See the slide show for the November 17 Portland Plan workshop.

Portland Plan Workshop Kickoff from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

CONTACT

Roy Kaufmann

ffice of Mayor Sam Adams

03-823-4799

roy.kaufmann@ci.portland.or.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 16, 2009

Portland Area Leaders Kick Off Portland Plan

Community input to help shape the next 25 years for the city

Portland, Ore.— Portland area civic leaders gathered this morning at the East Portland Community Center to kick off the first round of community workshops for the Portland Plan. The first workshop will be held tomorrow evening at Beaumont Middle School at 6:30 p.m. 

The Portland Plan will be a strategic roadmap to ensure the city is thriving, prosperous and sustainable for all residents. Through the development of the plan, Portlanders will help to define priorities, guide investment of public dollars and set the course for Portland for the next 25 years. The Portland Plan is part of a state-mandated comprehensive plan update and will touch every neighborhood, district and resident as the city grows.

“Portland is a great city, but it’s not great for everyone,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “We have some real challenges ahead of us. Through the Portland Plan, we have an opportunity to make more informed decisions and improve collaboration among regional partners to achieve common goals.”

The last time the City developed a comprehensive plan was 1980; about 50 percent of Portlanders today were not here at that time. Because of the impact the plan will ultimately have on each resident of Portland, the City and its partners are asking for maximum community input over the next 15 months. Portlanders can weigh in at community workshops, complete a survey (online at www.pdxplan.com or included in December’s Curbsider publication), and participate in the conversation through social media.

The goals of the first round of workshops are to get grounded in the facts facing Portland now, create a healthy dialogue around how to solve some of our major challenges, and set a course with short and long term goals and actions to shape the next quarter century of change.

Focus areas for public engagement

Public involvement in the Portland Plan is essential. Many of the issues the city is facing may be surprising to Portlanders. Some of these challenges are:

• Only 63% of Portland’s students graduate on time.
• Portland’s unemployment rate tops 11%.
• 70% of the city’s electricity use comes from fossil fuels.
• It will take $136 million more per year just to maintain the city’s aging infrastructure of bridges, signals, reservoirs, natural areas and civic buildings and maintain regulatory standards.

The 1980 comprehensive plan addressed many of the physical elements of Portland such as transportation infrastructure and creating a vibrant central city. The Portland Plan will build off that work while focusing heavily on the human elements in order to benefit the people living here over the next 25 years.
“Portland has benefited from a heritage of excellent planning,” said Susan Anderson, Director of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. “Now it’s our turn to look ahead 25 years and ensure the city continues to be thriving and sustainable as we grow.”

In 2007, the City of Portland conducted visionPDX, which gathered information from more than 17,000 Portlanders about their vision for the city. Out of this process came a set of values that helped establish goals for the community. Now the Portland Plan is picking up the dialogue about how those goals can be realized.

Workshops for public engagement

The first round of community workshops start tomorrow, November 17, and run through December 15, in locations throughout Portland. The City and its partners are asking all Portlanders to weigh in on issues ranging from education, community health, arts and transportation to healthy food, job growth and protecting the environment. The workshop dates, times and locations are as follows:

November 17	November 19	December 1	december 3
Beaumont Middle School Cafeteria 4043 NE Fremont Street Portland, OR 79212 6:30–9:00pm Bus #: 75, 24 map | calendar	David Douglas High School Cafeteria (North) 1001 SE 135th Avenue Portland, OR 97233 6:30–9:00pm Bus  #: 20, 71 map | calendar	St. Johns Community Center 8427 N Central Street Portland, OR 97203 6:30–9:00pm Bus #: 4, 17, 44, 75 map | calendar	World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon Street, Skybridge Rooms A & B Portland, OR 97204 8:00-9:30am MAX and downtown serving buses map | calendar
December 5	December 7	December 15
Mt. Scott Community Center Auditorium 5530 SE 72nd Avenue Portland, OR 97255 10:00am-12:30pm Bus #: 10 map | calendar	Wilson High School Cafeteria 1151 SW Vermont Street Portland, OR 97219 6:30–9:00pm Bus #: 44, 45, 56 map | calendar	University of Oregon Old Town Event Room Rooms 142 & 144 70 NW Couch Street Portland, OR 97209 6:30–9:00pm MAX and Bus #: 12, 19, 20 map | calendar

Public partners of the Portland Plan

Because the City cannot address these issues alone, public partners working with the City of Portland on the Portland Plan include Metro, Multnomah County, Portland State University, Portland Public Schools, Parkrose School District, Centennial School District, David Douglas School District, Reynolds School District, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland Community College, TriMet, Portland Development Commission, Housing Authority of Portland, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Multnomah County Drainage District and Worksystems Inc.

What the partners are saying about the Portland Plan

“Portland and all cities in the region will see significant population growth in the next 25 years,” said Metro Council President David Bragdon. “It’s important that residents become involved in the City’s planning process to help us reach goals shared by the families and businesses that make up our communities.”

 - David Bragdon, President, Metro

“Our planning needs to embrace big ideas, like how equity concerns should shape land-use choices, as well as concrete dilemmas, like how our central city accommodates and pays for adequate courtrooms to keep our public safety system running.”

 - Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Chair

“Thoughtful, long-range planning is the only way to prepare the region for the quickly changing economy. And it will take every sector of the region working and planning together. That’s why Portland Community College is excited to be part of the Portland Plan.”

 - Dr. Preston Pulliams, president, Portland Community College

"I am very glad to be a part of the development of the new Portland Plan. As a Multnomah County, City of Portland school district Superintendent, I will be very intentional about reminding everyone how important the health of our local schools is for the eventual economic development and livability of successful families in our city. This is a great opportunity for collaboration and partnership. Let’s make the most of this opportunity by working together to build a solid and viable Plan to make Portland the greatest city in America".

 - Karen Gray, Superintendent, Parkrose School District

“Portland is uniquely qualified to drive the global green economy in the years to come. At PDC we are focusing our efforts on targeted industries and working to grow and sustain the businesses, both large and small, that have helped shape the diverse, vibrant city we have today.”

 - Bruce Warner, Executive Director, Portland Development Commission

“Vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods with safe routes to transit are fundamental to the success of healthy and economically strong communities. The Plan’s 20-minute neighborhood concept sets us up for expanded success with our transit investments and for building sustainable communities. TriMet is a committed partner of the renewed Portland Plan.”

 - Fred Hansen, TriMet General Manager

"The Housing Authority of Portland is pleased to be a sponsor of the Portland Plan. It's important for all Portlanders, no matter what their income, or whether they're homeowners or renters, to be heard and share their hopes and vision for the community's future."

 - Steve Rudman, Housing Authority of Portland

“The long-term strategic planning process at the heart of the Portland Plan has the potential to improve our community across the board.  I am particularly interested in the collaborative effort that will take place to improve education which will, in turn, improve the economic viability of Portland and the quality of life of our citizens.”

 - Robert McKean, Centennial School District

“None of us works in a vacuum; we work in partnership.  Why? Because we are simply more effective that way. It makes sense to plan in partnership as well. If we do this right we can significantly improve our collective impact on the issues we all work to address. The East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District has always valued our partnership with the City of Portland and we look forward to strengthening the relationship through this collaborative planning effort.”

-Jean Fike, Executive Director, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District

Find more information about the Portland Plan at www.pdxplan.com, follow us on Twitter, @PDXPlan & #pdxplan or become a fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pdxplan.

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This report will highlight the City’s and community partners accomplishments for the year on the Cully-Concordia Community Action Plan and the activities underway for 2010.  The presentation includes an updated action plan that includes specific action steps and measures of success for the many actions of the plan and a resources matrix of potential funding sources for major community needs in the area.  Community partners and interested public are welcome to share their perspectives on the status of the project.  The City Council meets at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue, in Council Chambers.  To review the materials for the annual report and for more information on the project web page.

For immediate release

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009

Contact:
Roy Kaufmann | 503-823-4799 | Roy.Kaufmann@ ci.portland.or.us
Julia Thompson | 503-823-0229 | Julia.Thompson@ci.portland.or.us

MEDIA ADVISORY

Portland Area Leaders to Host Kick-Off Event for Portland Plan Community Workshops

WHAT: Media event to kick off the first series of workshops for the Portland Plan, a strategic plan for the next 25 years to ensure that Portland is a thriving and sustainable city and our residents are prosperous, healthy and educated. The Portland Plan, a 25-year strategic plan, is part of a state-mandated comprehensive plan update. The direction it sets will touch every neighborhood, district and resident in the city as it grows. The plan will help to define priorities, guide how to invest public dollars and set the course for Portland for the next quarter of a century. 1980 was the last time the City developed a comprehensive plan; since then, 50 percent of Portlanders are new to the city.

WHEN: Monday, November 16, 2009
10:45 a.m.—media are invited to arrive
11 a.m.—event begins

WHERE: East Portland Community Center
740 SE 106th Ave, Portland
Near cross-street of SE 103rd Drive and Stark Street

WHO: Representatives from many organizations, including Mayor Sam Adams, Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler and School Superintendents Karen Gray and Barbara Rommel, will speak at Monday’s kick-off event at the EPCC. This partnership between the City of Portland and other public agencies will help ensure that Portland’s strategic plan is comprehensive, inclusive and successful.

WHY: Monday’s event marks the kick-off of the first round of community workshops that begin on November 17 and run through December 15, in seven locations throughout Portland’s neighborhoods. The Portland Plan partners are asking all Portlanders to weigh in on a number of issues ranging from education, community health, arts and transportation to local food, job growth and the environment. This effort builds on the visionPDX process, which captured input from over 17,000 Portlanders and led us to a set of values that helped establish goals for the City. Now the Portland Plan is creating the dialogue around how to reach those goals.

Because the City cannot address these issues alone, public partners working with the City of Portland include Metro, Multnomah County, Portland State University, Portland Public Schools, Parkrose School District, Centennial School District, David Douglas School District, Reynolds School District, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Community College, TriMet, Portland Development Commission, Housing Authority of Portland, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District and West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Multnomah County Drainage District and Worksystems Inc.

Find more information about the Portland Plan at www.pdxplan.com, follow us on Twitter, @PDXPlan or become a fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pdxplan.

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Here’s how to remember to grab your reusable bags for your next shopping trip:

• Return bags to your bike or car.
• Store bags near your house keys.
• Put a reminder on your grocery list.
• Order our new “Got Bag?” window cling for your car or home.

Call Metro’s recycling information hotline, 503-234-3000 or visit www.oregonmetro.gov/nowaste  to order your free “Got Bag? window cling today.

On September 19, BPS hosted the eighth annual Build it Green! Home Tour and Information Fair. We featured 18 new and remodeled green homes that represented a variety of conservation strategies, including water and energy efficiency, renewables, sustainable stormwater management and the reuse of salvaged materials. Over 1000 people attended and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The tour would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Metro, Energy Trust of Oregon, ecohaus, Oregon Living, Solar Oregon and the City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services, Water and Development Services. We look forward to seeing you at next year's tour on the third Saturday of September.

Pumpkins can be recycled in your green roll cart. Please place them in with other accepted yard debris after your autumn celebrations. Remember to remove any candles or wax from jack-o'-lanterns.

Yard debris also includes fruit and vegetables from your garden or trees, weeds, leaves, vines, grass or branches no more than 4 inches thick and 36 inches long.

Do not include food, pet waste, treated wood, plastic bags, plastic flower pots, stumps, metal, rocks, dirt, household garbage or branches more than 4 inches thick and 36 inches long.

Visit www.portlandlonline.com/bps/carts to learn more about what is accepted in your roll carts.

You are invited to learn more about the Invasive Plant Project at a public information meeting on October 29, 2009 from 3 to 7 p.m. in room 7a at 1900 SW 4th Avenue. Staff will give a presentation and answer questions from the public.

The Planning Commission will consider the proposed changes to the City's policies and rules at the public hearing on November 10, 2009 between 12:30 and 5 p.m.

The City of Portland has long recognized the problems resulting from the introduction of invasive plant species into the existing northwest ecosystem. Since 1991, the City has identified invasive plants with the lists of nuisance and prohibited plants in the Portland Plant List. These lists identify plants that are not allowed to be planted in certain protected zones and city-required landscaped areas.

More recently, the City took a multi-bureau effort to develop a citywide Invasive Species Management Strategy.

As one part of implementing this new strategy, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) in conjunction with the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), is leading an evaluation of City policies and rules relating to invasive plants, and recommending updates to City codes and documents. These include:

• Updating the Portland Plant List to include a ranking of invasive plants.
• Updating the City’s Zoning Code (Title 33) and Property Maintenance Regulations (Title 29) to manage invasive species in development and in non-development situations.
• Ensuring that the Portland Plan and Comprehensive Plan Update address invasive species in their goals and objectives.
• Considering the creation of a local noxious or invasive weed law.

The description of the proposed changes is included in the Proposed Draft: Report and Recommendations to Planning Commission for the Invasive Plant Policy Review and Regulatory Improvement Project, the report was released on October 9, 2009.

Visit www.portlandonline.com/bps/invasiveplantpolicy to view a copy of the Proposed Draft, view the public notice of the Planning Commission hearing and the public information meeting, and to view a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet.

Visit www.portlandonline.com/bes/invasivespolicy more information about invasive plants.

Last month, Portland City Council approved a Community Workforce Agreement that will lead to the creation of thousands of high-quality, family-supporting jobs for qualified, historically underrepresented contractors and workers in the clean-energy economy. The City and Clean Energy Works Portland stakeholders—including public, private, nonprofit, community, and labor institutions—collaborated to create this unprecedented agreement, establishing a set of sustainable contracting standards and community benefits. The City extends a big thank you to our partners who helped make this vision a reality. Watch the video clip of the council testimony with an opening statement from Green for All.

What’s next: In the near term, Clean Energy Works Portland is embarking on a pilot project phase during which approximately 500 Portland area homes will receive energy audits and be retrofitted by the summer of 2010. Measures include weatherization, space and water heating—delivered through on-bill repayment. After the 500-home pilot phase, the City of Portland will significantly scale up Clean Energy Works in an effort to retrofit the estimated 100,000 qualifying homes over the next several years. In the coming decade, this could result in as many as 10,000 local jobs.

From Mayor Sam Adams: “In Oregon, a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, this program stands to provide a scalable national model by leveraging federal recovery dollars to put people back to work and achieve significant carbon reductions. In partnership with Green For All, we have the ability to promote social equity in a measurable way, providing an opportunity for under-employed youth and adults to gain career training in the sustainable building industry, and ensure that Portland stays at the forefront of the green economy.”

Green for All partnership: The City of Portland partnered with Green For All�an organization that advises local leaders nationwide to develop stronger clean energy jobs programs�to create the community workforce agreement for the home energy retrofit pilot program. This initiative will leverage federal recovery dollars to reduce carbon emissions, lower utility bills, and create jobs. Going forward, Green For All will utilize their national expertise to support and guide the effort to bring the pilot project to scale.

This agreement marks the City’s successful collaboration between a broad base of community stakeholders to help ensure equity for women, people of color, and other historically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in the implementation of Clean Energy Works Portland. Community stakeholders include: Change to Win, Coalition for a Livable Future, Construction Apprentice and Workforce Solutions, Eco Tech LLC, Evening Trades Apprenticeship Preparation, Home Energy Life Performance Group, Inc., Irvington Covenant Community Development Corporation, Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good, Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Partnership, National Association of Minority Contractors of Oregon, NAYA Family Center, Neil Kelly Corp., O'Neill Electric Inc., Oregon Action, Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon and Southern Idaho District Council of Laborers, Oregon and Southern Idaho Laborers-Employers Training Trust, Oregon Apollo Alliance, Oregon Tradeswomen, Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute, Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Portland Development Commission, Portland YouthBuilders, Sierra Club, Sustainable Solutions Unlimited, Urban League of Portland and Verde.

These new community stakeholders join the existing pilot members that include City of Portland, Multnomah County, Green For All, WorkSystems Inc., Energy Trust of Oregon, Shorebank Enterprise Cascadia, NW Natural, Pacific Power and Portland General Electric.

View the agreement, photos from the Council hearing and signing, and a video message from Green For All at www.cleanenergyworksportland.org.

The City of Portland’s 23^rd annual Fix-It Fair season will kick off November 21 with a new addition: workshops in Spanish. Fix-It Fairs are free events where residents can learn simple and effective ways to save money at home this winter.

View exhibits from community partners and attend workshops led by local experts about water and energy savings, home and personal health, food and nutrition, community resources, recycling and yard care, lead testing and more. All fairs offer free childcare and lunch.

Save the date!

All Fix-It Fairs run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, November 21

Roosevelt High School

6941 N Central St.

Saturday, January 9

David Douglas High School

1001 SE 135^th Ave

Saturday, January 30

Parkrose High School

12003 NE Shaver St.

For more information about scheduled workshops, visit: www.portlandonline.com/bps/fif .

E-mail fix-itfair@ci.portland.or.us to receive an event reminder.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week that Portland is one of 16 U.S. cities to receive a grant through federal stimulus funds known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Solar America Cities Special Projects. A total of $10 million was awarded to the 16 cities to address specific barriers to solar adoption in urban settings and support innovative approaches that can be widely replicated. Portland will receive $400,000 over the next two years to increase the number of residents in Portland that use solar energy to power their homes.

"Portland is on the forefront of making solar power a reality for all residents and businesses," said Mayor Sam Adams. "Our solar power initiatives, combined with energy efficiency efforts like the Clean Energy Works Portland program, are essential to our carbon reduction goals. With this grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, we can continue driving outreach, education and installation of solar power in Portland."

The two-year grant will facilitate a continued partnership with U.S. DOE and the City of Portland to execute the Neighborhood Solar Initiative—a complementary suite of neighborhood-focused activities and programs designed to lower the barriers to solar installations for residents. The initiative builds on the wealth of social capital and civic infrastructure in Portland's nationally recognized neighborhood system and couples it with powerful new tools for financing solar energy systems emerging in Oregon.

"The Department of Energy recognizes the important role of local governments in overcoming barriers to widespread solar energy use," said JoAnn Milliken, Solar Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy. "Through these special projects, Solar America Cities will develop innovative ways of integrating solar energy into their communities, and those strategies can then be replicated across the nation."

The Neighborhood Solar Initiative leverages a broad collaboration of public and private partners, including Energy Trust of Oregon, Oregon Department of Energy, Solar Oregon, Portland General Electric and reputable private sector solar project developers, to accelerate the transformation of the solar market in Portland. By providing compelling financing options and delivering the program through the proven channels of Portland's neighborhood institutions, the Neighborhood Solar Initiative will produce results that are readily replicable in communities throughout the United States.

"It certainly is an appropriate recognition for the work the City of Portland has done to increase solar awareness and to remove barriers to solar installations in Portland," said Kathy Bash, Solar Oregon Board Member. "We see benefits at so many levels in having neighbors band together to purchase solar and are excited about the prospects for taking this model to communities across the state."

The Neighborhood Solar Initiative aims to achieve an additional 600 kilowatts of installed photovoltaic capacity in the residential sector by the end of 2011, which will bring the total installed residential capacity in Portland to 1 MW.

For more information about the Solar America Cities Special Projects Awards, visit http://www.solaramericacities.energy.gov/SpecialProjects.aspx.

Portlanders love their trees. Trees help define Portland’s history and our image as a “green city.”  They also provide valuable environmental, social and economic benefits that advance community sustainability.

The City of Portland contributes to the urban forest by managing public parks and natural areas, planting trees, educating citizens, regulating tree removal and requiring certain development types to preserve, replace and protect trees. Portlanders have complained that City of Portland tree regulations are overly complex, confusing and insufficient to sustain the urban forest. The development community and City staff also find the rules difficult to work with.

Responding to public comments, City Council directed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (in partnership with the Bureaus of Parks and Recreation, Development Services, and Environmental Services) to evaluate and update the city’s tree-related policies and regulations.

In 2007, the Citywide Tree Policy Review and Regulatory Improvement Project was created to explore key issues around tree regulations and develop solutions to tree-related problems. Based on a collaborative process with a group of neighborhood representatives, arborists, developers, and environmental organizations, project staff developed and presented a package of proposed solutions to the Urban Forestry Commission, Planning Commission and others in early 2009.

Staff is now incorporating the proposed solutions into a new draft for consideration by the public and the Planning Commission, including:

• New comprehensive tree code;
• User-friendly tree manual;
• Single point of contact for the public;
• 24-hour “tree hotline”;
• Improved tree-cutting permit system;
• Flexible development standards to encourage retention of large trees and groves;
• Tree density standards that vary by lot size and land use;
• Updated land use review standards and approval criteria;
• Updated fees in-lieu of planting, tree fund provisions and violation penalties;
• Refined role of Urban Forestry Commission and City Forester; and
• Recommendations for the Portland Plan project to address urban forest issues.

Visit http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/treeproject or call 503-823-7700 for updates or mailing list subscription.

Got something green to wear on October 28? BPS has updated the draft 2009 Climate Action Plan to address key findings from the public comment process. Portland City Council will vote to adopt the revised Plan at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28 (City Hall, Council Chambers).

The adoption of this plan means that we set in place our community’s ambitious sustainability roadmap to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. Please show your support for the Climate Action Plan by attending the City Council hearing and wearing green to “greenlight” the Climate Action Plan. Our city’s leaders need to know that Portlanders care about this critical plan to ensure our community’s health and prosperity.

Background: The City of Portland and Multnomah County released the draft Climate Action Plan for public comment in April 2009. More than 400 people participated in the eight public town hall meetings where residents, businesses, and community organizations had an opportunity to discuss the plan and complete a comment form. BPS received an additional 175 sets of comments through a Web-based comment form, by e-mail, or in letters, totaling more than 2,600 comments and suggestions.

Community Comment Summary: Nearly 60 percent of the respondents indicated that the proposed actions were appropriate, while 22 percent felt they were not ambitious enough to address climate change sufficiently. Nearly 60 percent also felt the plan identified the most important actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with "Land Use and Mobility" being the action area that was of the most interest (39 percent), followed by "Food and Agriculture" (14 percent).

In particular, respondents urged the City and County to be more attentive to four areas: social equity, public health, the larger regional context of the proposed actions, and adaptation, especially with respect to the role of natural systems. Comments also emphasized the talent, resources, and commitment of neighborhoods, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and residents all can provide in working with the City and County to address climate change.

The Climate Action Plan is fundamentally intended to respond to climate change, reducing emissions and preparing for rapid changes in the climate, but it will only be successful if it does so in ways that create jobs, improve social equity, strengthen natural systems, and enhance quality of life. Comments overwhelmingly expressed confidence that this is achievable.

Download a PDF of actions you can take to reduce carbon emissions.

Keep up with Climate Action Plan updates at www.portlandonline.com/bps/climate.