I had pretty great neighbors growing up. On one side was the kind,
elderly Persian couple whose grandson frequently visited them and
became my primary bike-riding and nacho-eating buddy. On the other was
the Scientologist family with the scruffy dog and the massive
trampoline they sometimes let me jump on. Nonetheless, I can’t help but
feel that the neighborhood of my youth pales in comparison to the one
that folks living around the intersection of NE 42nd and Sumner are
lucky enough to call home. This is because these four corners are
dotted not just with houses and apartment complexes but, in the grand
tradition of Portland livability, with a handful of local business,
including the all-ages art-and-music exhibition space Rererato.
Unfortunately, that may soon change.
Responding to a complaint about Rererato serving food and generating
noise, the city recently dispatched an inspector to investigate. While
nothing came of these particular allegations, as a result of this
inspection the zoning status of the building Rererato occupies came
under scrutiny. The block on which the art space sits was zoned for
residential use in 1981, but many of the buildings on that stretch of
42nd have been used for commercial purposes since before that time, and
are grandfathered out of the residential-only zoning if it can be
verified that they have continuously functioned as something other than
houses.
Over the years, the building currently housing Rererato has been
many things, including a video store and a Hare Krishna temple, but
Chris Radcliffe, an artist and Burning Man co-originator who purchased
the property in March 2007 and began renting to Rererato soon
thereafter, has been unable to account for the period from 2000-2007.
Unless he can dig up documents proving his building’s consistent
non-residential use by February 25, he will be fined as much as $1,000
a day for being in violation of zoning code until Rererato closes its
doors to the public.
Further complicating the zoning situation is the fact that
Rererato does not charge admission for shows and exhibits (although
donations are solicited), and the dynamic duo that runs the space,
Adam Keller and Stephanie Simek, live in the basement. This
being the case, Rererato events bear more of a resemblance to
particularly open and artsy domestic parties than to business
endeavors.
Radcliffe explains, “The city was concerned that Rererato was a
commercial enterprise. I explained that there was no commercial
activity. That Rererato was operating an art salon under the French
Belle Époque model; that the only commerce was in ideas. And
that it was no different than any type of open studio program. They
said they would consider that, but then decided it was not a model that
they could define under the zoning code.”
Losing Rererato would be sad for our city indeed, not just because
it is one of the only places in Portland that consistently presents
experimental music to people of all ages for free, but also
because, unlike many commercial venues and galleries, it is an active
participant in the life of its neighborhood. Many of us choose to live
in Portland precisely because of the block-by-block communities made
possible by mixed zoning and community-oriented local establishments
like Rererato.
Join many of Rererato’s neighbors in expressing your support for its
continued existence by emailing Joe Chamberlain, the city employee
managing the case: chamberlainj@ci.portland.or.us.