Earth to Portland

File this one under:  "Things that are happening in Lake Oswego that people thought they could escape by moving to the suburbs."

OR:  "Simple ways to ruin a city."

Lake Oswego is becoming Portlandized.

We are following Portland off of the livability cliff just like good little lemmings with our eyes wide shut.  You see the problems other cities are having with failed policies and practices, yet you continue to do them.  Can anything be more stupid?

If you don't believe that Lake Oswego has city-created parking problems, drive down the one-block section of Oakridge Rd. between Boones Ferry Rd. and Quarry Rd.  At certain times of the day, the cars lining the shoulders of the road choke the asphalt roadway and narrow the distance between passing cars. Why? City planners limited
parking at Oakride Park to 50% of its occupancy leaving the remainder of residents to fend for themselves.  The parking spaces in the lot are at such high demand, there is a drawing each year for the precious spots.  The city's plan was for the "old" folks to take a bus because old people aren't supposed to drive.  Later, they obtained an offsite space at a church, but that plan failed because people want to park near their homes.

Then there is the new Wells Fargo Bank.  Less parking by city edict than the bank wanted, so bank employees jockey for space on Oakridge with the Oakridge Park residents.  Totally predictable.  I suppose bank employees are supposed to take the bus too.  The Waluga Neighborhood Associaton complained, but it did no good.

And let's not forget Lake Grove Shopping Center.  It too, was built with fewer spaces than the owner wanted because of city limits on spaces.

When it opened, it was a mess.  Totally predictable of course.  Retail properties know what kind of parking their businesses need. Who was listening?  The bus runs by there too, so maybe shoppers are supposed to take transit to the store or to restaurants in the evening.  People in Portland don't even do that.  This is the suburbs!  The employees park off site at the owner's added expense.

Planning that is going on
for downtown will certainly cause big problems when density meets parking modifiers and new residents and their guests are thrown into the street to fend for themselves.  The surrounding neighborhoods will be hit hard and fewer people will be enticed to mess with shopping or dining downtown.  No wonder the Evergreen and the First Addition/Forest Hills Neighborhood Associations were have spoken up about about density and parking downtown.

If you want a livable city, contact your city council and tell them so.  

Portland has created parking problems through bad planning

GUEST OPINION:  By David Krogh
The Oregonian/Oregonlive March 24, 2015

David Krogh of Southeast Portland, ks a retired land use planner.  

...As suggested, new apartments are being constructed along many eastside transit streets with little to no parking of their own.

Why? Because the City Council is so gung-ho on promoting transit-oriented housing that it is providing fee breaks and parking reductions for new apartments.

So where will new residents park? On the street, of course!  If there isn't parking at the apartment building, the renters and visitors park in the neighborhood.

And the city also wants to increase densities.

All of this suggests that neighborhood character is not a priority for the city.

"Earth to Portland: The car is not going to go away, no matter how inconvenient the city makes it for drivers."

Sound comprehensive planning means development or density does not occur without adequate facilities.

COMMENTS:
The obvious solution is to keep anyone else from moving here. Does anyone have any idea how that can be accomplished?

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We only live on less than 3% of the state of Oregon, but the politicians and planners and stacking and packing us in to a very small area.  As they rail against the mythical sprawl problem.

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Thousands of units built with no parking.  But no way can renters be restricted to only those without cars.  Thousands of people with cars that live in those units are now lining the streets with their cars, and then add in the cars from visitors.  And this is the agenda that is being shoved down our throats by Fritz, Hales, Saltzman, Fish and Novick.  For our own good? 

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"Bicycle use is expected to increase to nearly 30 percent of all trips.  Really!?!  Right now 6% of people are riding bikes in Portland.  And lets get a number on how many of those people own cars.  I question that this percentage is going to increase 500% in 20 years.  Portland has bragged about being a bike town since the 70's and it is still only 6% that are riding bikes.  Face the reality of that.

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The City Council members have deliberately ignored the reality of the impact of infill, skinny houses and thousands of apartment units with ZERO parking, crammed into our neighborhoods.  Shame on them. 

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If density is so great, why do 95% of Portland's "leaders" live in suburbia or exurbia? If cars are so evil, why do 95% of those same "leaders" own, and use, an SUV or other vehicle for commuting and pleasure? If rail transit is so great, why have all but one or two of Metro, Trimet's, and Portland's leaders never used the MAX, except for specious photo ops? If farmland is so precious, why do smug fools like Elizabeth Furse luxuriate on 40 acre exurban hobby farms that they say the rest of us ought to not have? If parking is so evil, why does City Hall have a parking garage?