Letters to the Editor

UNDERDEVELOPED

HEY SARAH [MIRK]—I am writing a quick note after reading your
article [“Hitting the Wrong Notes,” News, July 2]. If this
building [the Albert Apartments on N Williams] represents Portland’s
shiny new ethos we are in trouble. It’s unfortunate that you
interviewed and took the developer’s verbal assertions regarding the
TOD [Transit Oriented Development] qualifications and the building’s
adherence to zoning codes as fact and repeated them as such [without]
educating yourself on the process, the TOD requirements, purposes, and
goals, and the Community Design Guidelines and Zoning Codes yourself.
Did you ask Mr. Menashe about the bus service from that block to
downtown, which is about to be cut back substantially? He is building a
49-car parking lot on the ground floor, something the City does not
require and in fact a feature that in the City’s eyes discourages mass
transit usage. “Transit oriented”?

-Tracy Olson

SARAH MIRK RESPONDS: Regular readers know that the Mercury
isn’t on the best terms with (nor grants favors to) big developers.
Believe it or not, city planners on the project back up the
“developer’s assertions,” agreeing that the 72-unit apartment complex
is (surprisingly) smaller than the site allows. While it does plan for
49 parking spots, the complex may qualify for a $1.12 million tax break
because it’s a high density project just on the edge of the MLK “Main
Street” corridor. Sounds like your beef is with the city.

MORE EFFETE HIPSTER TWADDLE

DEAR MERCURY—Despite your curt and dismissive review,
the recent VNV Nation show at Berbati’s generated lines going around
the block in both directions, a phenomenon I’d never observed in
three years of working next door [Up & Coming, June 25]. I’d like
to see any of the effete hipster twaddle the Mercury so
regularly panders to produce anything like the devotion I saw at that
show.

-David Drexler

STADIUM SERVICE

I’d like to ask Mr. Paulson if he plans on compensating the people
of Portland for his greed [“Finding $15 Million,” News, July 2]. Will
his new stadium have special offers like “Mental Health Mondays” or
possibly “Transient Tuesdays,” oh, and maybe “Soup Kitchen Sundays”?
Will his concession stands accept food stamps? Will you get a discount
on your $30+ ticket price if you show your unemployment check-stub?

-Posted by zipitup on portlandmercury.com

DUELING DISHWASHERS

DEAR MERCURY—I throw down the dirty dish and challenge
Josh Waid’s title to the “richest, best fed dishwasher in Portland”
[“Service!” The Mercury Food Issue, July 2]. I will put up any
lunch or brunch at my bailiwick, the Hands-On Cafe at the Oregon
College of Art and Crafts, against any meal at Clyde Common. If he
cares to go head-to-head on soup alone, his chances will diminish to
zero. As for riches—material, spiritual or intellectual—for
the first I will open my assets to the scrutiny of any impartial
auditor at any time. As to the second, spiritual riches, I have read
the Bhagavad-Gita in the original Sanskrit and was an altar boy for six
years. As for intellectual riches, I have scored 100% on the Oregon
Department of Health’s Food Handler’s Test for 11 consecutive years!
True, I do not wash champagne flutes, but I think that was thrown in to
impress the incognizant, as Mr. Waid will surely agree that wadded up
gum on the bottom of a water glass is no less distasteful to deal with
than on the finest crystal.

-Louis Sargent

WE’RE NOT AT ALL SURE that Mr. Waid intended his expression of
contentment to be interpreted as a thrown gauntlet, but we are
nonetheless certainly pleased to know that another of his colleagues is
so fiercely happy. Louis, double your pleasure with two tickets to the
Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!, which has some
pretty good soup too, you know.