Say hello to Portland’s other recall campaign. Smoking a cigarette last night on the bench in the small brick plaza of Lents Town Center, Lents Neighborhood Association member Jeffrey Rose held a recall petition with two signatures on it. “I pride myself on my diplomacy, but I’ve just had it,” says Rose. “It’s been a […]
Neighborhoods
Posted inNeighborhoods
El Pato Feliz is the Center of the Universe
Big news is breaking on the $50 million Lents Stadium deal and in a bizarre turn of events, Lents Mexican restaurant El Pato Feliz is at the center of it all. Three separate groups involved in deciding the future of the Lents Triple-A stadium deal all decided to meet tonight at “The Happy Duck” tonight […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Lents Stadium Budget: Affordable Housing vs. Small Business
The Portland Development Commission released some numbers yesterday that neighbors have been waiting for – three budget scenarios for the Lents Beaver’s stadium deal. The power is in the hands of the Lents Urban Renewal Committee to decide whether they should delay $42.3 million in planned projects and use the money to fund one big, […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Lents Neighbors Rant Against Stadium
Mayor Adams and Commissioner Leonard have said they will follow the lead of Lents neighbors on whether to use $42 million in urban renewal funds to build a new Beavers Triple-A stadium in the downtrodden Southeast neighborhood. Based on neighborhood venting last night, the neighborhood’s vote will be a very close call. About 150 people […]
Posted inSports
Lents Resident Completes Vigilante Study on Stadium
Days are running short before Lents must vote whether to invest $42 million of its urban renewal money into building a Triple-A ballpark in the neighborhood. But since the city won’t study the economic impact of a stadium on Lents a concerned Lents resident took on the job for himself. Nick Christensen covered the Las […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
BREAKING NEWS: Study Shows Beavers Stadium Deal Would Create “Net Job Loss”
This post co-written by Matt Davis. Mayor Sam Adams’ office appears to have sat on an economic study showing that the construction of a Beavers ballpark in Lents would create a “net job loss” for the city. The news comes as Lents neighbors furiously debate whether to delay $42 million in local urban renewal projects […]
Posted inPolitics
Leonard and Neighbors Argue Over “Deal Making”
City Commissioner Randy Leonard has hit back at Nick Fish’s letter on baseball in a response to a constituent. Neighborhood activist Don MacGillivray cc’d Leonard on his response to Fish’s letter this afternoon: Commissioner Fish, I strongly agree with you. I am very unhappy with the fast tracking, behind the scenes deal making that this […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Happy Memorial Day. Keep it Classy, Portland
Something about this—perhaps the worst free pile I’ve seen in NE Portland yet—screams Memorial Day. Someone got up in the sunny morning, did a little work in the garden, half-assed the finish and decided instead to leave the garbage in the street. The growing trend of “free” piles is getting out of hand. Since when […]
Posted inNews
Leonard Tries Jedi Mind Trick On Lents Baseball
City Commissioner Randy Leonard knows what’s good for Lents. At least, that seems to be the essence of an extensive dual posting on Leonard’s blog and Blue Oregon this morning called The Jaws Of Victory. As in, snatch defeat from the… The problem? While Leonard has been trying to portray the Lents neighbors as overwhelmingly […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Beavers’ Stadium: No Numbers to Gnaw On
“We’re here to get the facts,” said Lents Neighborhood Association chair Damien Chakwin to over 70 neighbors who packed into the Lents Elementary School cafeteria tonight to discuss the Beavers ballpark possible slated for their neighborhood. “We should get some information before we make a decision.” Sadly, there were few facts for the neighbors to […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
The Floyd’s Coffee Shop “Border War” Saga
An epic tenant-landlord battle erupted last week in the heart of inner Southeast, finally ending five years of tension behind the scenes at the popular, bright yellow coffeeshop Floyd’s. But not before involving a midnight stake out, the police and, yes, a weeks-long secret exodus. It’s a crazy story no matter which side tells it. […]
Posted inNeighborhoods
Beloved Pagoda May Live On! …as a bus stop
Remember when we wrote about the Hollywood neighborhood meeting in January where a Northeast neighbor burst into tears over the plans to destroy the iconic Pagoda restaurant and make way for a bland KeyBank building? Local architect John Perkins vowed he would find a way to save the landmark. Well, last week Perkins completed his […]