Urban Renewal Area Online Survey!
Please take this short survey to share your neighborhood development priorities and thoughts about inner North/Northeast Portland Urban Renewal Areas.

To take the survey, please visit:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PXD6V35

The responses will be compiled by PSU students and NECN staff and then made available to the Portland Development Commission, the North/Northeast Economic Development Initiative Community Advisory Committee and other city officials. All responses will be kept confidential and are in no way traceable to individual respondents.

This survey is part of an Urban Renewal Area community forum series, designed to educate and engage community members about upcoming Urban Renewal Area investment decisions which will change the built environment of inner North/Northeast Portland.

Please also come to the next URA forum on Thursday, March 11th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Billy Webb Elks Lodge.  Come hear community generated priorities and recommendations and help strategize future action steps for achieving community benefits from the Urban Renewal Areas.  For more details about the March 11th meeting and information from the first three forums, please visit www.necoalition.org.

The forum series is sponsored by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, the Urban League of Portland and the Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University.  This project was made possible in part by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program.

Tonight is the neighborhood association board meeting at 7:15pm. The meeting takes place in the Woodlawn Community Resource Center on the second floor of Woodlawn Methodist Church (15th and Dekum). Enter on the WEST side of the building and head up the stairs.

This month’s board meeting will feature a discussion of future plans for the use of the space currently occupied by Rumpspankers.  Space is limited but the meeting is open to the public. The board will be discussing taking an official stance on the use of that space. Future information will be presented at the general meeting.

Board meetings cover board planning, the budget, future planning and large projects. They are open to all neighborhood residents and people who work in the neighborhood.  General meetings take place on the third Wednesdays, same location, at 7:00pm.

Huge thanks goes to our neighborhood board, elected neighbors who give of their time to offer guidance and direction to our neighborhood.  Elections happen annually, so if you have an interest in joining the board, talk to the current board members.

You’re invited to a public hearing addressing the challenges of developing affordable rental housing, as part of the process of developing the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan.

Where: United Way of Oregon—619 SW 11th Avenue.
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
Trimet: Bus lines: 15, 51 & Max Blue/Red Lines/Streetcar

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Article contributed by Laura Demeri

The back lot of 728 NE Dekum: Once a pile of dirt and weeds but now the thriving home to Sandra Galli’s Buffalo Gardens. The transformation has brought to our neighborhood a beautiful retail garden shop with strategically placed plants that make you feel as if you’re shopping in Sandra’s backyard. The products are reasonably priced and Sandra and Farley, her black lab mix, are always on hand to answer any questions.

Also in residence is Sandra’s registered and approved rooster Sam and his harem of hens. Buffalo Gardens is a great place to bring the family to reconnect to nature. We are so fortunate to have whisked her away from the busy Alberta street location she once occupied. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Article contributed by Laura Demeri

There’s still time to sign up for the Woodlawn planting on February 20th.   Before you can purchase these “highly discounted” trees, the city needs to assess the parking strip to determine the proper size and types that can be planted.   Therefore it would be to your advantage to register now in order to take advantage of the inventory that will be available.  Register on the Friends of Trees website.

Lawn signs are a great way to have a $5 discount on your order.  Even if you’re not purchasing a tree this year, support Friends of Trees and get the word out to neighbors by having one on your property.  There are plenty in stock and can be picked up at Believe Movement Studio, 728 NE Dekum Street.

All residents of our community deserve equal access to services and opportunities. The trouble is that good jobs, high performing schools, social service agencies, and even grocery stores are not always conveniently located. Census data shows that poverty now extends past the inner Portland neighborhoods to the County’s outer reaches. Yet, basic amenities and services such as parks, sidewalks, health clinics, and social service agencies are still concentrated in Portland’s inner core. Language and other cultural barriers may also stand in the way of people of color and immigrant communities seeking to connect with these vital resources.

Your input will inform how federal dollars are spent on programs addressing equitable access to services for households in Multnomah County.  You’re invited to a public hearing on equitable access to services, as part of the process of developing the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan.
Where:          King Elementary School Cafeteria
Date:           Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time:           6:00-8:00 pm
Trimet:         Bus lines 6 & 72 (www.trimet.org)

If you can’t attend this hearing, there are four other convenient ways to comment. Read the rest of this entry »

Your input is needed as the Portland Bureau of Transportation plans improvements to the MLK-Columbia (and Lombard) area! The focus of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is about freight mobility, but input from the Woodlawn neighborhood is particularly needed to ensure that the needs of pedestrians (especially parents and small children coming from north of Lombard to Woodlawn school) and bicyclists are understood and incorporated as much as possible.  Come to the next meetings:

Thursday, September 24 from 3:30-5:30 pm (follows an agenda)

Thursday, October 15 from 4-7 pm (open house – drop in anytime)

Both meetings are at the Oregon Humane Society at 1067 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland, OR 97211

ALSO – Woodlawn School will be talking with parents and proposing changes to how traffic approaches the school to ensure the safety of children.  If you are a parent, you’ll hear about it at Back to School Night (Sept 24) and we’ll keep you posted here…

The old bakery and bar at the corner of NE Dekum and Durham is renovated and ready for a good tenant(s).  There is a total of 3400 sf that can be divided in a couple of different ways.  In addition, there are three studio apartments.

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by Jennifer Coughlin (Woodlawn resident)
Jake Greenburg hasn’t moved in yet, but has already proven himself time and time again to be a great neighbor. If you search for him on the internet, you will see that he has owned and operated Classic Foods, a Portland-based specialty food wholesaler catering to restaurants, for the past 25 years. You’ll also find out the man is heavily involved in many social causes—donating food, services, and support to organizations like Birch Community Services, Self Enhancement, Inc., Our House, and Community Cycling Center. Read the rest of this entry »

A group of Woodlawn neighbors has come together to discuss plans to revitalize the underused “pocket park” at the corner of Holman, 13th, and Durham. There’s been some good work done and some great ideas generated but now…..WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! This project will only be successful if we get help, ideas, and creativity from a wide range of our neighbors in Woodlawn. Please join us in creating a fun and beautiful park that we can all be proud of.

WHERE: The park at Holman, 13th and Durham
WHEN: Saturday, April 25th, 11am to 1pm