At out last meeting in March, the topic of the I-5 Rose Quarter Expansion Project was discussed and an unanimous vote was taken to oppose the project. See our prior post for more details, including information about the survey to confirm our opposition —

The results of the survey exceeded the threshold of more than 60% of the respondents opposing the I-5 Rose Quarter Freeway Expansion project and supporting No More Freeways PDX. If we had not exceeded the threshold, our vote to oppose the project would stand, but we would not publish a letter expressing our opposition. Exceeding that threshold was the agreed upon trigger for Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association to release an official letter of opposition, which you can see below. Thank you for engaging in this important policy discussion and allowing us to amplify your voices to the city and state!

File Your Own Comments

The public comment period is ending at 5 PM on Monday 1-April.

Support Freeway Expansion: If you support the project, you can file your comments directly at the I-5 Rose Quarter Project site.

Oppose Freeway Expansion: If you opposed the project, you can file your comments directly at the project’s site (link above), or you can use the system at No More Freeways PDX where you will find talking points to help you build your case.

History of Activism through Neighborhood Associations

The Neighborhood Association system was formed based on citizens stepping up to have their voices heard in city planning efforts.

The League of Women Voters of Portland studied Portland’s neighborhood system in the mid-2000s. As part of this effort, the League prepared a short history of Portland’s neighborhood system through 2005.

History and Related Documents, City of Portland Office of Community & Civic Life

Here is an excerpt from that study:

Neighborhood Voice in Portland
Neighborhoods of Portland emerged as participants in city planning between 1966 and 1980. Among the earliest was Lair Hill, where students, renters, and Jewish and Italian families displaced by the South Auditorium urban renewal project rose up against city plans for redevelopment. In 1966, Northeast Portland applied to participate in the Model Cities program; a citizens’ planning board was appointed to guide the project. In Northwest Portland, proposals to expand Good Samaritan Hospital and to build a freeway spurred neighborhoods to organize and become negotiators for plans that saved older neighborhoods. In 1971, Southeast neighborhoods successfully challenged the building of the Mount Hood Freeway. Forces behind the emergence of neighborhood voice were:

• Residents who reacted against city plans to urbanize older, inner city neighborhoods through increased densities, commercial uses, and transportation projects.
• New city leaders who were not tied to old planning practices.
• Increased requirements for citizen participation in federal and state programs, including Model Cities, Office of Economic Opportunity, Urban Renewal, Housing and Community Development, and in Oregon, SB 100 initiating the state’s land use laws.

League of Women Voters of Portland, Portland’s Neighborhood Associations–Part I — History, October 2005