Last Friday, Mayor Adams announced the City Council will hold a public hearing this coming Thursday, December 6 at 3 p.m., to consider the Recommended Northwest Parking Plan.  The Recommended Plan including a map showing the proposed district boundaries and sub-areas, and the Mayor's filed Resolution and Ordinance to implement it, may be found here.  The hearing will be held in City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue.

In 2009, the City Council directed the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to work with residents, business owners and employees, nonprofits, schools, and other stakeholders in NW Portland to propose strategies for managing parking in the area. The initial directive was to return to Council in fall 2009; that timeline was extended. The Recommended Plan was publshed early in 2012.  Since then, I have considered input from many, many people concerned about the issues involved.  It is clear that we can all agree on one conclusion -- that we don't all agree.

Based on the feedback I've heard, I am proposing amendments to the Recommended Plan that I hope will set a path to moving forward.  I propose a phased approach, outlined here.  If adopted, the first phase will include adding permit parking south of Lovejoy and west of 19th, and also establishing a Transportation Management Association (TMA).  The TMA will include 17 voting members, with representation from a wide range of interests.  Members will be nominated by stakeholder groups and appointed by the Commissioner in Charge of PBOT  After each phase, the TMA must provide an evaluation and report to the PBOT Commissioner, who will send it to City Council. The recommendations may include changing the plan for the next phase.  Any two members of Council can mandate a public hearing to consider the recommendation of the TMA for the next phase, before it is implemented.

I am proposing that the second phase, if recommended by the TMA and accepted by the PBOT Commissioner and Council, is permits in the rest of the district.  The third phase, again subject to revisions by the TMA, PBOT Commissioner, and Council, is pay station meters in the commercial corridors of NW 21st and 23rd. 

I am proposing that CLASS Academy be included in the district, so that their staff, parents and visitors qualify for all benefits.  One of the member slots of the TMA is for a representative from the Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) or CLASS Academny PTA, since these schools share the characteristic of attracting students from outside the NW area.

I am proposing all employees would be eligible to buy parking permits, rather than the proposal in the Recommended Plan which limits employee permits thus necessitating a bartering process. 

The current Zone K, which is in the northwest edge of the parking district, is unchanged.  Currently Zone L, near Burnside, has permit parking related to events at Jeld-Wen Field.  I want to hear input on how far north the stadium-impact zone should be, in the proposed first phase.

The Mayor's proposed Organizational Framework for the Transportation Management Asociation, its charge and membership, is here.  My proposed amendments to it, inserting the process for phased evaluation/reports/decisions, are shown in green strikethrough/underline.

I want to hear feedback on my proposed amendments, and I am open to suggestions for improvements.  If your comments are extensive, please send by email to me.