News Jul 8, 2010 at 4:00 am

Rogue Recycler

Comments

1
Quit trying to get rid of it and support another local business. Make it look better for the neighborhood if need be but keep a good, important business going. Oregon needs it!
2
I have a lot of questions about this article. "Northwest Food Center" is the name of a closed grocery store, but the owner runs a recycling operation from its backyard? Why doesn't he put up a new sign and be a little more official about his operations - why does he want to be a "Rogue Recycler"? Does he earn money from his operation but not pay taxes on it?

Also, what did he have to say about neighbors who want him out? Is there any dialogue between local owners like Paley, and Baldwin?

And why wouldn't he let you see the inside of his store?

The story really didn't explore these important questions.
3
The building is an eyesore, plain and simple, and Baldwin has made no effort toward that end. Take a walk buy during the day and see for yourself: it is a dump. At night, and through early morning, street punks and homeless bunk up in the former doorway. Does he live there? Is it legal? He should be forced out, rent the place to some small retailers or restaurants, or be forced to fix the place up-- not run this under the rader business beneath the signs of a grocery store that has been boarded up for years. Can adjacent residents complain to the city about the unsightly nature of the premises? I feel bad for the tourists who come to stay at the Northrup Station and have their dinners at Paley's and Wildwood--- that this ghetto building is what represents upper 21st. A very big shame. Someone needs to kick that guy out. If he want's to run a recycling business, move to inner southeast, or further into the industrial area. This is a neighbor NO ONE here wants.
4
And, I also meant to add that he had been approached before about this prime location, fixing/selling/ the building, at least renovating and and dividing it for small retail and restaurant shops. Something that is at least visually appealing, and more so, a desitination. When Music Millennium chose to vacate their NW 23rd space, they supposedly approached "Northrup Food Center"as a viable location. Of course, Baldwin was a no-go on that.

Again, this is a neighbor nobody wants. What is the building zoned for? Who knows what fire hazards lurk inside, where he did not want you to see. His illegal "home?" One of his thousands of projects... such as... what? Is it a grow house? A lab? Is is a torture dungeon? What is he keeping in there, all boarded up? Can a building inspection make anything of this? Where's Randy's team when you need it?

I'd be happy to sign any petition that got that space cleaned up. Eyesore... eyesore... eyesore.
5
i've been waiting for the nw examiner to lose its shit on this place for years. the guy must be holding hands with somebody to make it this far. i don't argue his right to run his recycling business, but the place just look sketchy -- as does his quote of 2000 projects inside the place. i'd love to see the building cleaned up/out and rented out, especially now that the block just lost two unique storefronts to collision repair's expansion. just keep the singer-fever away, a la 23rd big boxes and huge rent. i'd suggest staying away from another bar in the area. something that would anchor the gap between, say the Lovejoy block and the Paley's/Wildwood block. lots of possibilities though.
6
Looks like heaven for Scraps.Be sure and let him in on closing date so he can scrap his heart out.
7
Hey, at least there's almost always a parking space out front if you want to stop by Anna Bananna's. I was always curious about that place, having lived in the neighborhood for years, but it never bothered me. And honestly, the Starbucks down the street at Lovejoy is the biggest eyesore of all.
8
Eyesore, schmeyesore. If the guy owns the building, and doesn't let it fall into disrepair to the point that it becomes a safety hazard, then he has just as much call to be there as anyone else. If the neighbors don't find the peeling paint and cardboard in the windows genteel enough, fuck 'em. He's been there longer than most of them have, and as a property owner, he's got his rights. This seems to happen every time somebody moves into a neighborhood and fixes up an old house or starts a successful business... Suddenly they feel entitled to demand everybody who was there before start living up to their aesthetic standards. Well tough titties, bo-bos, but I'm afraid you're not the center of the universe. Get used to it.
9
AMAZING!! Is it ZONED for RECYCLING???? What does City Hall Say?? Is this Healthy(vermin)? If this is "his" business WHAT does his home look like and WHERE does he live.........can you IMAGINE???? Its about time Portland DO something about these things instead of BIKE LANES!!!
10
Could the assholes commenting on this be any more entitled? I liked nw better when homeless people shit on the sidewalks there. There's a new stench that comes from gentrification and its less appealing than vagrant dook.

This recycling business may be an eyesore to you mealy-mouthed pussies, but I say god bless the motherfucker for 1. Caring enough about our planet and future to walk the talk. So many of us pay lip service to being environmentally conscious, but the buck stops at the fucking curb where you dump your weeks worth of packaging and leave it up to someone else. And 2. Allowing homeless people to rest at his door. Again, how many of us claim to be compassionate, but cringe at the sight or smell of someone less fortunate than most?

Shame on you.

11
it is his goddamn property stolen from the natives fair and square let him do with it as he wants
12
@ pattty is it zoned god you are really a fucking idiot it is not ours to ZONE
13
Jeff is one great guy! I have know the family for close to 30 years...These are good people and have helped many people back in the day with free credit, check cashing and always on hand to give help to anyone in need!
Jeff pays his taxes and helps the needy..Leave him alone!

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