2) Polish Festival returns Sept. 21-22
3) Residential infill in Overlook
4) Learn more about Portland’s evolving transportation system
5) Enter Metro’s Big Backyard nature photography contest
1) Ice cream social
If you missed the annual Overlook House Ice Cream Social last weekend, you missed great fun with your neighbors. Thank to everyone who made the event a success again this year and to all of the generous donors who supplied food, drink and raffle prizes.
2) Polish Festival returns Sept. 21-22
Mark your calendar for one of Overlook’s special events, the annual Portland Polish Festival. This fun, delicious event returns Sept. 21-22 and features live music, folk dancers, polka contest, traditional Polish food and beer, vendors, and kids attractions.
The Polish Association & Polish Church organize the annual event on N Interstate Avenue near the Failing pedestrian bridge. If you’d like to volunteer to help make it a success, visit this website to sign up. All volunteers receive a free meal and beverage of their choice.
3) Residential infill in Overlook
The city of Portland continues to move ahead with plans to implement the Residential Infill Project. It would allow denser development – duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes – in most residential neighborhoods.
The recommended draft code, which serves as the Planning and Sustainability Commission’s recommendations to City Council, is now ready for public review. Council will hold a public hearing on the draft in November, followed by council deliberation, possible amendments and decision.
The public will have an opportunity to provide testimony during the public hearing and will be able to provide written testimony via the project’s online Map App and as mailed testimony. The specific date for the public hearing has not yet been finalized.
The key zoning changes in the recommendation include:
- Increasing the range of permissible housing types (e.g. duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and additional accessory dwelling units).
- Expanding the area where these housing types would be allowed.
- Scaling the building size limits to incrementally get bigger with the 2nd or 3rd unit (e.g. on a 5,000 sf R5 zoned lot, a house could be up to 2,500 sf, a duplex 3,000 sf, and a triplex or fourplex tops out at 3,500 sf).
If you’re curious what this might mean for your street, check out the detailed North Portland map showing recommended changes. Yellow areas would allow denser housing in the existing zone. Pink areas would not allow them due to landslide and other risks. Blue areas would be rezoned to allow more density.
4) Learn more about Portland’s evolving transportation system
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has announced the 2019 Portland Traffic and Transportation Class: The New Evolution. The course will weave together transportation topics as they intersect with land use, mobility, social justice and racial equality.
The 10-week course will feature guest speakers from community-based organizations and the transportation industry, as well as address themes such as equity, diversity and inclusion; livability and affordability; and community engagement. The course is designed for transportation enthusiasts to learn about evolving mobility and transportation opportunities in the city.
The class is open to Portland residents, with a cap of 30 students who will be selected by a random lottery to participate. Full scholarships are available for the 10-week course, which begins Oct. 3 and meets Thursday nights from 6:40 to 8:40 p.m. at Portland State University (PSU). Classes will be live-streamed for participants who might otherwise not be able to attend in person on the PSU campus in downtown Portland. Anyone is welcome to watch the courses remotely online.
To learn more, visit the official site.
5) Enter Metro’s Big Backyard nature photography contest
Win an annual parks pass, a tennis court session, or a round of golf for four people including cart at Glendoveer Golf and Tennis Center.
To win, enter the photo contest for Our Big Backyard, Metro’s quarterly parks and nature magazine.
Submit a photo taken at a park or natural area in greater Portland, from Forest Grove in the west to the Sandy River in the east to Wilsonville in the south. (For example, the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast are not considered part of greater Portland.) The photo can be of your friends and family exploring nature, a view of wildlife or a beautiful sunset, for instance.
Include a description of your experience in a 50-word caption. Where were you? What were you doing? What captured your attention? Please also include your full name.
The winner will appear on the back cover of the Fall 2019 issue of Our Big Backyard.
No digitally altered photos, please. By submitting a photo, you consent to Metro’s future use and publication of your photo. One entry per person per contest. Metro employees are not eligible to enter.
Send your picture and description by Aug. 16 to ourbigbackyard@oregonmetro.gov.
If you miss the deadline, there’s always the next photo contest. The Our Big Backyard Winter 2020 contest deadline is Nov. 15.