Cully Association of Neighbors General Meeting, November 14, 2017, Grace Presbyterian Church 6025 NE Prescott, 7-9 PM.
Board Members Present: Laura Young, Mac McKinlay, David Sweet, Stephanie Neely, Jake Antlers and Julie Granger.
Welcome and Introductions: Board Members were introduced and members were welcomed.
Abdul Majidi from PCC Workforce expressed gratitude for support of the recent bond measure. He will come to a later meeting with more details of changes coming to the Workforce Center. He looks forward to CAN’s involvement as development commences.
Additional Agenda Items: Erwin asked to speak under old business. Laura said the agenda is very full.
Approval of Agenda: David moved to accept the agenda, second by Mac. Motion carried.
Election of New Board Member: Nominations from the floor: Josh Heumann introduced himself. He has lived in Cully the last 4 years and been attending the General Meeting most of that time. He appreciates what CAN does and would like to be a part of it. He is in project management in the tech industry. There were no other candidates. Blank ballots were passed out. Laura instructed the membership to write Josh Heumann’s name in or another name if they wished. Jake and Marilee were vote counters.
Residential Infill Project: David Sweet presented the current status of the Residential Infill Project. It affects r5 and r7 lots only. It will limit size, height and increase front setback by 5′. Duplex will be allowed anywhere, triplex on corner lots, and cottage clusters. The overlay did not include East Cully, however. The letter which David proposed had been sent out via eblast prior to the meeting. The letter expresses CAN concern that a large portion of Cully was left out of the Housing Opportunity Overlay Zone and the lack of a true ‘Cottage Cluster Code’ in the draft. Comment Period ends November 30. Public Hearings will be in January or February. The proposal will be rewritten and sent to the City Council in June. Can learn more at https://www. portlandoregon.gov/bps/infill
David moved that we accept the drafted letter and send it, second by Laura. Motion carried. 6 Board Members voted yes.
Planning Living Cully: Rose Ojeda, Director Housing Development with Hacienda came to explain Hacienda’s design process for the big corner at Cully and Killingsworth. There will be two, new mixed-income buildings that will provide 150 one-, two- and three bedroom apartments for a range of incomes (80% affordable). 100 units are at the west side of the plaza in a 5 story building, with ground floor commercial and parking areas. 50 units are at the east side of the plaza in another 6 story building which anchors the edge of the property. There will be approximately 14,000 SF of commercial space for social enterprises, a community hall, daycare, after-school programs and additional commercial tenants. There is limited green space. Concern about parking was expressed. She said there would be 1 to 1 parking and they will also have an onsite car share program. They are now working on financing and hope to start construction in April 2019. A fundraiser ‘Shake the Shack’ will be held December 14, 2017 and all our invited. with leasing to begin September 2020.
Thomas Cully Park and the Just Energy Transition Initiative (JET) – Alan Hipolito: Update on the Park: The 25 acre park is located on an old non-construction landfill between Portland Highway and Columbia Blvd. and NE 72nd and NE 78th Avenues. A public/private partnership began building the park in 2012. Kids have helped with the design of play area native garden. Components of the park will include a community garden, off leash area, overlooks, 3 acres habitat, youth soccer field, and a native gathering gardens (high point of property). Opening is planned for spring of 2018. Portland Parks will assume maintenance and there will be a co-management agreement for the habitat and native garden areas. They are still working on street crossing improvements at NE 72nd and Killingsworth.
Just Energy Transition: This is a collaborative effort of Portland NAACP, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Native American Youth & Family Center (NAYA), Verde and 350PDX to develop a new sustainable source of funding that would be available to nonprofit-led projects in energy efficiency and renewable energy measures for Portland homes and businesses, that benefit low-income communities, for job training, apprenticeships and minority contractor support and local food production. The funding would be generated via a 1% Business License Surcharge on billion dollar retail corporations operating in Portland. Their hope is to have a ballot measure in 2018 for the Business License Surcharge. They are in the early stages of gathering support and already have endorsements from 34 community organizations and 50 faith leaders have added their moral voice of support. Alan asked for CAN endorsement. After discussion and questions the membership felt it was too early to give endorsement. They asked for something written from JET stating what exactly CAN would be endorsing. Alan said they would get back to us with a letter.
Broadmoor Golf Course: Rich Gunderson was unable to attend meeting, so item tabled..
Treasurers report: Treasurer was not in attendance, so no reort.
CNN Report: Erwin came and spoke about things at the airport. Board members – don’t elect anyone to the board who has not been a participant at meetings and is known.
At large member Josh Hermann was elected. 18 ballots cast, all 18 for Josh.
Sarah Berkemeier introduced herself. She is the new Crime Prevention Coordinator at Oni. She is bilingual and worked at Home Forward previously. She said she is working on getting Neighborhood Officer Zoller back to our monthly general meeting. She will work on specific issues within the neighborhood. She can be reached at 503 823 4098 or sarah.berkemeier@portlandoregon.gov.
Clean air monitoring is going on in Cully, however there is not enough money at DEQ to read the meters. Letters needed. Grants from PBOT up to $100,000 ($2 – $20,000) are available. They will be announcing grantees later this month.
CAAT – always looking for more committee members. Greg Sotir met with mayor last week and shared our concern about industrial polluters in Cully so we are now on his radar. Feasibility testing will commence next spring. Cleaner Air Oregon is rewriting air pollution laws in our state. We need to lobby our state senators. PSU is crunching the numbers of our air monitors and will have info by the end of the year.
Land Use: 42nd/47th Ave overpass – bridge replacement has been prioritize. Eleven million dedicated out of the12-13 million needed for the project. There will not be a land use/transportation meeting in November.
Outreach: Jake announced a Renters Rights event Wednesday Nov 15th at Riegler School from 5 – 7 pm.
Don Tarbutton invited members to attend a fundraiser for NE Village PDX December 15 from 6:30 – 8:30 at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Acceptance of General Meeting Minutes Taken October 10, 2017: Bob Granger moved to approve, second by Erwin Bergman. Motion carried
Cully Clean Up: Marilee announced that CAN will hold the annual Clean Up. Membership thought Earth Day is the best day to hold it. This event is CAN’s biggest fund raiser, raising close to $4000; Rhonda, from CNN has agreed to help us do the event more simply. Laura, Jake, Josh and Marilee volunteered to be leads. A sheet of paper was passed around asking for volunteers to help in the planning.
Travis passed out the Give Guide magazine. Three Cully businesses are listed: Northeast Emergency Food Bank, Naya and Columbia Slough Watershed Council. An eblast announcement will be sent out to the neighborhood. He also said that food and clothing are needed at the food bank.
Fighting the fighter jets. The Port has moved the decision about the continuous descent approach to March 2018 from January 2018. Andrew Pritchard, a CAN member, asked for CAN members to help create greater public awareness around the issue. He had a flyer to share and asked people to post in coffee shops and businesses.
Erwin Bergman distributed copies of a letter he had written in protest to the continuous descent approach and signed as the Airport and Quality of Life Committee Chair for CAN and Community Advisory Committee representative for CNN. Questions were raised regarding concerns that this letter would be perceived as representing CAN. The CAN board had not reviewed and approved this letter as the official position of CAN. Erwin stated that CAN had voted at the September General Meeting to oppose the continuous descent approach. Minutes from that meeting were not available to confirm that vote.
Adjournment: David Sweet moved to adjourn the meeting, second by Chris Browne. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 9:05.
Respectfully submitted by Julie Granger