Memory and the Future

This piece by Ryan Avent displays a rare sense of humility  in admitting how difficult it is to imagine the future and how our descendants might judge us.  To participate, consider how you think about the past, and in particular the decisions made by our predecessors.  Do you lament or celebrate the widespread adoption of the automobile, or the industrial development that polluted so much of our environment, or...  anything?  The sad truth is we think little about the past at all, the world is what it is and we try to make the best of it.

This is part of what I dislike about preservationism, the idea that we should preserve structures so that future generations can enjoy them.  Who knows what future generations will enjoy or value or need?  Think about BDS shutting down the Green Castle cart pod in part because a neighborhood planning document written in 1987 didn't contemplate food carts.  1987!  That's only 24 years ago, yet I have absolutely no idea, interest, or even desire to know what people back then thought except as a purely historical concern.  How much less compelling would be the ideas and intentions of people from fifty years ago, or a hundred?

Preservation doesn't save the past so much as it foists the present whether people want it or not.   Implicit is the belief that the way things are now is the best that they could ever be, and that any change would necessarily be for the worse.  It is narcissism writ large.

Happy Ending in Hollywood

I'm glad Creston Homes found a way around neighborhood opposition to build on the empty lot next to Hollywood Theater.  Success came from giving up early on working with the Design Commission and neighbors.  The article quotes a project manager with the developer (emphasis mine),

“It had a lot to do with the fact that anyone in the neighborhood could file an appeal of any decision (of the design commission), for a small fee,” he said.

Such appeals, [the project manager] noted, could have derailed the project.

The commission’s design review process also could have been longer, he said. And that would have made a huge difference because city building permit fees increased on July 1. Because the team applied before fees increased, [the project manager] estimates that it saved $56,000. The permit for construction was issued Nov. 17.

Anyone can appeal anything for any reason, at low cost.  Even if the appeals are eventually rejected by the Design Commission that can drag out the review process for months.  That by itself is enough to kill projects.  The net result is a regular review track heavily weighted towards preserving the status quo, even when that means keeping an empty lot at an address with a walk score of 92 in an area targeted for major transit infrastructure.  As a city with dreams of growth and density Portland needs to do better.

Followup on Irvington

The new issue of the Hollywood Star has further reporting on problems between the Irvington Community Association (ICA) and the city over the Historic Preservation District.  The story is worth reading in its entirety, but sadly is not available online as far as I can tell. The gist of it is that there are two issues:

• The current fee schedule represents a "doubling" of cost per the ICA
• The ICA is dissatisfied with what actions trigger review and what do not.

No offense, but buyer beware.  By doing what it did the ICA voluntary subjected Irvington to the whims of the city's review process and its expense.  There is no exception in the city code that says review will follow exactly what the ICA wants at exactly the price ICA thinks appropriate.  That point is obvious, and it should have been obvious to everyone involved last year.  But focusing on the ICA misses the real culprit, which is evident in a parallel story about the Buckman neighborhood's pursuit of its own historic register listing.

Per the Buckman story the only way a register listing can be opposed is if a majority of property owners send a notarized letter of opposition.  Read that twice- they aren't saying a majority of people who write in, but an absolute majority of all property owners have to send notarized letters opposing the designation to shut it down.  That burden is so insurmountable that the state doesn't even include the possibility in its process flow chart.  It's a process so slanted to produce an "approval" it would make union organizers blush.

No wonder the Irvington listing passed, there was no way it couldn't.  The process doesn't imply real consent, it is designed to provide a fig leaf of consent while passing the listing.  I'd expect to see something like that in a history of Jim Crow South, not living in the flesh in my state government.

This brings me back to a quote in the original posting on Portland Architecture,

[an architectural historian and Irvington Preservation Committee member] said the Portland currently counts 5,277 buildings either in historic districts or individual landmarks on the National Register – all of which require design review for exterior alternations.

That list could grow substantially in the future. Citizens are either gathering data for potential historic districts in the Buckman neighborhood and are investigating that option in at least two others.  Under  national historic standards, [the historian] said 85 percent of buildings in North and Northeast Portland west of 82nd Avenue could qualify as eligible for historic protection.

Much of inner Southeast Portland is basically of the same vintage, so potentially the entire inner east side could be put off limits to development.  How does that square with the urban growth boundary, which demands urban infill?  How does that square with Oregon's property tax limits, which demand redevelopment in order to sustainably fund city services?  How does that square with the premise that the Portland metro population will double in the next 30 years?  There is a serious disconnect here...

Irvington Historic District: Buyers Remorse

I guess some people didn't know what they were signing up for when Irvington applied for Historic District status.  Take a look at the fees applicable.  "Minor Projects" like changing the house color or adding exterior lights now costs $1,050, just to pay the city to think about whether or not it will allow the homeowner to proceed.  I can understand why people would be upset, but how did they not know what they were signing up for?  It's not like the city just created the fee schedule, this is what Irvington residents elected to do to themselves. 

I can laugh now, but I'll be downright pissed if they get the fees reduced and I wind up having to subsidize their nonsense.

More head scratching on Hollywood Theater

I travel up and down Sandy a lot, so I routinely go past the Hollywood Theater. I still can’t get over the concept that they think they’re better off with an empty garbage strewn lot for a neighbor rather then an apartment building targeted at young, single, bike/transit oriented people. But I’ll put aside the economics, it isn’t my theater after all. Considering only the aesthetic question of whether an apartment building would “infringe” on the theater’s image, I still think they’re nuts.

Below is a series of pictures from the southwest (the theater sits on a street running diagonal, from the southwest to the northeast). And I’ll assume no one would suggest the proposed building interferes with the view from the northeast, since from that angle the theater is in front.

First I’ll set the floor. The theater is barely visible from either side of Sandy at 3900. On the west side a traffic island with trees almost totally obscures the theater, if you zoom and look closely you can see the billboard.

From the east side, the only portion of the theater visible is the top of the facade tower.

Moving up toward 40th street, the theater comes in to view on the west side. You can also see how much is happening to obscure the view. Trees and street signs everywhere.
Over on the east side of Sandy, the sidewalk is shifted to allow a turning lane. No part of the theater is visible.

On the west side, it's only when you get to 40th that you can see the view and imagine it being adversely affected by the apartments.
Note that on the East side there is no impact on the view at 40th, the facade is almost totally obscured by trees.

Finally, moving on to 41st the west side facade view becomes clear as you'd move past the apartment building.
On the east side you begin getting a view impact once you clear the trees, roughly midway between 40th and 41st.


So to recap, there is no impact to the view anywhere except between 40th and 41st. On the west side the lower half of that block is affected, on the east side it's the upper half. Round up and call it one square block. What is that worth? Then consider the view we have now:


Why is this even a discussion?

PHS Case

An interesting case of PHS brewing.  Interesting because there is no structure to be preserved, people are fighting to protect rat habitat! 

It’s hard to understand what is going through the heads of local business owners.  That section of Hollywood, bordered by Sandy, Halsey, 39th and say 42nd is extremely dense.  I don’t think I’ve ever parked on the street to patronize a business there, all the significant shops have on-site parking.  So these business owners are saying, gee, it’s really hard to park here and most people get here on foot.  And someone wants to build all this housing next door without parking, meaning lots of people walking around.  Ergo we should oppose it?

The guy from the theater gets bonus points for the inevitable day when he asks for public money via the arts bond.  Maybe if he had a large and ready supply of patrons living next door he wouldn’t need to feed at the public trough.

Fodder for Portlandia: The First Denny’s!

A burgeoning case of Portland Hoarding Syndrome. Observable symptoms:

• Opposition to redevelopment based on fantastical claims of historical, emotional, or environmental significance.
• Lack of utilitarian analysis. All structures are functionally statues, their use is of no consequence.
• Lack of local awareness. It makes no difference that an area is targeted for high density redevelopment with massive investment in public transit.
• Allergy to numbers, especially those accompanied by dollar signs.

This may seem harmless but around here you never know.