EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN

(EPAP)

Draft Meeting NOTES: JANUARY 26, 2011 MEETING ATTENDANCE:

Rolando Avila (Latino Network) Anne Kemp Josh Belanger (LybreDyne Technologies) Arlene Kimura (Hazelwood NA + EP Office

Land Use-Transportation+ EP Parks Coalition + EPAP Chair + Structures + EPAP Representative on Main Streets + Parks)

Grayce Bentley (Organizing People Activating Leaders - OPAL)

Jim Labbe (Audubon Society of Portland)

Joseph Berezhinskiy (Slavic Community Center) Katie Larsell (NE Resident, EPAP Chair + EPAPbike + EPAP Rep City Budget Advisory + Technical Advisory Committee)

Hongsa Chanthavong (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, IRCO)

Jonathan Mayer (Oregon State University 4-H + EPAP Youth-focused Afterschool Programming Representative)

Jim Chasse (Powellhurst-Gilbert NA + EPAPbike + EPAP Rep Powell Blvd. TGM + I-205 Rep.)

Brenda McSweeney (Glenfair Neighborhood Association Chair)

Brooke Chilton Timmons (Metropolitan Family Ct.) Allison Moe (Portland State University) Frieda Christopher (David Douglas School District + EPAP Civic Engagement + Gateway Education Center Rep.)

Bertha OBonilla (El Programa Hispano)

Shirley Craddick (METRO Council District 1) Jeremy O’Leary (CNRG PDX) Marie Daniels (MeOutLoud Business Owner + EPAP Youth Subcommittee Chair)

Héctor JR. Osuna (El Programa Hispano)

Amie Diffenauer (EPAP Communications) Liz Paterson (Portland State University – Urban Planning)

Christopher Dobbs (LybreDyne Technologies) Olivia Quiroz (Multnomah County Health Department + EPAP Civic Engagement Chair)

Justin Douglas (Portland Development Commission)

Linda Robinson (EPAP Gateway Green + Parks Representative)

Scott Ellis (Portland State University – Urban Planning student)

Nick Sauvie (ROSE Community Dev. Corp. + EPAP Economic Development)

Mike Ewald (David Douglas Schools) Chris Scarzello (Bureau of Planning + Sustainability + EPAP Economic Dev.)

Kathy Gould (Glenfair Community Garden) Debby Smith (Powellhurst-Gilbert NA) Brian Heron (Eastminster Presbyterian Church) Mike Vander Veen (Hazelwood NA + 1

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I. Welcome: A. Arlene Kimura facilitated the meeting

1. Recognition of Katie Larsell for picking-up the food 2. Recognition of tonight’s Mike Vander Veen 3. Next EPAP meeting will be February 23, 2011. 4. Introductions 5. The Committees & Representatives document was referenced and everyone was encouraged to consider how their actions on behalf of EPAP might relate to the work being done by others. COLLABORATION was stressed. 6. People who are attending at least a second EPAP meeting were encouraged to sign an EPAP Partnership Agreement and submit an Affiliations form so that EPAPers know when another member has an affiliation that may provide support or guidance. 7. People need to adhere to the times stipulated by the agenda. 8. An Orientation Session was announced, to be held ½ hour after this meeting with Troy Wilkerson in the room next door.

II. Committee Reports:

A. Bike – EPAPbike 1. See Notes on pages 9 - 10 2. See Unanimously Approved Transportation letter on pages 11 -12 3. Brian Heron asked if the EPAP priority 1 Sidewalk project has a way to

direct funds to improve access to Leach Botanical Garden. This is currently being addressed.

Parklane Church + East Portland Neighborhood Office + EPAP Structures + EPAP MAXaction Chair)

James Mark White (Powellhurst-Gilbert NA + EPO XPO + EPAP Economic Development + EPAP Rep on Portland/Mult. Co. Food Policy Council + Mult Co Sustainability & Innovation

Jean DeMaster (Human Solutions + EPAP Economic Development + EPAP Representative on Minority Housing + Multnomah Consolidated Plan)

Sharon White (Portland Bureau of Transportation)

Jenny Glass (Centennial Community Association, AmeriCorps)

Troy Wilkerson (ROSE CDC + Portland Housing Commission + EP Business + PMAR)

David Hampsten (Hazelwood Neighborhood Assoc. + East Portland Land Use-Transportation + EPAP Bike + Economic Development + Structures + Transportation Budget Advisory Committee Rep)

Lore Wintergreen (EPAP Advocate)

Raymond Hites (Lents Neighborhood Association + East Portland Neighbors)

Dolores Wood (Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood Association + EP Parks)

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B. Civic Development – lore wintergreen

1. See Notes on page 13

C. Communications – Amie Diffenauer 1. Amie circulated the mass printed English language EPAP brochure. There

was a color problem, but we got a several hundred dollar reduction in price because of the error.

2. Request was made for Somali and Simplified Chinese language reviewers. Jean DeMaster offered to provide review for the Somali language and Sharon White for the Simplified Chinese versions.

3. Josh Belanger and Christopher Dobbs are interested in joining the Communications Committee.

4. Everyone was encouraged to document what they have done or are doing to make the Action Plan happen at: www.eastportlandactionplan.org/updates

D. Economic Development – Nick Sauvie 1. See Notes on pages 14 - 15 2. See Small Business Resource Sharing Event notice on page 16

E. MAXaction – Mike Vander Veen

1. Mike spoke about the classical music project at the 162nd street MAX station. Josh said that the speakers were not in sync. Mike said one of the speakers stopped operating so that is not a current problem, but Young Park at Tri-Met is the assigned staff on this project that was initiated through the Rosewood Initiative partnership: www.rosewoodInitiative.org

F. Operations – Mike Vander Veen

1. See Notes on pages 17 - 20 2. Mike added that Commissioner Saltzman said that all the EPAP “asks”

seemed reasonable, but in terms of the $ request, he would have to make a decision as the budget process progressed. Commissioners Leonard and Fritz made no commitments. The Auditor Griffin-Valade said that she had no authority, but found the EPAP requests to be reasonable. She reasserted that compiling the neighborhood satisfaction surveys by neighborhood instead of by coalition area is not viable in her estimation. She did offer to work with us by providing tools and advice in other assessments and was particularly interested in compiling information about tax abated properties in East Portland.

G. Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) – Katie Larsell

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1. Katie spoke of frustrations with the TAC. Marie Johnson from the Bureau of Environmental Services came and spoke about the Portland Plan, but was not at all prepared to integrate the EPAP into the planning process.

2. Katie wants to see the group generate synergy and it hasn’t happened. 3. She does not think she is the appropriate representative from the TAC to

the general EPAP, but no one else would assume the responsibility. 4. Justin Douglas said that it is a relatively new committee and it is serving to

put a lens on East Portland. He offered to assume the responsibility of reporting to the general EPAP from the TAC.

H. Youth Subcommittee – Marie Daniels

1. See Notes on pages 21 - 22 2. The Subcommittee is focusing on reaching and involving youth. 3. Brenda McSweeney suggested role playing as a tool for involving youth. 4. Marie invited Brenda to join the Youth Subcommittee.

III. Update: Success of Funding Sought with EPAP Support – Katie Larsell

A. See List on Page 23 IV. Oregon Public Health Institute Northwest Health Foundation Grant – Steve White

A. See “Improving Pedestrian Networks in Greater East Portland—Connecting Residents to Health” document on pages 24 - 32

B. Collaboration with Multnomah County, IRCO, El Programa Hispano, and Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) was discussed.

V. Dinámica – lore wintergreen

A. lore initiated an energy raising and connection break. VI. Representative Check-in

A. Planning + Sustainability Commission update – Karen Gray 1. See notes on page 33 2. The Commission accepted the Homebuyer Property Tax Exemption

report, but did not change the map of locations eligible. Frieda Christopher wrote convincing testimony that Annette Mattson gave at the hearing, so the location map will be reassessed after the “Big Look” is completed. There will also be a meeting between Portland Housing Bureau and the School Districts on February 11th. One of the issues is

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that when an area has a low assessed tax value, the school district cannot get a loan.

3. At Jean DeMaster’s request, lore will forward “The Roadway Not Improved” report to those attending this meeting. Jean encouraged Portland Bureau of Transportation to seek funding to address the roadway issues in East Portland. Karen said that 2% of Portland has unimproved streets and those are predominantly in East Portland and Cully/Concordia, thus it is ironic that the report focused on Woodstock. The importance of involving PSU students in East Portland was expressed. Ray pointed out that we have 4 PSU students at the meeting tonight.

4. Representative of the Cully/Concordia Action Plan gave a briefing to the Commission on a project that is progressing, and it was awesome. Karen encourages EPAP to come before the Commission, in order to raise our profile with that body. We need to be at the table. East Portland has support on the Commission, but no actionable items.

5. There was consideration before the Commission of street car vs. bus expansion vs. no build. 9 people wanted the street car. Funding is an issue.

6. Frieda mentioned talking with Jeff Merkley and that he was interested in the possibility of street car in East Portland. He is a homeboy. His interest may be because of available federal funds.

B. Transportation Budget Advisory Committee Update – David Hampsten

1. See attached report on pages 34 - 35 2. PBOT Budget Advisory Committee has not seen a full budget intended

for submission. They did affect some language changes. 3. One concern with street car is that when it is finished, the City will

become a municipal employer of the service, not Tri-Met. 4. David suggests that if you want to get 136th or Powell Blvd. build, EPAP

will have to advocate with our federal representatives to seek earmarks. 5. Roughly ½ of the City’s pedestrian and bicycle $ is intended to be spent

in East Portland. David sent lists of eligible streets with area specific breakdowns to each East Portland Neighborhood Association, the Gateway Business Association, and David Douglas and Parkrose School Districts. Streets with existing curb are more likely to get sidewalk improvements due to the amount of money required otherwise.

6. Everyone is invited to make proposals and set priorities at the next East Portland Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on February 9th at 6:30 PM at the East Portland Neighborhood Office.

7. Hector Osuna has 3 people on the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee who are ready to support East Portland projects. He will invite them to the meeting.

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8. The City of Portland Safety Summit will be held on February 8th at 6:00 PM at Marshall High School.

C. Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) – Mark White

1. See attached “City of Portland Health Homes Production Grant Abstract” document on pages 36 - 37

2. The City of Portland Budget Hearings will start on February 24, 6:30 – 8:30 PM. This was news to Katie Larsell, who is on the City of Portland Budget Advisory Committee.

3. If you want to see the PHB budget you can find it on line at: www.portlandonline/phb/budget

4. PHB had a public Budget Hearing on January 13th. Jean and Frieda attended. Most of the discussion focused on proposed projects and the impact of affordable housing and tax abated properties on schools. Another meeting was scheduled for PHB and David Douglas and Parkrose School Districts.

D. Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council – Mark White

1. National Food Police Conference is coming to Portland May 17 – 19. , hosted by Community Food Security Coalition: www.foodsecurity.org

2. Mark spoke of the James Beard Public Market to be located under the Morrison Bridge on the downtown side. He addressed equity and how this would impact low-income and East Portland people. He said that there is strong support for equity and smaller markets throughout Portland.

3. Multnomah Food Action Plan celebration tomorrow, January 27th 10:30 AM in the Multnomah county Board Room. You can support the food initiative by signing the online declaration of support at: www.multnomahfood.org

4. The movie “Food Fight” is playing at the Bagdad Theater on 37th & Hawthorne on January 30th at 6:00 PM FREE.

5. Jeremy O’Leary informed the group that the Food Policy Council will be meeting on February 1st and discussing urban culture.

VII. Report on EPAP funded Glenfair Garden Project – Kathy Gould and Annie Kemp

A. See attached Grant Evaluation Report on pages 38 - 40 B. Kathy shared that Portland Parks & Recreation had told them that it would

cost $15,000 and take over 5 years to establish the community garden. With tremendous volunteer commitment and EPAP and East Portland Neighborhood Office grant funds, they did it within a year. Currently in place:

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20 fenced garden plots; a formal path across the property past the garden, put in by the Eagle Scouts; a storage shed built by David Douglas High School students; a restraining wall with native plant naturescaping on the out-side of the fence funding funded by the Community Watershed Stewardship; stumps placed to attract bees and birds; Church sponsored Harvest party potluck with invitations to neighbors on gourds; Easter seed packets distributed to community with garden contact information; Community Garden Celebration Dinner; the church plot donated 30 pounds of produce to SnowCap; already grew over 300 pounds of food; and a website has been established and maintained with updates: www.glenfaircommunitygarden.com

C. Next steps are to get signs for the garden and native bed plant identification signs; raised beds for wheelchair accessibility; purchase a composter, get more tools, and start a gardening library.

D. Linda Robinson will donate gardening books. VIII. Announcements/Information

A. Citywide Tree Project – Jim Chasse See attached flyer on page 41 B. 4-H Tech Wizards Program – Jon Mayer $80,000 - $90,000 will be spent in East Portland for this program: 4-H Tech Wizards is an after school/summer program that capitalizes on youth interest in cutting edge science, engineering, and technology as a way to engage low-income Latino youth in (a) learning basic life and workforce skills and (b) aspiring to postsecondary education, productive jobs and careers, and community engagement. Through small group mentoring, youth develop skills in web development, video and podcast production, GIS/GPS spatial technologies, Lego and Vex robotics, and emerging technologies through real-world experiences related to jobs, careers, and service. They are looking for community mentors in robotics, science, and environmental science. C. 4-H Teen Cert – Jon Mayer Community Emergency Response Teams will be established to cover the following topics: Disaster Preparedness, Hazard Management, Search and Rescue, Disaster Medical, Teamwork, and GPS, GIS, and Service Learning. D. Education Summit – Karen Gray The Summit will be held on February 7th from 8:00 AM – 2:30 PM at Self Enhancement, Inc. (3920 North Kerby Ave.). The theme of this year’s summit is to focus on creating an educational renaissance within every neighborhood. E. Youth Bus Passes – Frieda Christopher TRI-MET provides free bus passes to Portland Public School (PPS) high school students. Those passes are supported by the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) and are possible because public transportation density in the PPS School District is so good they can get a waiver to 327.043

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(http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/327.html) that allows them to use TRI-MET to transport high school students. The vision is that: • TRI-MET sees the light, moves the routes; and makes David Douglas and

Parkrose School Districts eligible to get a waiver similar to PPS; and • We get our students free passes too. The problem is that they need a little push to take this direction rather than focusing on PPS and the private schools west of 82nd. You can help me by emailing Resse and Todd: Reese.Lord@portlandoregon.gov and Todd.Diskin@portlandoregon.gov. James Woods, Ph.D., Parkrose Board of Education, (503) 465-4883 or woodsjam@parkrose.k12.or.us has taken the lead on this issue. F. David Douglas School Board – Frieda Christopher Meeting on February 3rd at 7:00 PM in this very room. G. Portland Plan Fairs – Brian Heron EPAP members are encouraged to attend. The East Portland Fair is on Saturday March 12 from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM at IRCO (10301 NE Glisan St.) H. Gateway Eco District – Linda Robinson Meeting being held on February 10 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the East Portland Community Center. I. Portland Housing Bureau, School Districts, Gateway Urban Renewal

Area - Frieda Christopher Meeting is set for February 11th to share viewpoints and collaborate especially on the RFQ for the 99th and Glisan project. Mark White will be there. Frieda feels very positive about this step toward direct communication. J. PDC – Mark White PDC is holding a meeting tomorrow to discuss the qualities to seek in a new Director. K. Charter Commission – Mark White There are three East Portland community members on this important City Commission convened by Commissioner Fritz: Mark White, Brian Heron, and Bonnie McKnight.

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EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN Subcommittee Monthly Report

Subcommittee Name: Bicycle (EPAPbike) EPAP Action item(s) being addressed: T.3 Increase safety and accessibility of bicycling in East Portland CB.1.4 Organize walking or biking tours throughout the neighborhood Subcommittee Goal (succinctly stated): To provide direction and support to the EPAP on bike related issues & actions, and to make biking safer & more fun in East Portland. Contact: EPAPbike@gmail.com Website: EPAPbike.org or eastportlandactionplan.org/bike Subcommittee Meeting Date: January 20, 2011 Identification of this month’s active partners: This month’s 9 active EPAPbike Subcommittee members: Katie Larsell (Acting Chair), Walter Lersch, Tom Barnes, Jim Chasse, Gary Flood, Marek Zbiegien, Jessie Zbiegien, Greg Raisman (PBOT) and David Hampsten. The meeting was held at the Muchas Gracias Mexican Restaurant, 1307 NE 102nd Avenue, Portland, OR. Next meeting: Thursday, Feb 17, 2011. Walter Lersch was elected as the chair-of-the-month for February. New decisions made or issues being addressed: Sullivan’s Gulch Trail Concept Plan Project Advisory Committee applications are due Friday Jan 21. Walter Lersch applied. The Parks Bureau is exploring the possibility of a mountain bike skills training area at Ventura Park, SE 117th & Stark. Contact: Elizabeth Kennedy-Wong, 503-823-5113 The subcommittee actively supports having the East Portland Sunday Parkways in July 2011 again, to coincide with the EPO XPO event. Jim Chasse is putting together a letter for EPAPbike, before the end of January. Greg Raisman announced to us that PBOT has combined the East Portland bicycle master plan study with April Bertelsen’s sidewalk study, which is now being called “East Portland In-Motion.” Ellen Vanderslice is the project lead. Greg also announced the fifth annual Portland Transportation Safety Summit will be held on Feb 8, 6-9pm, at the Marshall High School in Lents. Greg discussed EPAPbike’s current recommended bicycling improvement project priorities in outer NE and SE Portland, now part of the five-year East Portland In-Motion Plan (EPIMP). While PBOT supports most of the priorities, priority #2, a community greenway along SE Market, Mill, & Main Streets, from 92nd to 174th, is apparently a real problem for the Fire Bureau, as speed bumps are not allowed along Emergency Response Routes. Speed bumps are the preferred method at PBOT for reducing traffic speeds along family-friendly bike routes. We pushed back, and later pointed out to

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Greg that the route is already a major bike route, as designed by Multnomah County, connects the Adventist Hospital, David Douglas High School, and five other schools to inner Portland, is one of the last major through-streets not yet a major arterial, and that speed bumps already exist along SE Market from 122nd to 130th. Greg emphasized that the final plan would be based on inputs from multiple sources and was subject to many reviews and constraints including budgetary considerations, engineering feasibility, impact by and on other projects and management and project priorities. Katie is doing the final editing for a letter from EPAPbike, asking for formal approval from EPAP to support our tentative list of priority family-friendly bike routes. A separate list of other bike improvements, such as intersection crossings, pathway improvements, and bike lanes, will be submitted later. Upcoming EPAPbike Rides & Outreach Events for 2010: We discussed rides for 2011. Exact themes, starting points and routes are not yet finalized, but the tentative list includes a possible Volcano Tour with Tom Barnes, Jim’s June Ride to the Leach Botanical Gardens, Gary’s Ride Around East Portland (literally follows the boundary, may be part of an annual Policy-Makers ride with Cycle Oregon), Dave’s EPNO Epic (hits all 13 neighborhoods in one ride) & Topiary series, and Brian’s ever popular Sacred Spaces tour in October. We’ll also do two rides to help identify improvements along the top two priority community greenways, likely in spring. The East Portland Sunday Parkways date & location is still up in the air. Our priority is for a July date in Powellhurst-Gilbert & Lents, like last year. We are, however, working on the possibility of getting May, in which case we’ll likely try to tie it in with a Gateway Area Business Association event on May 22nd. We hope to get final word before the end of February. Request for input or action from the EPAP: We request approval from EPAP for a letter to Council in support for our priority project list of new community greenways for East Portland. It’s very similar to the EPAPbike report of our priorities we gave to EPAP at the December 22nd meeting.

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The East Portland Action committee supports the following priority list developed by East Portland Action Plan Bicycle Subcommittee for consideration in the development of the East Portland Active Transportation Plan. The completion of these projects would increase the health and welfare of East Portland residents making our streets attractive and accessible to bicyclist and pedestrians.

The East Portland Active Transportation Plan is a special project of PDOT that was mandated by the 2030 Bicycle Master Plan. The 2030 Bicycle Master Plan did not contain a detailed plan for addressing the lack of 1) connectivity, 2) safe, low traffic streets and 3) well-marked intersections, for bicycling in East Portland. The East Portland Active Transportation Plan will address bicycle, transit access and pedestrian projects to increase healthy, active transportation east of 82nd. The EPAP Bicycle subcommittee recommendations focus on the bicycle side of active transportation. However, a green street treatment of these routes will make our neighborhoods safer and more attractive for pedestrians also, because of its attention to traffic calming, tree planting and safe crossings.

Our recommendation is that public outreach to the affected neighbors should determine the best design for walking and bicycling along these routes. PDOT must take the time to allow neighborhood input before making changes.

The following recommendations are for safe, low-traffic neighborhood cycling and

does not focus on connectivity issues between cyclists in East Portland and the rest of Portland.

Priority #1 The highest ranking project is a 5 mile north-south greenway connecting Foster Road to the I-84 Multi-Use Path through the center of East Portland, passing through parts of Powellhurst-Gilbert, Mill Park (edge), Hazelwood, and Russell neighborhoods. This route passes David Douglas High School, as well as Menlo Park Elementary, with the following linkages:

SE 128th Ave, from Foster to Holgate (residential uncurbed street, crosses Spingwater Path) SE 130th Ave, from Holgate to Powell Blvd (residential uncurbed street) SE 129th Ave, from Powell Blvd to Division St (residential uncurbed street, ped barrier built by county midway at cul-de-sac ends) SE 130th Ave, from Division St to Stark St (curbed collector street) SE 129th Ave, from SE Stark to E Burnside (residential uncurbed street) NE 128th Ave, from E Burnside to NE Schuyler St (residential uncurbed street to NE Halsey) NE 132nd Ave, from Schuyler or San Rafael to I-84 Path (uncurbed collector street).

Priority #2 The second highest ranking project is a 4.3-mile east-west spine following an existing Multnomah County “bike route” along SE Market, Mill, Mill/Main, & Main Streets, through the center of East Portland. The route will pass through Hazelwood, Mill Park, and Centennial, and links the I-205 Path with the new Gresham-Fairview Path (via 175th & Yamhill.) The route serves Adventist High School, Adventist Hospital, Mill Park Elementary, Portland Christian Elementary, David Douglas High School, Lincoln Elementary, and Centennial’s Parklane Park Elementary, with the following linkages:

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SE Market St, from 92nd Ave to 130th Ave (curbed & uncurbed collector street), SE Mill St, from 130th Ave to 143rd Ave (curbed/sloped curb collector street) SE Mill St, from 143rd Ave to Millmain Dr. (155th Ave) (both curbed & uncurbed collector street) SE Millmain Dr., to Main St (curbed collector street) SE Main St, east to City line (175th Ave) (curbed and uncurbed collector street).

Priority #3 is a 0.75-mile sidewalk path, pedestrian and bicycle, along the south side of NE Fremont, from 102nd Ave to 115th Ave, then a 0.9-mile community greenway along NE 115th Ave to Shaver Blvd, in Parkrose. Priority #4 is a 2-mile community greenway & bike lane along NE Prescott St, from 77th Ave to 105th or 112th and then following Shaver east across 122nd Ave to 141st. This route connects far NE to inner NE, and Prescott school, Parkrose High School, Parkrose Middle school, Beech Park and Argay Park. Priority #5 is a 2.9+ mile neighborhood greenway connecting the Springwater Path to NE Halsey through the Pleasant Valley, Centennial, and Glenfair neighborhoods. Linkages:

NE 155th Ave, E Burnside to NE Halsey, uncurbed residential street, 0.9 miles, SE 157th Ave, Powell Blvd to E Burnside St,

Additional linkages are being studied along Haig, Naegeli, Kelly, & 165th Priority #6 is the completion of the 86-88 street community greenway through Lents, from SE Woodward to SE Flavel. Priority #7 is a 2.4-mile community greenway along NE Knott and NE Sacramento, from 102nd Ave to 162nd Ave, through Parkrose Heights, Russell, and Wilkes neighborhoods.

NE Knott, from 102nd Ave to 132nd Ave, 1.5 miles, NE Sacramento St, 132nd Ave to 148th Ave, 0.9 miles. Sincerely, The East Portland Action Plan Subcommittee on Bicycling

EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN

(EPAP) CIVIC ENGAGEMENT SUB-COMMITTEE

NOTES: JANUARY 18, 2011 MEETING ATTENDANCE: Olivia Quiroz (Multnomah County Health Department)

Lore Wintergreen (EPNO/EPAP)

Frieda Christopher (David Douglas District)

I. Welcome + Overview: Olivia Quiroz, EPAP Civic Engagement Sub-

Committee Chairperson welcomed everyone, introductions were made II. EPAP Funds Civic Engagement workshops!!

A. Lore shared that EPAP has $55,000 available to fund the civic engagement workshops in East Portland. This funding also includes the $5,000 commitment from the Mayors Office.

B. Olivia shared that the funding will be distributed through small grants and will adopt the EPAP small grants model but with a focus on funding cultural and language specific programs.

C. Olivia will work on putting together the small grants packet which will include; narrative, criteria, and requirements. The sub-committee will review and approve all documents.

D. Committee members will help to develop messaging and disseminate information to community at large.

III. Civic Engagement representation A. Olivia attended meetings with the Mayor and City of Portland Auditor. During these meetings we have been able to advocate for EPAP priority items (civic engagement is #3 on this list).

IV. Next Steps:

A. Olivia will go with EPAP Operations team to meet with City of Portland Commissioner Nick Fish on January 27th.

B. EPAP Civic Engagement workshops grant will be announced sometime in February.

C. Next meeting will take place on February 15th at 6:30pm EPNO office.

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East Portland Action Plan Economic Development Subcommittee Notes 

December 6, 2010  Present: Jean DeMaster, David Hampsten, Mark White, Lore Wintergreen, Chris Scarzello, Nick Sauvie  

Economic Development Assessment The group discussed the assessment, which needs to be commissioned before June 30. Lore said that if the EPAP money was not going to be spent in that time, the Civic Engagement Committee was the next priority and had projects lined up. The priorities from last month’s meeting were reviewed. Each person stated their goals and commitment toward economic development.  

Chris said she can be a liaison with the city and help tap in to its resources. She’d invited Steve Kountz, who’s an industrial planner. Mark said that Powellhurst‐Gilbert Neighborhood Association’s top priority is 122nd between Division and Foster. He said he’s “beyond over‐committed” but could work on a 122nd focus project. Lore said she can back up the subcommittee, facilitate and provide strategic input. David said he’s got some free time and can lead on sidewalks. He can help with zoning (where he sees an opportunity with the Portland Plan) and GIS. Geographically, he’s most interested in Division Street in Centennial and Halsey Street. David would also be interested in working with a PSU team if our project is selected. Nick said that ROSE is committed to the 122nd focus area, potentially as part of the PDC Neighborhood Economic Development strategy. ROSE also has experience in construction management that could be applied to building sidewalks. For Human Solutions, Jean said the priorities were fair share of public expenditures for East Portland; employment and increasing incomes for low‐income people; improving Powell Blvd. through marketing, storefront improvements and a Main Street program.  

Next Steps Based on the previous discussion, the group laid out next steps. Mark agreed to call Tom Lewis about an AmeriCorps project in Centennial. Lore said she thought it unlikely that the AmeriCorps member had free time for economic development work.   

At the PDC Neighborhood Economic Development summit, PDC indicated that it wanted to try a new direction both inside and outside of urban renewal areas. Lore said she’d ask PDC how much non‐tax increment financing they have available.   

To access the EPAP money from the city, the subcommittee would either have to go through an open RFP process or contract through a city agency, presumably PDC or Planning and Sustainability. PSU has an interagency agreement with the city, so that would be another possibility. The subcommittee decided to go through the city, for reasons of both time and the desire to get the city agencies more invested in East Portland. Chris will contact PDC and Planning and Sustainability to determine their interest. Both PSU and Skip Newberry at the Mayor’s Office should be kept in the loop.   

Nick is working on a proposal for a PSU student project, subject to the approval of the subcommittee. The proposed project included five elements: 1) Business engagement plan; 2) Business database including type of business, owners/managers/property owners, addresses, phone numbers, emails and topics of interest, with a subset for diverse cultural businesses; 3) East Portland business directory; 4) Inventory of business development programs that will be translated into prevalent languages of Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese; and 5) Report with recommendations for capitalizing on the diversity of East Portland businesses. The subcommittee approved going ahead with this proposal.  

Next Meeting: Monday, January 3 at 5 PM, Human Solutions, 12350 SE Powell  

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East Portland Action Plan Economic Development Subcommittee Notes 

January 3, 2011  Present: Jean DeMaster, David Hampsten, Mark White, Lore Wintergreen, Chris Scarzello, Nick Sauvie  Economic Development Assessment Nick spoke with Kate Deane, who agreed to have the Portland Development Commission manage the Assessment, subject to approval by her manager. She anticipated being in charge of the work, some of which would be produced by others working under her. The EPAP ED Subcommittee would oversee the process. The Subcommittee agreed with this arrangement.  Mark said that the city hired Cogan Owens Cogan to do planning for standards for more affordable infrastructure such as streets and sidewalks. The pilot neighborhoods are to be Powellhurst‐Gilbert, Woodstock and one from southwest.   The group made a number of suggestions for rewriting the consulting proposal, which Nick will incorporate and send the draft around for approval. The goal is to have the draft approved by the Subcommittee by Jan. 10 and to PDC by Jan. 17, with agreement reached by Feb. 7.   Portland State University Student Project A proposal was sent to PSU for a project focusing on business and property owner outreach. A response is expected after Winter term begins in a few weeks. Chris said that there is a Metro construction excise tax project proposed for Foster Road between 50th and 122nd. The planning will incorporate a streetcar and flood control.    Portland Plan The group reviewed a summary of the Prosperity and Business Success goals from the Portland Plan. These were thought to be relevant to EPAP’s economic development goals. Lore said that the Mayor has made the proposed Gateway Education Center a priority. The program includes workforce development aspects of the Center of Intercultural Organizing  multi‐cultural community center including a commercial kitchen.   Neighborhood Economic Development The 50% draft of PDC’s Neighborhood Economic Development Action Plan was presented. The public comment draft is supposed to be out in January. Jean suggested that EPAP and a group of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) that includes Human Solutions, ROSE, NAYA Native American Family Center, Hacienda CDC and IRCO would make greater impact if their goals are aligned. Nick said that the CBO group includes both neighborhood/geographic‐focused organizations and culturally specific organizations. Some organizations prefer the term “community economic development” because their services are not geographically focused.   Next Meeting: Monday, February 7 at 5 PM, Human Solutions, 12350 SE Powell 

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Small Business Resource Sharing Event for East Portland organizations & stakeholders (not individual businesses) March 3, 2011 10am Midland Library Community Room 1) To acquaint potential E. PDX referral sources (non-profits, bus. Assoc.

community leaders…) with available Microenterprise development resources 2) To generate ideas about increased marketing of these resources to struggling or

start-up businesses in East Portland that need them Co sponsored by the East Portland Action Plan & PDC. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or questions about this event. Lynn Knox Economic Opportunity Initiative, Sr. Program Manager Portland Development Commission ph. 503-823-2385 fax 503-865-3629 knoxl@pdc.us

Operations Committee December 2010 + January 2011

Purpose: To function as an EPAP decision making body in time-sensitive situations and to develop and execute EPAP strategy. When meeting with the City of Portland Commissioners and Auditor, EPAP asked for the following, after giving appreciation and acknowledging EPAP strengths and weaknesses:

EPAP needs your support in FY 11 – 12 to continue to be effective:

1. EPAP Advocate position and materials support funding 2. Follow-up on FY 10 -11 Recommended Projects and provide EPAP with $1,000,000 for targeted spending. We proved to be effective stewards of the previous $500,000 and directing monies has the community experience tangible effects of being involved. 3. Integration of the full East Portland Action Plan into the Portland Plan and Comprehensive Plan 4. City Council designated action item advocacy 5. Commissioner’s Bureau-specific abbreviated EPAP action item document was provided and items addressed 6. Zoning and design standard revision in East Portland before the Portland Plan process culmination 7. Consideration by the EPAP of large City projects directed to East Portland for review of adherence to “EPAP Principles for Improved Livability” The Auditor was asked to support the above items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 and she was asked for the following:

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1. Auditor - specific action item advocacy 2. Community surveys measured at a neighborhood level

Below is a list of the meetings held, the Commissioner/Auditor responsibilities, and the attending EPAP members:

A. Randy Leonard: Tuesday, January 4th 4:30 (1/2 hour) 1) Portland Water Bureau

2) Portland Fire & Rescue

3) Bureau of Development Services

4) Bureau of Hydroelectric Power

5) Arlene Kimura and Mike Vander Veen B. Dan Saltzman: Wednesday, January 5th at 1:30 (1 hour)

1) Bureau of Environmental Services

2) The Portland Children's Levy

3) Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services

4) Fire & Police Disability & Retirement 5) Katie Larsell and Mike Vander Veen (lore)

C. Amanda Fritz: Monday, January 3rd at 2:30 (1/2 hour) 1) Office of Human Relations 2) Bureau of Emergency Communications 3) Office of Healthy Working Rivers 4) Office of Neighborhood Involvement 5) Office of Cable Communications & Franchise Management 6) Katie Larsell and Mike Vander Veen with youth attendance by Jessica Crompton and Randy Salazar

D. Lavonne Griffin-Valade: Monday, January 10th at 3:00 (1 hour) 1) Archives and Records Management

2) Elections 3) Hearings Office

4) Independent Police Review

5) Lobbying Registration & Reporting

6) Assessments, Finance & Foreclosure

7) Audit Services

8) Charter, Code, & Policies

9) Council Clerk 10) Ombudsman

11) Katie Larsell and Mike Vander Veen (lore) All meetings were at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th. EPAP ROCKED.

Thank you letter sent to the Mayor after the meeting with the EPAP delegation:

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December 23, 2010 Mayor Sam Adams 1221 SW Fourth Avenue Portland, OR 97204 RE: Thank You and follow-up - East Portland Action Plan November 30th meeting Dear Mayor Adams, As the East Portland Action Plan (EPAP) representatives, we very much appreciated the opportunity to meet with you on November 30, 2010. We know that by working together constructively, the improvements identified in the adopted East Portland Action Plan can be implemented to the benefit of all. Since meeting with you, we have facilitated additional East Portland representation on the Planning & Sustainability Budget Advisory Committee and set meetings with Commissioner Leonard and Auditor Griffin-Valade. We are enthusiastic partners and want to establish a “Fair Share” towards equity for East Portland. We came to the meeting with six (6) objectives: 1. Your commitment to provide funding for the EPAP Advocate position for an additional year (July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012) was heartening and demonstrated to us that you recognize the value of our partnership in working together on behalf of East Portland. 2. We heard that you are not yet ready to make a commitment to provide EPAP with $1M for large projects in FY 2011-12, and that the Mayor’s proposed budget is the answer for what will be funded. We encourage you to reconsider the $1M allocation directly to EPAP, in lieu of the outcome experienced with the FY 2010-11 Recommended Projects submissions. It was clear from the geographic map and our discussion that while the City recognizes the need and is moving toward serving East Portland equitably, that is not happening at the moment. 3. It only makes sense that as a current document that has been adopted by the Portland City Council and Multnomah County Commission, the East Portland Action Plan document should be fully integrated where appropriate into the Portland Plan and the Comprehensive Plan. 4. We trust that you and City Council are committed to the 11 items within the Action Plan that stipulated City Council as leader and partner in moving the items forward. We especially want to draw your attention to the following items:

EQUITY EQ.1 Foster and equitable distribution of public resources for East Portland EQ.1.4

lead Establish a goal that East Portland will attain parity with other parts of the City in public facilities and capital spending.

EQ.1.5 lead

Establish annual budget set-aside for East Portland neighborhood-based projects.

5. The EPAP Advocate has contacted Amy Ruiz to work with your office on issues of zoning and design standard revision in East Portland before the Portland Plan process culmination. We are prepared to approach Representatives Mark Hass and Rod Monroe and have had a meeting with Representative Jefferson Smith to this end.

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6. As a constructive partner, the EPAP committee again emphasizes our availability and desire to review large projects considered for East Portland. Our intention is to consider the project’s adherence to the “EPAP Principles for Improved Livability”, which are articulated within the adopted EPAP document. This can only add value and benefit our City. We thank you and your staff for your consideration and for efforts to accomplish the goal of implementing the East Portland Action Plan as a commitment to bringing East Portland up to the standards that make Portland a great city.

Youth Subcommittee Meeting Notes

December 16th, 2010, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

3rd Thursdays, monthly

East Portland Community Center

740 Southeast 106th Avenue

Portland, OR 97216-3102

(503) 823-3450

The mission of the Youth Subcommittee is to bring the voice of youth into the advocacy process, while advocating for East Portland’s fair share of resources and support for our young people, schools, and providers.

Present

Kris Bella, Jessica Crompton, Marie Daniels, Randy Salazard, Lore Wintergreen

Adopt MYC’s Bill of Rights & Action Plan as the youth aspect of EPAP?

The EPAP won’t be reviewed or changed for another two years, at least. We can operate using the Youth Bill of Rights, but we still need to connect to EPAP Action items.

Youth Subcommittee to develop an anti-bullying statement & work with SMYRC to get youth orgs to commit/sign; need to make the connection with SMYRC - does anyone have a connection already?

There may already be something going on here; check with the schools & see what they’re doing; Faith emailed a SMYRC connection - Jessica will follow up

Discuss opportunities to work with the Anti-graffiti team to put up murals after cleanup when possible; can these be anti-bullying murals? Talk to Kris from Free Arts about connecting with youth & artists; also need to connect to Tom Barnes, who manages the anti-graffiti project

Marie and Jessica will speak with Tom at the upcoming EPAP meeting & find out what they’re already doing

Portland Youth Action Grants - should we apply for one of these to help with an anti-graffiti initiative? Invite Tom Barnes to the meeting to discuss - we’d like to talk about combining his work with mural painting

There was extensive discussion around this question, especially the following:

How much can we do with $1000?

Given that last year’s grants were awarded to projects that involved or impacted many young people, is this project potentially even viable?

Since we don’t already have a large group of youth in place, who can we partner with to impact as many youth as possible? Suggestions included APANO, SUN programs, high schools, Rosewood Iniative, Youth Police Advisory committee

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Marie to connect with Dede at EPCC to discuss possible grant options

Discuss upcoming meetings with Commissioners

Randy and Jessica can go (as observers) to most of the January meetings, Marie can only go to the meeting with Nick Fish

What’s going on with the youth-related asks from 2010-2011 budget cycle? Outreach to Mayor’s office has had mixed results

Marie to follow up with Reese regarding the workforce development survey

EastPDXYouth has a page on the EPAP site - what do we want to put here?

Marie, Randy, and Jessica - working session scheduled for Dec 28, 2010

Follow up on the youth-focused “Intro to EPAP” presentation - what’s going on with regard to recruiting youth to work on this? Best route to get connected to teachers to present in classrooms?

Marie needs to follow up with Debbie and Meg again

Peru Wang w/IRCO had a panel of speakers come in to talk about government, maybe we could do a panel presentation?

Potential project - put together a mailing that lists free & low-cost resources for youth during the summer months; citywide? Possible connector project with MYC, Mayor’s office, or Parks & Rec?

Lots of discussion about whether or not this might be viable for the Youth grant

Lore thinks that putting together information about how to find resources might be more helpful as resource guides are immediately dated AND we now have 211

Success of Funding Sought with EPAP Support

1. IRCO and El Programa Hispano Catholic Charities received funding from Northwest Health Foundation

2. OPAL received funding from METRO 3. Audubon of Portland received funding from the Collins Foundation 4. Oregon Public Health Institute received funding from Northwest Health

Foundation Outstanding Requests

1. City of Portland Brownfield application for Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Assessment Grant funding (April notification)

2. City of Portland Brownfield application for Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (April notification)

Denied

1. ODOT received funding from Federal Appropriations request for I-205 MUP Lents improvement (92nd and Flavel) (Will resubmit)

EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN www.eastportlandactionplan.org

East Portland Neighborhood Office 1017 NE 117th Ave. Portland, OR 97220 503.823.4035 or lore.wintergreen@portlandoregon.gov

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“Improving Pedestrian Networks in Greater East Portland—Connecting Residents to Health” Executive summary The purpose of this project is to positively impact the health of the residents of greater East Portland by developing and instituting new local transportation and development policies, regulations, and practices that will increase the number of complete pedestrian networks in this part of the city. To accomplish this Community Health Partnership: Oregon’s Public Health Institute (CHP: OPHI) will work collaboratively with multiple partners to develop policy and regulatory language, organize constituency support, advocate for adoption of policy changes, and assess the health impact of policies and development practices implemented during the grant period. We are requesting $85,000 for a two-year implementation grant. Our Vision: Portlanders using complete, safe sidewalk networks and pedestrians routes in currently underserved neighborhoods. Our Goal: Impact policies and implementation actions in Portland Transportation System Plan, Portland Comprehensive Plan, and agency practices that improve pedestrian network connectivity in currently underserved neighborhoods with residents at higher risk for poor health outcomes. Pedestrian Network Connectivity as a Determinant of Health The prevention of poor health begins with an understanding of health that recognizes the many different factors that influence any individual’s health status. The framework that most public health organizations use to describe these inter-related factors is the socio-ecological model of health. This model identifies health outcomes as being the product of the inter-play of multiple factors at the individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels, and emphasizes the need to address multiple contexts at each level when trying to encourage healthier choices and lifestyles. While individuals are responsible for making choices that can impact their health, the choices available to them are determined to a large degree by their social and physical environments.

A significant environmental factor that determines health is the transportation network and the quality of the pedestrian infrastructure, which determines whether people have options to choose active modes of transportation over auto use, and are able to walk about their neighborhoods to meet their daily needs. Other factors also influence the ability to walk to meet daily needs, including the proximity of affordable housing to daily destinations such as jobs, schools, and retail services. Yet even in communities containing destinations within walking distance, the pedestrian network necessary for allowing travel by foot often isn’t in place, particularly in lower-income communities where a history of limited public investment has resulted in piecemeal, poor quality development and significant gaps in the sidewalk and pedestrian network.

A pedestrian network consists of various pedestrian infrastructure components such as sidewalks, trails, off-street paths, and crosswalks that are necessary to support safe, convenient travel by foot. A network is considered well-connected if it has a tight grid pattern, continuous sidewalks and pedestrian paths with no gaps, and limited cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets. A complete pedestrian network must also provide safe, convenient connections to health-supportive destinations such as schools, transit stops, healthy food retail, employment centers, health and social services, and community amenities such as parks and open space. Improved sidewalk connectivity also helps those without access to automobiles or other mobility constraints more reliably and safely meet their daily needs.

The lack of a well-connected pedestrian network in a community can have many implications for health. Research on the relationships between the built environment and health consistently identifies well-connected pedestrian networks as important attributes of health-supportive communities. In particular, several empirical studies have documented that individuals living in areas with well-connected pedestrian networks have higher levels of physical activity and lower Body Mass Index as a result of their higher rates of walking [1]. While this research also identifies a number of other variables that influence the extent to which people walk around their neighborhoods, pedestrian network connectivity has emerged as the variable with the most influence on a walking rates within a community [2, 3]. Researchers have also found that higher rates of walking are positively correlated with a large number of other known health determinants including: improved traffic safety

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[4-6], reduced automobile use [7-9], improved air quality [7, 9, 10] increased social cohesion [11-13], increased transit use [14], and reduced crime rates [15-17]. Need for Well-Connected Pedestrian Networks in Greater East Portland For this project, greater East Portland refers to the collection of Portland neighborhoods east of 82nd Avenue that comprise the East Portland District Coalition, as well as the Cully and Sumner neighborhoods in outer NE Portland. The East Portland District abuts the NE neighborhoods, and were annexed at the same time by the city of Portland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They share very similar urban form, transportation challenges, and demographic profile of lower-income residents and communities of color.

Compared to many other parts of Portland, greater East Portland lacks the pedestrian connectivity necessary for supporting walkable environments. Many city-wide assessments and GIS mapping projects have highlighted the drastic disparity in complete pedestrian networks in greater East Portland as compared to other parts of Portland, including a 2009 GIS mapping project undertaken by CHP: OPHI. (see appendix A). These maps identify the placement of sidewalks throughout Portland, and clearly show that greater East Portland has much less sidewalk coverage than the rest of the city.

These maps only tell part of the story—community members’ real-life experiences bring an even greater urgency to address these issues. During CHP: OPHI’s and other groups’ work with East Portland residents throughout the last six years, community members have repeatedly identified improved pedestrian connectivity as a high priority through photo-voice projects, community forums, and community visioning efforts. Not only has their input highlighted the safety and mobility issues presented by the lack of a well-developed sidewalk and street network, but it has emphasized the role of a well-developed sidewalk network as a necessary first step in fostering community development because it improves the attractiveness of the neighborhood to residents and developers. In a 2004 survey focusing on in-fill design issues in East Portland, for example, residents consistently mentioned poor connectivity and unimproved roads as significant concerns for their neighborhoods [18]. In a 2006 neighborhood survey conducted in the Centennial and Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhoods in East Portland, residents identified improving sidewalks and conditions for walking as the second highest priority for their neighborhoods, after improving safety and reducing crime [19]. Similarly, a 2008 survey-based needs assessment that was conducted in East Portland identified neighborhood walkability as the area residents’ primary concern. As part of a recent community livability summit, SE 122nd resident Florence Woods said, “Sure there’s a park nearby, but I don’t feel safe letting my kids walk there. The sidewalk ends just beyond our apartment, and I don’t want my kids walking in the street.”

Because of the demographic make up of greater East Portland residents, the severe lack of pedestrian infrastructure raises important health equity concerns. Research also shows that, in Portland as elsewhere, low-income individuals and members of communities of color tend to have poorer health outcomes than the general population.1 Because of the increasing affordability of housing in greater East Portland relative to the rest of the city throughout the past 20 years, greater East Portland has attracted a disproportionate share of the city’s low-income households and communities of color. This has created a situation in which people with the highest need for a health-supportive environment are increasingly moving to a part of town lacking a key environmental support for improving health. Addressing this disparity and improving health outcomes for our most vulnerable populations will drive the work of our partners on this project. Project Goal, Objectives, and Timeline of Activities Vision: Portlanders using complete, safe sidewalk networks and pedestrians routes in currently underserved neighborhoods.

1Multnomah County Health Department Health Assessment Quarterly, “Education and Health: An Area-Based Analysis of Mortality Data for Multnomah County” Winter 2007. Multnomah County Health Department “The Economy and Health in Multnomah County,” May 2009.

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Goal: Impact policies and implementation actions in Portland Transportation System Plan, Portland Comprehensive Plan, and agency practices that improve pedestrian network connectivity in currently underserved neighborhoods with residents at higher risk for poor health outcomes. Specific examples of policies and implementation actions to achieve this goal include: • Policy and regulatory mechanisms to identify and fill current gaps in the pedestrian system that most

negatively impact walkability for vulnerable populations; • Prioritization of projects to ensure that pedestrian infrastructure connects to schools, parks, food retail and

other services; • Alternate right of way design to develop pedestrian routes off of the street grid; and • Improved funding mechanism for construction of sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure. Objectives (Incremental Steps of Change) 1. City-led technical committees will develop recommendations for policies and implementation actions to achieve project goals. 2. Technical committees will utilize public health expertise and social determinant of health framework to develop a strong set of recommendations that address health disparities and focus investment to populations at higher risk for poor health outcomes. 3. Input from multiple networks (OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, and East Portland Action Plan) and stakeholder groups (developers, transit riders, seniors, neighborhood associations) and current planning projects (Cully Main Street, SE 122nd Ave) are included in development of recommendations and policy actions. 4. Multiple constituencies (described above) and resident leaders are engaged with CHP: OPHI in efforts to develop recommendations, and in efforts to advocate for adoption of changes in Year Two. 5. City transportation budget advisory committees prioritize 2011-2013 funding for gaps in existing pedestrian system that can most positively impact vulnerable populations and disparities in sidewalk access. 6. The project’s policy recommendations for the Transportation System Plan are aligned and integrated with city-wide policies such as the Comprehensive Plan. 7. Political will is increased, the Mayor and agency directors demonstrate their support for addressing gaps in the existing pedestrian system that can most positively impact vulnerable populations and health disparities.

Timeline of Activities 1. (Jan 2011-March 2011) Review Transportation System Plan, Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Codes, and implementation guidelines to identify current policies, regulations, and implementation practices that impact the design, placement, and funding of pedestrian infrastructure. 2. (Jan 2011-March 2011) Interview staff from the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Bureau of Development Services staff to assess the utility of current policies, regulations, and implementation practices for improving pedestrian network connectivity in East Portland. Produce a summary of the policy review and interviews to share with multiple project stakeholders. 3. (Jan 2011- March 2012) Participate on technical advisory committees convened by Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. On the committee, CHP: OPHI will provide health expertise, research, and rationale for health impacts of connected pedestrian environments and recruit other health and equity stakeholders to participate on the committees as appropriate. Partners will identify transportation policies and tools that can best address health disparities and focus investment to populations currently at highest risk for poor health outcomes. CHP: OPHI will serve as primary liaison between technical committees and multiple stakeholder groups invested in improving pedestrian environments in underserved areas. 4. (ongoing) Partner with and leverage expertise of existing transportation-related networks and coalitions (Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, East Portland Action Plan, neighborhood associations) to inform technical committee efforts and development of policy recommendations. Community-based partners will work to develop capacity of resident leaders to engage in activities. CHP: OPHI will outreach to these partners through multiple methods (i.e., presentations, dialogue, surveys, etc.) to elicit

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specific feedback throughout the process of creating policy recommendations, and provide ongoing updates to partners so they remain up to date on city-led activities. $10,000 of project contract funds each year will support our community-based partners to engage and organize their members to inform policy development and advocate for policy adoption. 5. (Jan 2011-Dec 2012) Coordinate technical committee work with ongoing Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability planning and transportation projects such as Cully Main Street and SE 122nd Avenue. These activities will leverage resident engagement in these efforts to provide real-life examples of how inadequate pedestrian networks impacts families, and resident suggestions for specific pedestrian improvements. This will include developing communication materials to facilitate discourse between residents and technical committees. To support this project and the development of viable policy changes, Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will conduct in depth scenario planning in Cully Main Street and SE 122nd Avenue projects that test recommended pedestrian network concepts and tools. 6. (Jan 2011-March 2012) Convene other important stakeholder groups to solicit input and provide ongoing updates on project activities. To do this, project partners will organize roundtables or focus group discussions with stakeholders who will be impacted by policy changes, such as private/non-profit developers, seniors, transit riders, and neighborhood associations. We will present feedback and recommendations from discussions to technical committees and transportation decision makers. 7. (June 2011-Dec 2012) Participate in related policy development and advocacy efforts including the Portland Comprehensive Plan to ensure that the project’s pedestrian and transportation recommendations are supported by higher level policy frameworks. 8. (March 2012-Dec 2012) Advocate for policy changes by developing advocacy materials, meeting with key decision makers, and providing written and verbal testimony to Portland City Council, Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, agency directors, and other decision makers.

City-wide Momentum to Create Change In addition to the community-based priorities and maps mentioned above, there have been three recent city-led planning efforts that have confirmed the significant need for improved pedestrian connectivity in greater East Portland: East Portland Action Plan2, SE 122nd Ave Planning Study,3 and the Cully-Concordia Community Action Plan4. Findings from these studies have led to increased commitment by political leaders and agency staff to find new and better ways to provide sidewalk and other transportation infrastructure in greater East Portland. Many of the residents who have participated in the community-based assessment work have also been involved in these city-led planning efforts. As a result, they have developed a better understanding of the barriers the city faces in planning for and building new streets and sidewalks and increased their capacity to engage in our project activities to seek solutions.

The East Portland Action Plan was developed in 2007-2008 in response to overwhelming evidence of the need to address livability and equity issues in the East Portland District Coalition. The plan includes multiple strategies and implementation actions that address transportation and sidewalk issues targeted in our project, including:

• Increase safety and convenience of walking throughout east Portland • Foster equity in transportation decisions and services • Prioritize transportation improvements that connect to parks, open space, schools, services, and address

public safety needs. One key recommendation from the East Portland Action Plan was to conduct the SE 122nd Avenue

Planning Study to look in greater detail at some of the opportunities and barriers impacting pedestrian network improvement and other livability challenges in the area. The SE 122nd Avenue Planning Study is significant for this project in particular because it was the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s first planning project that explicitly sought to consider health in both its assessment of the area’s existing conditions, and in

2 Available on-line at: www.eastportlandactionplan.org 3 Available on-line at: www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?&c=50636 4 Available on-line at: www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=46474

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the development of recommendations. To provide health expertise and strengthen working relationships between planners and health stakeholders, CHP: OPHI received funding from the Kaiser Permanente Community Fund in 2009 to partner with Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability on this study. CHP: OPHI staff were on the project leadership team, presented at community forums, and co-convened a Health Partners Working Group. CHP: OPHI also conducted a health impact assessment of the Planning Study’s recommendations to highlight what steps could be taken that would have the most positive health impact for area residents. The health impact assessment emphasized the central role that the area’s lack of a well-connected pedestrian network is playing in discouraging walking and biking, limiting access to existing services and amenities, and discouraging community investment and commercial activity.

The specific objectives and policy targets of our project proposal grow directly from the results of the health impact assessment and our engagement in the planning study. With additional resources, CHP: OPHI and our partners will be able to take the next steps and develop specific policies, regulations, and implementation practices. Key recommendations from the project study and health impact assessment include:

• Develop cost effective and more appropriate options for both local and arterial street design and sidewalk improvements that provide benefit for human health.

• Plan for pedestrian connections during the land development process. • Explore a mechanism to encourage street improvements outside of the real estate development process.

The Cully-Concordia Community Action Plan was the product of city planning staff, Portland Public Schools representatives, and diverse community stakeholders coming together to study the area’s existing conditions for families with children. The Action Plan contains four main goals, one of which is to identify and pursue improvements to neighborhood amenities and infrastructure that affect neighborhood livability. Key actions include:

• Advocate for additional funding for the NE Killingsworth Street Traffic Safety Corridor project (MLK Jr. Blvd. to NE 72nd).

• Evaluate the feasibility and applicability of funding mechanisms to support infrastructure improvements and economic development priorities in the Cully-Concordia area.

• Identify priorities for street infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks in the Cully area, and advocate for funding and implementation.

As a result of the momentum and direction created by the development of this Action Plan, the city recently received a grant from the State to develop a Cully Main Street plan to work with the community to identify specific improvements to Cully Blvd and adjacent streets.

Creating Systemic Change, Sustaining Benefit Our project has potential to create systemic change that will be maintained over time because our strategies and activities target policies and planning practices that will be embedded in Portland’s local government (in three main city agencies). Specifically, we will help develop and advocate for policies, regulatory mechanisms, funding systems, and implementation practices that address the unique pedestrian challenges in areas such as greater East Portland. These policies and practices, in turn, rebuild and physically improve Portland neighborhoods that will benefit generations of Portlanders.

There are two key policy documents that will guide transportation planning in Portland for years to come and will be the targets for our project efforts, the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and Transportation System Plan. Processes for revising both plans will begin in 2011 and present tremendous opportunity to restructure how local planning policy can better support connected pedestrian networks. We will partner with three city agencies that are primarily responsible for developing and implementing the policies in these plans.

The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is in charge of developing the Comprehensive Plan, a state-mandated policy that guides land use and infrastructure development throughout the city. The Comprehensive Plan’s Transportation element is the foundation for the Transportation System Plan. The Comprehensive Plan also includes the city’s Zoning Code which details how the policies in the Comprehensive Plan and related plans are implemented, providing guidance on the creation of new rights-of-way, pedestrian infrastructure location and design, and identifying who is responsible for paying for them.

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation is the city agency in charge of planning, building, and maintaining the city’s transportation infrastructure, including sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure. Guidance for these activities comes from the Transportation System Plan that contains the implementation strategies for the transportation policies housed in the Comprehensive Plan. As such, it regulates the design, funding, and prioritization of transportation projects, including pedestrian infrastructure. The Transportation System Plan contains a number of plans, guidelines, and implementation strategies that would need to be changed or added to in order to improve pedestrian network connectivity in greater East Portland.

The Bureau of Development Services (BDS) is in charge of implementing the city’s Zoning Code which details how the Comprehensive Plan is implemented. They help developers determine which regulations apply to their projects, and can either waive or add regulations for projects, including those pertaining to the improvement or creation of rights-of-way.

It’s important to note that the final, revised Comprehensive Plan and Transportation System Plans are not the only ways to impact policy change and agency practices during the two year grant period. While these long-range plans are developed, agencies often implement “quick fix” regulatory changes that our project will target as well. In addition, we will advocate on an ongoing basis with city-wide budget advisory committees to begin funding projects now that can improve pedestrian connectivity and meet our project goals. CHP Experience, Staff, and Qualifications for this Project CHP: OPHI is an independent not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of Oregonians through advocacy and support of effective public health policy and activities—our strategic focus is the prevention of youth obesity. CHP: OPHI has played a significant role in convening and supporting diverse partners to address various contributing factors to childhood and adult obesity through policy and environmental change. This proposed project will be part of CHP: OPHI’s Healthy Community Planning Initiative, which began in 2006 and focuses on how urban planning and community development in the Portland Metro region impacts the health of vulnerable residents. Our Healthy Community Planning Initiative has grown out of initial funding support in 2004 from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living by Design program that addressed the connection between the built environment and health. Our organization has been awarded many subsequent grants from RWJF, Northwest Health Foundation, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Kaiser Permanente Community Fund, National Network of Public Health Institutes, and Multnomah County Health Department’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work to continue our healthy community planning efforts.

Through this work, CHP: OPHI is a recognized leader throughout the Portland metropolitan region for its efforts to promote healthy, active environments through urban planning, policy advocacy, and community-based environmental change efforts. Through our seven years working on East Portland and city-wide efforts, we have developed strong partnerships with the public, non-profit, and private partners who will need to be engaged in project efforts to promote pedestrian networks and sidewalk connectivity.

CHP: OPHI has a staff of 14 full- and part-time employees with education and experience in public health, medicine, policy development and advocacy, nutrition and food systems, transportation, and urban planning. Project director Noelle Dobson, MPH, serves as lead staff for CHP: OPHI’s Healthy Community Planning Initiative and will direct CHP: OPHI staff on this project. Ms. Dobson brings more than seven years experience with developing strategic initiatives, coalition building, grant management, and annual budgets. Ms. Dobson is also actively engaged with city staff and elected officials who are developing the Portland Comprehensive Plan and Portland Plan (a strategic planning framework that precedes the Comprehensive Plan update).

Steve White is Project Coordinator at CHP: OPHI with a Masters degree in urban planning and more than three years experience on the impact of planning on health. He is currently conducting two health impact assessments on transportation and urban planning projects in partnership with Metro Regional Government and Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. His past work has examined how the distribution of retail food sites impacts residents’ access to healthy, affordable food, and how siting light-rail along high traffic corridors may encourage development that negatively impacts health outcomes related to poor air quality. Roles and Experience of Other Partners

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This project has great potential to succeed because CHP: OPHI is building on our past history and success on these issues, strategically partnering with city agencies, and also leveraging the expertise of existing transportation-related networks and coalitions.

Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) promotes integrated land use planning and development for the city. BPS also develops and implements policies and programs that provide environmental, economic, and social benefits to residents, businesses, and government. BPS staff brings expertise in data collection and analysis, community engagement, links to policy makers, expertise in policy development, and state-of-the-art GIS mapping capabilities. BPS’ District Liaison Planners are assigned to five districts throughout Portland and serve to respond to community need, inform capital spending priorities in neighborhoods, and influence planning practices and policy direction throughout the agency. BPS East Portland and North Portland District Liaisons will oversee efforts in Powellhurst Gilbert/SE 122nd Avenue and the Cully Main Street projects and will coordinate with CHP: OPHI staff on project activities. This will include helping CHP: OPHI connecting with residents engaged in the planning efforts to provide real-life example of how inadequate pedestrian networks impacts families, and provide resident suggestions for specific pedestrian improvements. As part of this project, BPS will also conduct in depth scenario planning in Cully Main Street and SE 122nd Avenue projects that test recommended pedestrian network concepts and tools. BPS staff time for the project is provided in-kind ($10,000) and supported by Multnomah County Health Department’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant.

OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon (OPAL) is a community organizing and advocacy organization working with low-income residents and communities of color to educate, engage, and empower. OPAL works specifically in neighborhoods that experience high poverty and a disproportionate burden of the environmental problems such as bad air, asthma, contaminated brown fields, poor infrastructure and public transportation, food deserts, and environmental toxins such as lead poisoning.

For this project, OPAL will receive contract funds to directly engage residents in project activities including developing policy recommendations and advocating for adoption of policies and funding of projects that promote transportation health equity in East Portland. They will do this through neighborhood organizing and capacity building activities that build the awareness and skill of residents to advocate on their own behalf. In addition to developing community leaders, OPAL will reach out to a broad range of our East Portland constituents through dialogues, surveys, and other grassroots methods to elicit feedback on how proposed improvements can have the greatest impact on their lives.

The Willamette Pedestrian Coalition (WPC) is a non-profit community-based membership organization in the greater Portland, Oregon area dedicated to promoting walking and making the conditions for walking safe and attractive. WPC was established in 1991 to provide an organized voice for pedestrians, advocate for pedestrian rights and safety, and educate people about the benefits of walking. They work on legislation to improve the pedestrian environment, have helped to establish a national pedestrian advocacy group, and raised awareness of pedestrian issues throughout the greater Portland area. They advocate for better laws, enhanced enforcement, more sidewalks and signed crosswalks, education programs, community improvements designed for pedestrians, and increased funding to support these activities. For this project, WPC will receive contract funds to participate on technical committees as appropriate and organize their members to inform policy development and advocate for policy adoption.

East Portland Action Plan Committee. The East Portland Action Plan was developed in 2007-2008 to strategically address community-identified issues and allocate resources to improve livability for neighborhoods in East Portland. Implementation activities began in fall 2008 and are led by East Portland Action Plan committees that provide leadership and guidance to public agencies and engage East Portland residents. Several of the Action Plan’s 63 implementation strategies are directly related to this project proposal and aim to improve pedestrian infrastructure and networks, including: increase safety and convenience of walking throughout east Portland; foster equity in transportation decisions and services; and prioritize transportation improvements that connect to parks, schools, and services. To support this project, Action Plan staff and committee will provide expertise and input to inform the technical committee recommendations, and assist with outreach to East Portland residents to elicit feedback about the proposed changes and organize residents to contribute to advocacy efforts.

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ROSE (Revitalize Outer South East) Community Development Corporation has extensive experience engaging affordable housing tenants and local residents in neighborhood redevelopment projects and efforts to improve the safety and quality life for Southeast Portland communities. ROSE CDC has implemented a social capital building project at Leander Court Apartments that was funded by a Kaiser Permanente Social Determinants Capacity Building grant in 2009 that aimed to increase residents’ social and economic assets. ROSE CDC is also a partner with CHP: OPHI on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities project. Through this project they are funded to participate in sidewalk and transportation advocacy activities that will benefit this project.

For this project, ROSE CDC will engage resident leaders in project activities, and liaison to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Budget Advisory Committee that determines allocation of transportation funds. ROSE CDC will also conduct a photovoice project with residents living on SE 122nd in spring 2011 to document resident barriers and leverage resident voices for advocacy efforts. Strategy to fund project CHP: OPHI has demonstrated significant success in being able to leverage multiple funding sources to create and sustain a robust set of healthy community planning and childhood obesity prevention activities. Since 2003, CHP: OPHI has helped secure more than $650,000 for advocacy campaigns, infrastructure projects, programs, and partnership activities in Healthy Active Lents and more than $1,000,000 for statewide and local healthy community planning and childhood obesity prevention initiatives at CHP: OPHI. This proposed project to improve pedestrian connectivity is part of CHP: OPHI’s multi-year strategy to improve health for residents in greater East Portland and throughout the city by influencing urban planning and policy. In addition to KPCF funds, two major funding sources will contribute $49,216 revenue for this project. Multnomah County Health Department’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work funding will support Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability staff to participate on technical committees, engage residents in East Portland and Cully in project activities, and conduct in-depth scenario planning to test recommendations and new planning concepts in SE 122nd Ave and Cully neighborhoods. Funds from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (HHKC) program will fund .2FTE of CHP: OPHI’s project coordinator time for this project, and .05 project director time for Years One and Two. Funds from HKHC will also support .25FTE of staff time at ROSE Community Development Corporation to participate in pedestrian advocacy efforts in Year One. HKHC funds are also available in Year Two to contract with community partners as appropriate. Evaluating Success and Improving Our Strategy Evaluating the process of policy change and advocacy efforts can be more difficult than traditional program evaluation and requires innovative evaluation methods to capture meaningful milestones along the way to a final desired outcome. Project director Noelle Dobson has extensive experience with evaluation and ongoing project reporting and has submitted project data in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Northwest Health Foundation progress reporting systems for more than five years. CHP: OPHI staff recently completed an 18-month community-of-practice training network (supported by Northwest Health Foundation) to build skills in evaluating policy and environmental change efforts such as those described in this proposal. The training provided a framework for evaluating the incremental steps necessary to achieve complex policy goals. Based on this model, our evaluation framework will identify incremental steps of change, which are then translated into project objectives. The objectives and incremental steps of change for this proposal are listed on p. 3. Key objectives and activities are identified as project milestones, and these will become the focus of our evaluation efforts. Our project milestones may include, but are not limited to: success of technical committee to develop recommendations, integration of public health expertise and recommendations that address health disparities, and ability to engage new stakeholders in development of and advocacy for pedestrian equity policy changes. Data collected on the project milestones will not only help us evaluate our final impact, but provide important feedback that we will continuously use to modify and improve project activities. ###

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1. Papas, M.A., et al., The built environment and obesity. Epidemiologic Reviews, 2007. 29: p. 129-143. 2. Ewing, R. and R. Cervero, Travel and the Built Environment -- A Meta-Analysis. Journal of the

American Planning Association, 2010. 76(3): p. 265-294. 3. Frank, L.D., et al., The Development of a Walkability Index: Application To the Neighborhood Quality

of Life Study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2009. 4. Loukaitou-Sideris, A., Is it Safe to Walk?1 Neighborhood Safety and Security Considerations and Their

Effects on Walking. Journal of Planning Literature, 2006. 20(3): p. 219-232. 5. Liedtke, C., Cities look for ways to improve pedestrian safety. Nation's Cities Weekly, 2000. 23(25): p.

3. 6. Jacobsen, P.L., Safety in numbers: more walkers and bicyclists, safer walking and bicycling. Injury

Prevention, 2003. 9(3): p. 205-209. 7. Ewing, R.H., C.V. Forinash, and W. Schroeer, Neighborhood schools and sidewalk connections: what

are the impacts on travel mode choice and vehicle emissions? TR news, 2005. 237(Mar.-Apr. 2005): p. 4-10.

8. Frank, L.D., et al., Many pathways from land use to health. Journal Of Planning Literature, 2006. 72(1): p. 75-87.

9. Frank, L.D., et al., Carbonless footprints: Promoting health and climate stabilization through active transportation. Preventive Medicine, 2010. 50: p. S99-S105.

10. Marshall, J.D., M. Brauer, and L.D. Frank, Healthy Neighborhoods: Walkability and Air Pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2009. 117(11): p. 1752-1759.

11. Wood, L., et al., The anatomy of the safe and social suburb: An exploratory study of the built environment, social capital and residents’ perceptions of safety. Health and Place, 2008. 14(1): p. 15-31.

12. Schultz, J., A.M. O'Brien, and B. Tadesse, Social capital and self-rated health: Results from the US 2006 social capital survey of one community. Social Science & Medicine, 2008. 67(4): p. 606-617.

13. McNeill, L.H., M.W. Kreuter, and S.V. Subramanian, Social environment and physical activity: a review of concepts and evidence. Social Science & Medicine, 2006. 63: p. 1011-1022.

14. Edwards, R.D., Public transit, obesity, and medical costs: Assessing the magnitudes. Preventive Medicine, 2008. 46(1): p. 14-21.

15. McDonald, N.C., The Effect of Objectively Measured Crime on Walking in Minority Adults. American Journal of Health Promotion, 2008. 22(6): p. 433-436.

16. Cutts, B.B., et al., City structure, obesity, and environmental justice: An integrated analysis of physical and social barriers to walkable streets and park access. Social Science & Medicine, 2009. 69(9): p. 1314-1322.

17. Petty, R.D., Transportation technologies for community policing: a comparison. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 2006. 8(3): p. 165-175.

18. Collard, D., et al., Liv-in: Outer Southeast Livable Infill Project. 2004, Portland State University, College of Urban and Public Affairs: Portland, OR.

19. Dill, J., Powellhurst-Gilbert and Centennial Neighborhoods Survey Results. 2006, Portland State University: Portland, OR.

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EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN Planning & Sustainability Commission NOTES

Karen Gray 1/26/11

1. Home Buyer Opportunity Map Update: The Single Family New Construction Program is

enabled by City Code 3.102 and allows eligible homebuyers to apply for a 10-year property tax exemption on the improved value of homes in designated Homebuyer Opportunity Areas. These areas are called “distressed” areas. The latest proposed update on the map (the map must be reviewed every 3 years by City Code) would remove 1119 acres from areas west of the river and move 1383 acres east of the river to mostly the David Douglas area. The Planning and Sustainability Commission voted to accept the report from the Portland Housing Bureau but not the map changes until the “Big Look” policy review is completed and has more time to consider the impact of this proposed map change.

2. Unimproved Streets: A Project called “Roadway Not Improved” is an exploration of the

opportunities and challenges created by unimproved streets in Portland. A group of students from PSU studied unimproved street conditions in Woodstock. Two percent of the roads in the entire City of Portland are not improved. In Woodstock, 8% are not improved. Just to contrast, in the Cully neighborhood, only 40% of the streets are complete streets with sidewalks and gutters. I was curious why you would want to study Woodstock which has far more complete streets than neighborhoods in East Portland. The 2% of streets that are unimproved in the City of Portland must be in East Portland for the most part.

3. District Liaison Program: Examples of recent work facilitated by this program are: Cully-

Concordia Community Assessment and Action Plan (2008); East Portland Action Plan (2009); Hillsdale Phased Development Strategy (2009) and SE 122nd Avenue Pilot Project (2010). These District Liaisons listen, connect and problem solve with their neighborhoods to find solutions and funding to improve the livability of communities in Portland. We love our Chris! PS: Cully-Concordia reminds me of EPAP. EPAP went before the Planning Commission at about the same time that the Cully-Concordia Action Plan went before them. Cully –Concordia did not get a funded Advocate position and is spoken of as stagnating due to a lack of organized advocacy. We love our lore!

4. Cully Concordia recently revisited the Planning & Sustainability Commission. Is there an opportunity for EPAP to present to Planning & Sustainability?

5. FUTURE: Presentation on countywide “Cradle to Career” Multnomah County Initiative January

25, 2011 at 6:00.

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EAST PORTLAND ACTION PLAN

Representative Report: January 2011 Represents EPAP To: PBOT Transportation Budget Advisory Committee (TBAC) Representative Goal (succinctly stated): The EPAP Representative to the PBOT BAC Goal is to provide direction and support to the EPAP on PBOT Budget-related actions in East Portland and to work with allied organizations to lobby the City and associated agencies for transportation improvements in and to East Portland. New decisions made or issues being addressed: David Hampsten was appointed as a representative of EPAP to the PBOT Budget Advisory Committee meetings in December 2009, Linda Bauer as the EPAP alternate to TBAC in May 2010. This is both a periodic BAC progress report and a process report of EPAP transportation priorities for 2011/12. Identification of project partners: EPAP members and friends; Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) staff; City-Wide Transportation Group: EPNO LUTC (Linda Bauer & Bonny McKnight), SEUL (Linda Nettekoven), & SWNI (Marianne Fitzgerald) Request for input or action from the EPAP: This progress report includes a request from EPAP for new transportation “asks” for the 2011/12 fiscal year, both for physical improvements and for policy adjustments. Both the EPNO LUTC and EPAP will submit a joint letter of transportation requests for approval on February 9th and 23rd 2011, respectively. Additional Information & background:

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) continues to face declining revenues and increased maintenance & personnel costs. In order for PBOT to make more publicly transparent decisions as to how to spend their limited resources, a Transportation Budget Advisory Committee (TBAC), made up of interested stakeholders, was formed several years ago. The TBAC includes current representation from trucking groups, business associations, biking and walking groups, neighborhood coalitions (SW, SE, and EPAP), OHSU, Portland Public Schools, and others. The TBAC meets periodically from October to May. Both David Hampsten, as the EPAP Representative to TBAC, and Linda Bauer, as the EPAP Transportation Representative & EPAP TBAC Alternate, attend these meetings regularly. There were four weekly meetings in January 2011.

The 2011/12 budget for PBOT is about $250 million, and is made up of the CIP (Capital Improvement Program), which this year is just under $105 million & about 40%

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of the budget, and the maintenance and operations portions. About 85% of the revenue for the PBOT CIP comes from “grants and contracts”, which is a euphemism for Federal funding, mostly for unsustainably expensive transit projects, with some State funding as well. About 2-3% comes from System Development Charges (SDC) funds, which are fees collected when new construction occurs, while the remaining funds are referred to as General Transportation Revenue (GTR), which is parking fees, parking fines, utility fees, and gas tax revenue. GTR has the greatest flexibility on how it can be spent. Most GTR is already earmarked as “local match” to “leverage” federal and state grants, so the amount actually available for local spending is actually quite small. East Portland, with it’s high usage of autos and an occasional need to park downtown, contributes at least 25% of the GTR, but is officially slated to receive none of it back in City projects.

In light of this, PBOT staff has assured me (verbally, not in writing) that a majority of the City Wide (CW) project money for sidewalk and bike improvements for Portland would be slated for East Portland, with most of the remainder being spent in Southwest Portland & Cully; both are areas much like East Portland that lack basic infrastructure. Based upon this funding scenario, I am suggesting that East Portland request a list of projects that includes:

• $8,000,000 in pedestrian improvements (sidewalks, crossings, & islands)

• $5,200,000 in bikeway improvements (community greenways/bike boulevards,

crossings at dangerous intersections, some bike lanes)

• $5,800,000 in road rehab and street lighting projects

I have compiled a tentative master list and map of such projects, and have distributed tailored lists to each of the 13 EPNO neighborhoods, to GABA, and to the David Douglas & Parkrose school districts, so that each respective group can rank their priorities. I can generate additional lists if they are officially requested. So far, I have received results from Pleasant Valley, Centennial, and Hazelwood. Based upon input from several EPAP members, we have decided to make the final selection of EPNO & EPAP transportation priorities for 2011/12 at the EPNO LUTC meeting on Feb 9, at EPNO, 6:30-8:30 pm. Whoever shows up at that meeting will not only help select the priorities, but also help draft the joint EPAP & EPNO letter “asking” that such projects be prioritized by PBOT for the coming fiscal year. A more elaborate process will be used for 2012/13. EPAP Action items being addressed:

About 40-60 Action Items are being addressed.

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City of Portland Healthy Homes Production Grant Abstract Portland Healthy Homes Program In response to the 2010 HUD Healthy Homes Production Grant NOFA, the City of Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) has entered into a partnership with the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) to maximize the strengths and expertise of both jurisdictions in addressing the connection between health and housing. The objective of the Portland Healthy Homes Program (PHHP) is to proactively address habitability issues in 175 rental housing units before the health and safety of vulnerable low-income populations are compromised. The City of Portland is submitting a request of $1,000,000 in this proposal and has identified nearly $600,000 in local matching funds for the period of January 1, 2011-December 31, 2013. As the applicant, PHB will be responsible for oversight and management of HUD Healthy Homes funds, providing sub-recipient contract and fiscal management, reporting and monitoring tasks, and tracking the overall progress of the grant in accomplishing proposed activities. PHB will coordinate the development of relationships to secure additional leveraged resources to further support the objectives of healthy homes activities. PHB has extensive experience managing and implementing production-oriented HUD programs similar to this Healthy Homes Production Grant. PHB has been successfully administering HUD Lead Hazard Control (LHC) Grants since 1998 when it received a Round 5 LHC grant award. Since that time, PHB has successfully completed HUD LHC grants from Rounds 5, 9, 12, and 14, remediating hazards in almost 1,300 units. Through the implementation of five HUD LHC grants, the City has created a solid organizational infrastructure for remediation–based programs that includes proven policies and effective procedures for conducting unit intake, enrollment, assessment, and remediation of environmental health hazards. Furthermore, for this production project, the City will utilize the Multnomah County Health Department’s existing HUD Healthy Homes Demonstration Grant database that is structured to collect information specific to HUD reporting requirements and evaluation. With all of these elements already in place, the Portland Housing Bureau is positioned to begin enrolling units upon award of a Healthy Homes Production Grant. Target Area To fill a gap in local health and housing services, the Portland Healthy Homes Program will target East Portland, which comprises roughly one third of Portland and is located in mid Multnomah County. In East Portland, the program will target low and very low income families with children under 18 who do not have diagnosed health conditions such as asthma but whose living conditions need the support of both structural remediation and behavioral interventions to prevent future health and safety problems from occurring. Special priority will be given to populations that are traditionally underserved and disproportionately impacted by poverty and substandard housing, such as immigrant and refugee communities and minority populations. The target areas was selected primarily because low-income and minority communities have grown substantially in the target area due to gentrification in other areas of Portland. Additionally, data from recent fiscal years has demonstrated a growing unmet need regarding the capacity of City housing inspectors to respond to Priority 3 complaints of housing code violations, many of which are health and safety related. Lastly, East Portland is a traditionally underserved area of Portland and Multnomah County and children without diagnosed health problems are not eligible for existing health programs that provide healthy homes services and remediation. Need Data Several studies demonstrate housing-related need for healthy homes support in the proposed Portland Healthy Homes Program target area. The 2008 American Community Survey indicated an increase in substandard housing in Portland since 2005, with a 35% increase in the number of units without complete plumbing or cooking facilitates. The 2002 American Housing Survey also found that 6% of Portland housing units reported problems with rats, mice, or other rodents. In 2009, a survey of 356 multi-family properties in the Lents neighborhood, which is located in the target area, found that nearly 50% of surveyed properties had identifiable external repair needs that resulted in a fair or poor rating. The most common problems identified in the survey were related to roofs, windows, gutters/downspouts, exterior paint, and trash. In all, 17% of properties (58 units) were rated in poor condition.

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Poverty is a major factor affecting racial and ethnic minorities in East Portland with two or more times as many African Americans, Latinos, and Native American households living below the federal poverty level than White non-Latino household. This has caused the target area to be dramatically impacted by poverty: nearly 30% of East Portland households are below 50% AMI, and over 50% are below 80% AMI. There is a high concentration of school aged children in the proposed target area, which accounts for 50% of all children age 18 and under and 33% of all children under age six in Portland while comprising only 38% of the City’s total population. In many cases, these youth are dramatically impacted by poverty, leading to a disproportionately high number of impoverished school age children: 50% of African American, 45% of American Indian, and 35% of Latino children under age 18 live below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Remediation Strategies for remediation proposed in this application assume that a healthy home is not only structurally maintained in good repair, but is also occupied in a way that maintains the integrity of the structure. To that extent, the Portland Healthy Homes Program proposes to address the connection between health and housing by assisting both the unit and the household living in the unit. Every unit enrolled in the program will receive both a unit inspection conducted by the Portland Healthy Homes Program Manager and an Environmental Assessment conducted by the Community Health Worker housed at the Multnomah County Health Department. The unit inspection will result in structural repairs and remediation while unit assessment will identify support and education needed by the household to minimize the impact of environmental hazards in the home. Remediation assistance funded by HUD Healthy Homes grant funds will be provided through sub-recipient contracts managed by PHB. Minor repairs and interventions (e.g., installing smoke detectors, safety items, and providing green cleaning products) will be conducted by the Multnomah County Health Department’s Community Health Worker. Other remediation activities (structural, electrical and plumbing repairs) will be conducted by REACH Community Development Corporation. This model of conducting remediation assistance minimizes costs and increase the quality and consistency of the repairs that are made. The Portland Healthy Homes Program will emphasize the integration of healthy homes remediation with other existing housing repair programs such lead hazard control, weatherization, and code enforcement programs. The objective of this strategy is to maximize the health of each client served and the level of remediation assistance provided by packaging awarded HUD Healthy Homes funds with existing Portland housing repair resources leveraged specifically for this project. The average amount of HUD Healthy Homes funds that will be invested into each household will be $3,250. Depending on the condition of the home, this $3,250 can leverage up to $25,000 in additional housing-related resources such as weatherization, lead hazard control, and major structural repairs. Education and Outreach Targeted education and outreach to support unit enrollment in the Portland Healthy Homes Program and increase community awareness of the healthy homes principles will be accomplished through partnerships that provide leveraged resources and services. Marketing materials for the Portland Healthy Homes Program will be developed along with educational materials that include steps for implementing the 7 principles of healthy housing. Materials will be translated into Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese. A variety of outreach strategies will be employed that target low-income renters, owners and managers of rental property, and the general community. Information and outreach will be incorporated into existing services and programs to utilize proven outreach delivery models. This includes existing hotline services for renters, landlord trade industry meetings, and contacts made through the code enforcement process. Organizations providing these services include the City of Portland Bureau of Development Services, the Community Alliance of Tenants, the Josiah Hill, III Clinic, Multnomah County Health Department, and the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland.

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East Portland Action Plan Grant Evaluation

2009-2010 East Portland Action Plan Small/Medium Grants Program

Evaluation Report Form Project Name: Glenfair Community Garden Project Contact Name: Kathy Gould Contact Information: 503 358 0154 ksghome@aol.com Action Plan Item Addressed: P.2.4 Expand community gardens throughout East Portland parks; continue

partnerships with farmers and markets and the Oregon Food Bank: CB1.2; CB4.1; CB 6.2 + L. 4.1.

Grant award Amount: $3250

A large grassy area composed mostly of weeds at the corner of 143rd and Burnside is now a beautiful space in which 20 families or individuals can garden! How did that happen? It started with a vision and a desire to create a place where neighbors could come together to learn about gardening, form a gardening community and to grow their own food. Also there was a commitment to develop relationships between people in this community. Glenfair Church generously donated the area for the garden and committed to pay the water bill through the summer and fall. In September, 2009, several members of the church planned a community outreach dinner and from that event a committee of about ten people (a group of about seven neighbors and three church members) joined together to research community gardens, plan the garden, and find funding. When the East Portland Action Plan Grant was awarded for $3,250, we knew that we would be able to place a fence and build beds around the fence and front of the garden, build the inside garden plots and paths, and provide lighting for the shed and security lighting at night. Other grant funding provided for an in-ground watering system, shed, raised beds, composting systems, signs, and native plantings for around the fence.

Without all our volunteers the garden would not exist! Ground was broken in June, 2010, and an in-ground water system was placed. In July using EPAP funds, the fence was built around the 5,000 square foot area, and 17 volunteers spent several days (over 126 total combined hours) completing the fence project. The volunteers consisted of neighbors, church members, and youth. As soon as the fence was completed community gardeners got busy planting vegetables! It was exciting observe neighbors meeting at the garden to discuss and plan their vegetable beds and share information about gardening. The garden led to a lot of collaboration between people who were neighbors, but had never met before the garden project started!

In August, David Douglas High School teacher Bill Ekroth and his students built a garden shed. In September, about 600 square feet of planting beds bordering the fence were prepared. The EPAP Grant helped buy supplies so that the area facing Burnside could be leveled with a retaining wall, and gravel and timber steps were used to build a pathway into the garden; the side beds were prepared also.

In October a hot compost system was built; on October 17, 2010, a Harvest Party was held, and many neighbors who participated in the community garden came and celebrated the success of the garden. We were honored that Lore Wintergreen and David Ashton from East Portland Neighborhood Office attended this event and toured the garden. In November, over 200 native plants were planted in the beds established by the EPAP Grant; these plants will attract beneficial insects and birds to the garden next spring and summer.

The Glenfair Community Garden has strengthened community ties through relationships developed with David Douglas High School and the student volunteer program, The Community Gardener Program (Weston Miller), and Reliable Lawn and Landscaping- a business that has donated many hours removing lawn, building beds, hauling compost and bark dust. A Garden Board has been established to help govern the garden; they have developed a list of rules, gardening informational forms, and have set policy for future garden use and projects. A garden manager was appointed; he lives very close to the garden and can oversee its management and security.

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Future plans…we will be meeting monthly during the winter to continue to plan unfinished projects and work parties. One thing we have decided we need is an outreach brochure to hand out to neighbors who are interested in obtaining a garden plot for next spring; we will work on developing that over the winter. We are planning to meet to place a group seed order in February, and then have another community potluck and seed swap after the seeds arrive. Last April two members of the garden committee attended the Glenfair Easter Egg Hunt to hand out free seeds and garden information, and we will do that in April again this year. Presently we have a “Great Garlic Growing Contest” happening over the winter; many of our gardeners are experimenting with growing garlic. The winner will win a gift certificate for plants or seeds next spring! We still have some projects left to complete before next summer, and we can’t wait to get started again!

Another positive outcome from this garden is that several community and church members have become acquainted with or active in a few other neighborhood groups. We have begun to form relationships with Parkrose Heights Community Garden; also we have been contacted by a Methodist church on 127th about helping them start a garden on their property. Also one of our garden members is in the planning phase of building a community garden within a nearby neighborhood on another church property (I think it is Multnomah School of the Bible.) Through East Portland Neighborhood Office, several members have become active with a food initiative group that recently held a cooking class at Glenfair Church. We have also become involved in the MAX Action group that is working on safety in the neighborhood. Through Mike Vanderveen’s work, we have become acquainted with Lifegate Church and the work they are doing in the neighborhood. It is really amazing how the community garden has opened the doors literally to a lot of other things happening in our neighborhood! Without our grant funds, the garden would not exist and these neighborhood connections would not be happening. We are very grateful for the opportunities this grant has provided.

Budget Sheet

Fox Fencing $2579 Fencing supplies and installation Tools $144.98 Lighting Supplies from Gary’s Electrical Service $79 Bed Preparation and retaining wall $298.31 Compost* $165.00 Total: $3266.29 *$16.29 will be covered from the East Portland Neighborhood Grant Other items in our budget: Shed (covered by CWSP grant) Watering System (covered by East Portland Neighborhood Grant) Flyers for events (donated by Glenfair Church)

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Volunteer Hours for Garden as of 11/29/10: Approximately 500.25 hours See each entry for volunteer names.

Please read the evaluation we completed in November for the amount of produce harvested and gardener comments. This sums it up: “I lived here for two years without any real sense of community. This garden plot got me and the kids out of the apartment and meeting our neighbors.” A Glenfair Community Garden Gardener

City Council will hold public hearing on Citywide Tree Project, February 2nd at 6:00 p.m.

We are pleased to announce the Recommended Draft is ready for public review and the Portland City Council public hearing is set for Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Thanks to the extensive input from community stakeholders, ongoing assistance from City bureaus, and 5 months of

hard work by the Portland Planning Commission and Urban Forestry Commission, we believe that the proposal to City

Council truly represents a clear, cohesive, consistent, equitable, efficient and cost-effective regulatory framework for

trees in Portland. More...

We hope you will share your views with City Council! To testify in person, please attend the hearing on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 1221 SW Fourth Avenue. To submit written testimony, please mail your comments to:

Council Clerk

1221 SW Fourth Avenue, Room 140

Portland, OR 97204

You can also FAX written testimony to 503-823-4571. Written testimony must be received by the time of the hearing

and must include your name and address. If you have questions, please call 503-823-7700 or send us an email.

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