Last spring a small group of neighborhood activists from around the city met to explore the possibility of creating a grass roots organization that could unite neighborhood associations in persuading the City Council to address problems associated with the growing “demolition epidemic” in our neighborhoods.
That was Summit I.
After a summer of increased destruction of viable, affordable homes—often replaced by one or more expensive, out-of-scale “McMansions”—neighborhood association leaders and concerned residents from more than 25 neighborhoods came together in the fall for Summit II, then Summit III, and resolved to bring about building code reform that could stem the “drive-by demolition” tide. This was the genesis of UNR—United Neighborhoods for Reform.
A volunteer committee formed at Summit III was charged with drafting a resolution based on input from Summit participants. Work was completed by November on a one-page resolution, which was then disseminated to the city’s 90-plus neighborhood associations for endorsement, with committee members attending as many meetings as possible to field questions and concerns. In the end, the resolution garnered over 40 endorsements and was presented to City Council at two hearings—one in December, the other in February—via well-rehearsed and carefully orchestrated testimony. Council members took note, and the press as well.
Results have been impressive: UNR-initiated reforms are on Mayor Charlie Hales’ short list of priorities for 2015; developer responsibility for mandatory inspection of hazardous materials prior to demolition is a priority public health issue for Commissioner Nick Fish, whose home is next door to a demolition site; higher demolition fees (especially for developers replacing affordable homes with high-priced ones) are advocated by Commissioner Amanda Fritz, the offical in charge of the Bureau of Development Services (BDS); and, at the urging of BDS itself, UNR played a decision-making role in the crafting of demolition reform proposals on early notification and demolition delay that subsequently were adopted by the City Council and implemented on April 20 under the name of “Title 24 Code Changes.”
But UNR’s work was and is far from complete. With the spring/summer building season commencing, vital reforms in the area of hazardous materials release, viable/affordable home preservation, size compatibility, and deconstruction (i.e., recycling of torn down materials), are either still on the drawing board or moving at a snail’s pace—hence the need for a Summit IV, which took place in early April.
The turnout was impressive and the energy level high when neighborhood activists crowded into the fellowship hall at Beaumont-Wilshire’s Bethany Lutheran Church for the first all-city UNR meeting since last October’s Summit III. The purpose of the gathering was three-fold: to review progress made, report on where things stand now, and brainstorm actions and tactics to facilitate enactment of targeted reforms. Lending expertise to the process were preservation experts Jim Heuer of the Portland Coalition for Historic Resources and Brandon Spencer-Hartle of Restore Oregon. During the second half of the meeting, attendees separated into four brainstorming groups, each focusing on a different area of reform. In the end, recommendations were shared, subcommittees formed, and UNR reinvigorated with fresh resolve.