return the bridge to its full three lanes in each direction.
Permanent repairs, which would open six total lanes, could potentially be completed this spring.
4) Interstate 5 ramp closures continue
The Oregon Department of Transportation continues to work on nearby highway ramps. The I-5 south to I-405 south ramps and the N Going Street on-ramp to I-5 south will continue to experience intermittent closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. this week.
Construction is underway to repair and replace a number of freeway joints on the elevated sections of Interstate 405 on either side of the Fremont Bridge. These repairs will improve the condition and maintain the long-term safety and use of this heavily traveled freeway.
The work is weather dependent and subject to change. People traveling at night might want to plan their route to avoid those ramps to be on the safe side.
5) Placemaking grants available
Do you see the street intersection paintings around town, benches made of earth or food forests? Through the Placemaking Program, The City Repair Project helps communities and institutions make improvements and implement community programs like those.
If you have an idea to make Overlook a more livable, fun and inclusive neighborhood, check out the grant website for information about how to apply. The Application deadline is Jan. 15, and there are several information sessions scheduled.