The Cully-Parkrose area is extremely deficient in parkland, natural areas, and other open space access (see the Parks Bureau Vision 2020 Plan).

Cully's access rate is 2,780 people per park acre, compared with a citywide average of 40 people per park acre (Daily Journal of Commerce). Given this level of service, it is hard to believe anyone would view this gerrymandered 22 acre offering as giving Cully "the park they deserve."

Losing Colwood by amending and ultimately undermining the vision and mission of Portland's Comprehensive Plan means that the last significant open space in the neighborhood disappears. And the opportunity to ever address Cully's deficiency of parkland disappears with it.

Let’s not kid ourselves – this is all about $$$. And while I have no issue with a property owner getting the most out of their land and don't necessarily feel like they have some high moral obligation that should over-ride economic reality, what will we taxpayers be left with once they 'cash out' and leave us to foot the bill for making the land live up to it's zoning?

Above all else, I believe that the taxpayer costs of developing the infrastructure (utilities and roads) required to support light industrial development on a golf course will be WAY above any potential return on investment (can you say ‘tram’?) even if hundreds of new jobs are created! And what about the increased traffic and resulting pollution in an area already gasping for breath (and quiet!)

Since any way it goes we taxpayers will end up eating the substantial costs, I suspect the wiser (and cheaper over all) investment would be for the city to buy the land at a compromise price somewhere between the value of open space and light industrial space and then turn it into a combination of revenue-producing and free recreational space. That gets the property owner a “reasonable” return and keeps Colwood green.

And then let's set our 'light industrial' and job development sights on all that blighted (and already zoned) commercial property along and adjacent to Columbia Blvd between 82nd and MLK! THAT'S where the 'win-win' solution really is!

Spatial Equity is very important; the numbers Fuentes cites above show that this open space absolutely cannot be converted from park space into industrial.

Hello people, the golf course is not a park. It is not open space. It isn't public. It's a private club where you have to pay $30 to enjoy it and you have to play golf. That is the exactly opposite of spatial equity.

Tax payers never purchased the land and haven't paid to maintain it for the last 90 years. Just because some neighbors have been trespassing on the lawns for 50 years doesn't mean the property automatically reverts to a park. (or perhaps that's a good rule that should apply to all those nice double lots in Cully)

Colwood is zoned Open Space with an environmental conservation overlay. Prior to annexation into the city, Colwood was zoned as an agricultural district by Multnomah County.

No maintenance has been done by anyone to support industrial development at this site. One of the many reasons why the Hearings Officer has recommended against the rezoning is that local infrastructure cannot support it.

As for the opportunity to change this area into a park, it is not so far-fetched. There are a variety of possible funding sources for acquisition including Metro’s Natural Areas Bond, the City's parks system development charges, and state grants. These funds may only be used for park and open space acquisition and do not affect the funding of other pressing needs in Portland.

"No maintenance has been done by anyone to support industrial development at this site."

Actually, it's smack dab in the middle of an industrial sanctuary, which has been planned, funded, maintained, and developed expressly for industrial uses, so you could make the argument that reserving the land for anything other than industrial uses is completely inconsistent with the City's own planning of that area...

The area is zoned Open Space now and has always been zoned Open Space. Retaining the Open Space zoning is consistent with what this property has always been and is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

The Hearings Officer's recommendation that Colwood retain the zoning was based no his assessment that it better serves the goals, policies and objectives of the City's Comprehensive Plan to have the area remain Open Space than have it become industrial.

I can appreciate your argument, the position of those opposed to the rezone proposal and the Hearings Officer is that retention of on this site as Open Space is consistent with the City's planning goals.

Ultimately, viewing Colwood's proximity to industrial land as the primary reason to rezone is no better than insisting that land adjacent to Colwood be rezoned open space due to proximity to Colwood.

"Ultimately, viewing Colwood's proximity to industrial land as the primary reason to rezone is no better than insisting that land adjacent to Colwood be rezoned open space due to proximity to Colwood."

That is some twisted logic there, Tony. You wouldn't have to do anything to turn a golf course into a park, but to turn an active industrial area into a park would require massive capital expenditures to remove infrastructure, and would put thousands of people out of work. I don't see very many similarities.

"Ultimately, viewing Colwood's proximity to industrial land as the primary reason to rezone is no better than insisting that land adjacent to Colwood be rezoned open space due to proximity to Colwood."

That is some twisted logic there, Tony. You wouldn't have to do anything to turn a golf course into a park, but to turn an active industrial area into a park would require massive capital expenditures to remove infrastructure, and would put thousands of people out of work. I don't see very many similarities.

GLV, without a doubt redeveloping an industrial area into a park takes some work but it does happen - consider Gasworks park in Seattle. In fact converting former industrial areas to parks is an area of focus for the Trust for Public Land.

However, I was just trying to illustrate a point not necessarily advocate the rezoning of industrial areas to open space.

As I noted earlier, Colwood is presently zoned Open Space and has always been zoned Open Space. There is no need for remediation to convert Colwood into a park that will serve Cully's 14,000 residents (who presenting have a single five acre park to call their own). And I have no doubt that a Colwood Park would be enjoyed by people through-out Portland.