The owners of the building at 1426 NE Highland propose an adjustment to section 33.110.255 to legalize a fence constructed within the front yard setback. The maximum height allowed is 3.5 feet, but the masonry wall is 6 ft. with iron fencing several inches higher.

What’s really at stake here is land use. Until now, the building owners have followed code and maintained that this is a single family dwelling. Neighbors have long suspected that this is a care facility for the elderly, which is a much different use of the building. According to one neighbor, medical beds are visible in all rooms of the building. One of the adjustment applicants is currently providing senior care. From what I understand, no legal action can be taken until they are up and running as a business, then it can be disputed that they constructed this building under the auspices of a single family dwelling when really they’re running a business.

Woodlawn neighbors have until August 26th to submit written comment regarding the adjustment to the fence height code. There is no General Meeting scheduled for this month. How the written comment will be composed and sent is still being discussed. Hopefully a direct neighbor will want to be the lead person on this. If you’d like to be the person to spearhead this, please contact News//at//GoWoodlawn.com.

A copy of the proposal notice can be downloaded as a PDF here.

The Woodlawn school serves over four hundred children from our community, ranging in age from pre-kindergarden to 8th grade. At the time a student completes 8th grade there, they will have spent roughly two thirds of their life attending that school. What they achieve there touches not only the students and their parents, but all of us who share this neighborhood.

We’ve just learned that Woodlawn will have a new principal for the 2010-2011 school year. And the selection committee wants to know what to look for in a principal. What qualities do you want to see in the leadership there? What do you want your neighborhood school to be like?

There will be a community input meeting on Wednesday, April 28th from 6-7pm at the school. In addition, the neighborhood association will be writing a letter on behalf of the community with your input. So please leave comments and join in the discussion!

Tuesday April 6th 6-8pm
2811 NE Holman Concordia Luther Hall Room 21

From Woodlawn neighbor Gregg L: “I went on a Green Streets tour with the city a year and a half ago in SE. These are beautiful streets in neighborhoods and in commercial districts. They are designed to get rainwater into the ground instead of into the sewers.
This is an incredible opportunity for the city to invest money into community improvements to make Woodlawn a greener, cleaner, safer neighborhood.

Green Streets offer many benefits that sewer pipes can’t. Green Streets:
• Clean and cool air and water
• Enhance neighborhood livability
• Increase community and property values
• Enhance pedestrian and bicycle access and safety
• Protect valuable surface and groundwater resources
• Add urban green space and wildlife habitat
• Help meet regulatory requirements for pollutant reduction and watershed resource management
• Reduce stormwater in the sewer system • Save money on wastewater pumping and treatment costs
The plants absorb water and their roots help water soak into the ground. Green Streets can be attractive neighborhood amenities, and a variety of plants can provide a range of looks.”

Check out some pics:

http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=44407

http://asla.org/awards/2006/06winners/341.html

The deadline for the 2010 Woodlawn Friends of Trees planting is now Monday January 4th. Sign up to get trees for your parking strip, or your yard. Tell your Woodlawn neighbors about this wonderful event!

Go to friendsoftrees.org to register. It only takes a couple of minutes.

More information from Gregg Lavender… Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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

Sunday Parkways is a day when the city opens a loop of streets so people may freely spend the day walking, skateboarding, rollerblading, wheelchairing, biking and strolling along.   Though there won’t be a Sunday Parkways coming through Woodlawn, it will pass right near us along Ainsworth and we have been encouraged to get involved.  Below is a note from one of the coordinators:
I wanted to invite you and any of your interested neighborhood residents to our brainstorming cafe.  Vernon neighborhood is hosting a Sunday Parkways Cafe on Saturday, March 21st, 9-11 am, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church (5431 NE 20th @Killingsworth). We would love for you to help us brainstorm ideas for activities in the parks and along the route, music, food vendors and anything else that would make this a great event.

The Northeast Portland route will link Alberta, Fernhill and Wilshire Parks. The date of the actual event is July 19th, 9am – 4pm. We will be sending out an invitation to register as a volunteer as the event gets closer – we need about 400 people!

Hope to see you on March 21st. Please feel free to pass this email along.
Cheers,

Janis McDonald
Transportation Options, Project Manager
City of Portland, Bureau of Transportation
ph: 503-823-5358
janis.mcdonald@pdxtrans.org

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Tonight, February 18th, is our monthly General Meeting in the Woodlawn Community Resource Center at the Woodlawn Methodist Church, 7pm. The building is on Dekum at 15th. Enter the WEST entrance and head up the stairs.

General Meetings are a great time to meet your neighbors, present ideas/concerns and hear about upcoming projects in your neighborhood, like the monthly square dances at the Village Ballroom or the Friends of Trees tree planting. These are casual, social get-togethers.

General Meetings happen every third Wednesday, same time and same place.

We hope to see you there!
The Woodlawn Neighborhood Association

The January general meeting was packed with people excited to be engaged in the neighborhood. If you missed the meeting, you can read the notes here.  General meetings are a get-together to share neighborhood ideas and hear about neighborhood news.  They are held at the Woodlawn Methodist Church on 15th and Dekum at 7pm.

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It’s budget time again at the City of Portland!  How would you like to see your taxpayer dollars spent?  What is important to you?  Read on to find out how you can be involved and make a difference.
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