Beaumont-Wilshire residents who feel strongly about the wisdom of 4-story 50-unit apartment projects without off-street parking - either for or against - have two upcoming chances to share their opinions with the city.
Not only Fremont Street, the entire look and feel of Portland’s neighborhoods are at stake when the city considers its Comprehensive Plan, a 20-year blueprint for future development. Everything from skinny infill houses to new parks to the location of retail centers is on the table when the city holds an open house Saturday, March 9 from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Beaumont Middle School.
The plan will consider how Portland accommodates future growth and where the city should invest money in new infrastructure like roads and parks. Ultimately, the plan will guide zoning and development requirements. But Debbie Bischoff, a senior planner with the city and the NE District liaison, wants residents to focus on the big picture at this first open house.
“I really want your neighborhood to think about how it fits in with other neighborhoods in Northeast,” she said.
In a separate short term process, the city is considering six measures to address the controversy around apartment projects with no off-street parking. The biggest change would require new apartment buildings with 41 or more units to provide one off-street parking space for each four units. For the planned Beaumont Village Apartments, that would have meant 13 off-street spaces if the rule was in effect when the developer submitted plans to the city. But the current rules allow a 4-story building with no off-street parking.
Vic Remmers, the developer of that project, said the effect of the proposed changes would be to make it more difficult to develop new affordable housing in the future.
But City Commissioner Nick Fish, who attended the February 11 general meeting of the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association, said the staff proposal didn’t go far enough. He said a 30-unit project, for example, should provide off-street parking.
“I want to say it’s a start,” Fish said of the initial proposal.
The other measures would require parking for projects with 41 or more units that are at least 500 feet from streets with frequent transit service; allow for reductions in parking with car sharing; allow for parking on joint use sites, such as church parking lots, within 300 feet of an apartment project; require a loading space for projects with 41 or more units; and establish size requirements for long-term bike parking.
The city’s Planning and Sustainability Commission will hold a public hearing on the short-term measures at 12:30pm March 12 at 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Room 2500A.
The earliest the city might put the new measures into effect could be May, said Matt Wickstrom, the city planner heading up the effort.
In the big picture, the city has a draft of goals, policies and an urban design framework for the Comprehensive Plan. From April through June, the draft will be applied to the neighborhood level. For example, city officials will look at how the Beaumont business district along Fremont Street will look in the future. A draft of the more detailed picture will be available for discussion in the fall, barring budget cuts that could delay the process.
Bischoff said she is aware of the special concerns raised by the Fremont apartment issue. For instance, the city will consider whether it should require ground-floor retail stores in commercial districts like Fremont. Currently, it does not, so the developer of the Fremont apartments was not required to include retail.
In addition, the city would consider whether 4-story buildings are appropriate for Fremont Street, or whether they should be limited to three stories. Officials will also look at whether there should be some “stair-stepping” of taller buildings so they don’t look down on single-family houses. The city will ask Metro, the regional government, for a grant to work on those specific issues, Bischoff said.
In the meantime, Bischoff asks that residents focus on what roles Beaumont-Wilshire and the Fremont Street business district play in the larger future of the city.
“That’s what we need people’s input on, a guiding policy level,” she said. “It’s hard because people want to get right to the solutions.”
Don’t miss it! Portland’s neighborhoods are at stake when the city considers its Comprehensive Plan, a 20-year blueprint for future development.
Open House Saturday, March 9th 10:00am - 1:00pm at Beaumont Middle School