South Park Blocks Framework Master Plan: Property Owner Interview Summary

Transcription

1 Portland State Unversty PDXScholar Portland Cty Archves Oregon Sustanable Communty Dgtal Lbrary South Park Blocks Framework Master Plan: Property Owner ntervew Summary Portland (Or.). Development Commsson Let us know how access to ths document benefts you. Follow ths and addtonal works at: Part of the Urban Studes Commons, and the Urban Studes and Plannng Commons Recommended Ctaton Portland (Or.). Development Commsson, "South Park Blocks Framework Master Plan: Property Owner ntervew Summary" (980). Portland Cty Archves. Paper Ths Report s brought to you for free and open access. t has been accepted for ncluson n Portland Cty Archves by an authorzed admnstrator of PDXScholar. For more nformaton, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu.

2 r! f... \ < u : J l-! - >*J m r....> f nnnn- n? L) E T = =! Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Al Kadar Shrne 9 S.W. Park Avenue Paul Eckelman, Fred Grgsby NTERVEW DATE Aprl 24, 980 The man entrance to the temple s off of Park Avenue. At least drop-off access s therefore requred at the front door. There are varous sub-tenants along Man street that should also retan vehcular access. f parkng s to be removed from surroundng streets, addtonal parkng s requred. Ths faclty s rented for large functons [rooms, etc.] and parkng s a problem. The adjacent parkng lot could be developed n the future for housng or commercal, but the need s for parkng and any development plans would have to recognze ths fact. Securty s a major concern. A person has been statoned to control entrance at the front door. The horse patrols have been very effectve and contnued efforts are fully supported. Facltes n the Park could be useful to the varous groups usng the temple. The temple has been approached by varous groups about purchasng the temple but there s no ntent to do so at ths tme.

3 3?! o! r.- r- -^ _>! J. f- --. t SOUTH PARK BLOCKS RRAMEWORK MASTER PLAN Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Tower n the Park Corner of S.W. Clay and S.W. Park [east] Larry Arnold, Chlless Nelsen, Archtect NTERVEW DATE Ths project has been slowed due to the current economc stuaton. t s expected to be bult as soon as condtons warrant. The "low" buldng abuttng S.W. Park Avenue [east] s a townhouse confguraton wth the majorty of entrances off of Park. Ths buldng s aganst the property lne and has no accommodaton for plantngs. A rearrangement of the ROW would be advantageous n provdng a buffer aganst ths buldng. All access (vehcular as well as man buldng entrance) s from S.W. Clay. The removal of traffc from S.W. Park would be seen as a postve factor allowng a more drect relatonshp to the Park Blocks.

4 T F : -B l L Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Roosevelt Plaza 005 S.W. Park Avenue T. Barry Breneke NTERVEW DATE May 7, 980 Mostly elderly people lve here, some dsabled, very few wheelchar access. No problems attractng tenants, the Park s a good draw as well as the locaton. The socal condton n the Park s the major problem. Anythng to make t safe would help. Now only men wll walk nto the Parks and even then only two at a tme. The Job Corps Center seems to generate a lot of the problems n the Park Blocks wth young people crculatng back and forth between the two. The Paramount attracts problem crowds wth nose and frequent ncdents requrng polce supervson. Ths area should accommodate uses that encourage postve uses n the Park Blocks. There are lttle or no vehcular access requrements from Park. Movng vans could use the Salmon St. loadng zone. A drop-off area could be useful. There are vrtually no parkng requrements for resdents. The clentel s here because cars aren't needed and future trends should just renforce ths. Average monthly ncome s probably $ ; ths doesn't allow automoble ownershp.

5 Roosevelt Plaza Page 2 The restaurant on Salmon does need parkng, and complants are frequently heard about ths. The provson of retal/commercal frontng Park s of prncpal beneft to the developer, not the specal uses surroundng the Park Blocks. As such, and especally n the context of the gradual removal of parkng along the Park Blocks, such uses should be prohbted. Are there really such uses that would requre only walk-n, no vehcular access?

6 3 L-.J. -- >^ T «JBu r Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Empty Lot Corner of S.W. Columba and Park [east] Jack Jarvs NTERVEW DATE May 7, 980 Current development plans ncorporate several levels of resdental unts above the ground floor, commercal [offce and retal] at the ground floor, and one level of parkng belowgrade for the resdences. Parkng would be accessed from S.W. Columba wth the "formal" entry off of Park Ave. A reducton of parkng on Park would be supported. Some amount of short-term parkng s stll needed as well as a drop-off zone. Garbage wll also be removed at the front of the buldng. Preferably, parkng should be removed completely from one sde of the street to lessen the "sea of cars" look. The short-term parkng would serve as guest parkng for the resdences (are exclusve-use spaces avalable?) and possbly the commercal short-term spaces mght be developed on Columba for the commercal. The socal problems n the Park may be. over-rated. As soon as some of the new housng developments occur along the Park, many problems may smply be dsplaced, especally snce several projects are upper ncome. There s a possblty to encourage an nteror court on ths block as ths and the development to the south both leave the center open.

7 r f. CO r : _ :. --^ T " f J X J m n T Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Frst Chrstan Church 34 S.W. Park Avenue Margaret Metcalf NTERVEW DATE May 7,980 The church has a long-standng commtment to reman n ths area. The church owns the entre surroundng block whch was at one tme gong to be developed. More recently, the adjacent housng has been renovated and the carrage house was desgnated an hstorc structure, so current plans reflect a more statc future. Parkng as currently avalable s not adequate. On-street parkng s needed, especally on Sundays. t would thus be dffcult to support removal of all parkng on the Park Blocks unless alternatve spaces are provded. Lmted removal could mprove the stuaton of entry as well as a drop-off area for the daycare program. A daycare program wthn the buldng serves 2/4 to 6 year olds. A play area to the back of the buldng s provded but the Park s occasonally used for pcncs and the lke. A playground n the Park would be a useful addton. The church could use the Park Blocks as t has n the past; pcncs, etc. A bandshell or amphtheater area could be useful for the "Park Blocks Revels" as well as other functons to encourage postve use of the Park; performng arts, ensembles, etc. There s a senor ctzen drop-n center at the church three days a week.

8 Frst Chrstan Church Page 2 The restrcton of retal/commercal uses frontng the Park Blocks s of utmost concern. Cty parks n general have tradtonally provded a busness-free area, an oass, n the cty. Ths generates a unque opportunty for a dfferent envronment wthn the context of the entre cty. Ths could supply the specal feelng from whch a housng zone or an area wth nsttutonal uses could best beneft. Uses such as retal/commercal should be severely restrcted or prohbted. Even f just restrcted, how does one allow an "acceptable" sdewalk cafe, but deny an "napproprate" fast food outlet?

9 r.....-> L :- T T Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Rose Mare Court S.W. Park Mr. & Mrs. Mlstead NTERVEW DATE Aprl 22, 980 Tenants of Rose Mare Apartments prmarly (long term) elderly on month-to-month rental. No parkng s provded for tenants. Very few tenants have automobles. Apartments requre servce access to front of buldng off of S.W. Park Avenue. Property s currently for sale and avalable for redevelopment. Property owners very supportve of efforts to mprove the South Park Blocks and mnmze the traffc and parkng problems adjacent to the Park Blocks.

10 r\ p.-. r>, L - ** J Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Empty Lot Corner of S.W. Clay and S.W. Park [east] Ed Mller NTERVEW DATE Aprl 24, 980 Prevously planned development of ths property has been slowed due to current economc condtons. Current development plans ncorporate resdental unts above ground floor local commercal uses wth sub-grade parkng. Any future plans lkely would nclude smlar uses. Ths block presents an opportunty for full-block development as there are only a few small structures on the whole block. At the present tme, ths ste s planned as a dscreet development. Vehcular access does not necessarly, have to be mantaned from Park Avenue on ether current or possble future plans. Extended sdewalks or other publc mprovements could possbly complement adjacent ground floor development at ths ste. nterest was expressed n workng wth the cty towards a closer nteracton of the prvate and publc components of the future development.

11 y CO' f... u n n r L _ J T Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Oregon Hstorcal Socety 230 S.W. Park Thomas Vaughan NTERVEW DATE Aprl 23, 980 The OHS s frm n ts long-term commtment to the Park Blocks as an area n whch ts operatons can beneft from as well as contrbute to a vtal and actve urban scene. The Park Blocks at present are a negatve factor. Some groups or ndvduals that mght be attracted to the Museum are nfluenced to stay away because of the surroundng area. The polce horse patrols have been an "nstant success" and should be encouraged. The Park Blocks can accommodate a varety of uses. A temporary exhbt space could be of use though any art work would have to be "huge and vandal proof," Play equpment could be accommodated. The OHS at present has no parkng and plans none n the future for Museum vstors. Therefore exstng parkng on S.W. Park s needed and parkng needs should be recognzed n any proposed mprovements. Regular vehcular access s requred to the man entrance for drop-off by prvate vehcles and buses. Whle recognzng that provson of publc restrooms n the Park Blocks would create other problems, the lack of publc restrooms n ths area forces napproprate use of adjacent grounds and facltes. Future adjacent development mght nclude ncreased Museum facltes as well as possble commercal or resdental uses. Although OHS partcpated n the closure of Madson between 9th and 0th, a smlar treatment between Park and 9th would not be supported due to vehcular crculaton problems.

12 =7 T Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON [S] NTERVEWED Frst Congregatonal Church 26S.W. Park Rev. Lncoln Y. Reed, Amy Rapp NTERVEW DATE Aprl 23, 980 The church s fully commtted to remanng on ths ste. Three-quarters of ths block s owned by the church and nterest n eventually acqurng the remanng quarter has been expressed. Parkng s and wll reman to be an mportant need. Any future development would need to recognze parkng requrements. Vehcular access to the front of the church s necessary for drop-off, especally for the elderly and nfrm. Vehcular access for adjacent undeveloped propertes needs to be mantaned. The church holds several specal events through the year ncludng a September pcnc and a December "revel" n conjuncton wth the Art Museum and Hstorcal Socety. These are meant to be "famly affars" whch brng the best part of Portland to the Park Blocks. These actvtes could or do program actvtes n the Park Blocks and could possbly make use of approprate mprovements to the Park Blocks as well as greater cty support. On June 5, 980, the hstorc Sycamore tree s gong to have a brthday party that mght be a good opportunty to te nto other actvtes. There s a day-care center operatng here that could use mproved facltes (playground or equpment) n the Park Blocks.

13 CO t u n n f... L LL-.) r- j L. ^ r: TT.T..>, ',T n' n^ py : T t * T ft Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Paramount Theater 037 S.W. Broadway John Havland NTERVEW DATE Aprl 22, 980 ncreased programmed use of the theater would assst n reducng undesrable actvty n northern-most blocks. Servce access to the theater s requred on S.W. Park between S.W. Salmon and S.W. Man. Vehcular traffc needs to crcle around Paramount. Crowds assocated wth concert actvtes are not causng as many problems as n recent years. These crowds tend to enter area to attend an event and then dsperse from area. n general, the Park Blocks need an overall mprovement of facltes. Landscapng mprovements do not necessarly need to be of a tradtonal treatment.

14 3 f CD ( rr^rrrtt^ _ : ; > P n Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Park Havland Apartments 72 S.W.Salmon John Havland and NTERVEW DATE Aprl 22, 980 Servce access s requred for Park Havland and Heathman Hotels prmarly off of S.W. Salmon. mprovement of street lghtng at the ntersecton of S.W. Park and S.W. Salmon would help mprove securty n ths area. The hotel houses prmarly an elderly populaton on fxed ncomes. The hotel houses prmarly a transent populaton. The hotels near S.W. Salmon are n need of parkng for customers. One opton to meet ths need and that of other resdents of the area mght be an underground garage (smlar to O'Bryant Square) located n the block between S.W. Salmon and S.W. Man. Physcal mprovements (possbly assocated wth a garage) should be made to the last block. These mprovements could nclude fountans and upgraded landscapng. Both hotels experence numerous problems wth street people who use and abuse bathroom and lobby areas. The street people do not appear to be assocated or drawn to the area because of adjacent propertes.

15 CO LJ n Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Portland Art Museum 29 S.W. Park Avenue Barbara K. Gbbs NTERVEW DATE May, 980 There are presently no parkng facltes for ether Museum-goers or staff. Parkng s badly needed as publc use of the Museum has been dscouraged by the parkng dffcultes. Greatest parkng needs occur weekends, nghts, and for buses durng weekdays. Parkng s not requred drectly at front entrance although a drop-off zone must be provded. An arrangement to effect a "plaza" entry on Park has been dscussed and would be supported. However, removal of all parkng n front would not be approprate untl general parkng needs can be addressed. Contnung acqustons rase the queston of future expansons, where and how they mght occur. The Museum would lke to stay n the mmedate vcnty. Several exstng functons may also need mproved facltes. The Lbrary, for nstance, could beneft from a more accessble locaton. The areas mmedately surroundng the Museum need mprovement and greater use. The "Sculpture Mall" s underutlzed, the Parks need more actvty. A cafetera or coffee shop would be a good addton to encourage both greater use of the area as well as accommodatng the needs of vstors.

16 Portland Art Museum Page 2 The Park Blocks could provde a resource for a varety of programs such as the "Summer n the Parks" seres planned for ths summer. Servces, electrcty and possbly water, are needed for many programs. A hard surface, amphtheater or stage could be effectvely used. The Flm Study Center has been very effectve and mght use the Park for some programs. An emphass on placng art outsde the Museum walls was expressed and the use of art n the Park Blocks could be encouraged. The Art Museum would thus ncrease ts physcal presence n the area as well as provdng needed publc art. A play space n the Park Blocks would be a good feature f t populates the Park wth good nfluences.

17 f CO u D K-C Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED St. James Lutheran Church 26 S.W. Park Avenue Rev. Joe Smth NTERVEW DATE Aprl 29, 980 Park Avenue access s the prmary entrance. Vehcular access s requred for drop-off and parkng for the handcapped would be desrable. More spaces aren't needed on the Park but probably at least the same number are needed. Most mportant would be the removal of the long-term [6 hour] meters. These spaces are used by commutng offce workers whch brng no lfe to the Park Blocks. The moblty of the car brngs people to ths area, so adapt the parkng to local uses, not long-term use. Parkng structures would be a valuable addton to ths area f strategcally placed to serve housng and nsttutonal uses. The church uses the Park Blocks n a varety of ways: dnners, 'Park Block's Revel' and n many nformal actvtes. A playground s probably not such a good dea as t tends to serve only one rather restrcted age group. At present, there s a playground n Portland State that receves very lttle use. Ths ndcates a lmted need for a faclty that would be a substantal nvestment.

18 St. James Lutheran Church Page 2 Another feature such as an amphtheater could establsh features and surfaces to play on as well as servng other functons at dfferent tmes. Sculptures, fountans and other features could also serve ths dual purpose whle assurng a more formal appearance. Game tables and fxed benches are not needed. The Park Blocks are not used as a through route. As t exsts, the walks are lke a freeway. The crculaton system should be lad out wth stoppng ponts and nodes of actvtes. The lghtng could also respect stoppng ponts nstead of a boulevard effect. Perhaps lghtng fxtures that reflect the hstorc character of the area. t s necessary to brng the "walls" (adjonng propertes) out nto the Park. Ether the physcal character or actual actvtes could enlven the Parks. Blend the adjacent actvty nto the Park. "Strongly object to any knd of commercal actvtes frontng onto Park. t's necessary to see the Park Blocks n context. Not a strp of green between two walls, but as a valley extendng blocks out to ether sde. As such, there are numerous propertes whch could beneft from the proxmty of the Park, accommodatng commercal development whle not drectly frontng on the Park. The Park could then develop ts own specal character wthout commercal nterest."

19 2 Y\ j f... -^ : : ^ u : py rr-! 4. r Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Cumberland Apartments 405 S.W. Park Avenue Mrs. Maran Breed love NTERVEW DATE Aprl 28, 980 Tenants here comprse a full range of ages, very few students. Most tenants do not have cars and there s no parkng assocated wth the buldng. The mprovement of the rght-of-way wth removal of cars s attractve n terms of creatng a better settng for the apartments, etc. However, wth the current parkng requrements for resdents, Art Museum, Hstorcal Socety, etc., the removal of parkng would not be acceptable. Resdental parkng, f avalable, would make ths area more vable as a housng area. Auto access: s needed at front of buldng. Park Blocks should not have commercal functons along them. A small del or cafe would be desrable, but then how do you restrct other commercal occupances? Park needs to be cleaned up: better lghtng, more polce protecton, etc. Mounted polce have been very effectve.

20 L-.: : ^ - : ; > n rn TTT Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Empty Lot Between S.W. Columba and S.W. Clay on S.W. Park [west] Mchael Safely NTERVEW DATE Aprl Ths property requres access for on-ste parkng to be reasonably developed as a resdental buldng. Ths access could happen as a result of: ] an easement from 0th or an alley through the block, or, 2] a curb cut onto Park Avenue. A parkng rato of space/unt s necessary wth addtonal spaces for guests and vstors. Vstor requrement depends on whether the space s held exclusvely for the resdences or s open to general area,.e., would also serve Art Museum, Portland State, etc. Street lghtng [Park lghtng] s mportant to nclude n the plannng effort. The mprovement of the R.O.W. could be ntegrated wth the development of ths ste. The extent of mprovements to be mantaned by the adjacent property would depend on the physcal relatonshp between the two,.e., t would be napproprate to expect an adjonng property owner to mantan a bke path. The ncluson of approprate commercal facltes at the ground floor would be a postve factor n ncreasng actvty on the Park Blocks and thereby ncreasng securty. Anythng that would anmate the Park and make t a gatherng place (wthn reason) would help securty.

21 3 r\ r....^.>, rn j Property Owner ntervew Summary PERSON[S] NTERVEWED Jeanne Manor Apartments 43 S.W. Park Laure Peters NTERVEW DATE Aprl 24, 980 The Manor problems affectng the marketablty of the South Park Blocks as an area for housng are securty and parkng. mprovng the physcal and socal envronment around the Park Blocks s crucal to the effectve marketng of housng n that area. Any problems that would ncrease pedestran use or extend that use nto the evenng hours would mprove the securty n the Park Blocks. Vehcular access s necessary to the man entrance. A loadng zone present at the man entrance must be retaned for the buldng. A garbage alley behnd the buldng that opens to S.W. Clay Street also requres access. Approprate commercal and cultural actvtes provded n the mmedate area are valuable marketng advantages. Parkng s a problem n ths area. Most complants receved from tenants are concernng the lack of avalable parkng spaces. Some tenants have left the area due to ths problem. Long-term resdental parkng n the nearby area would postvely affect the marketablty of housng n the area. Perhaps a shuttle servce to satellte parkng areas could be jontly developed to support both exstng and proposed housng.