Battle of the Block: Day 1

The Battle to Save The Village

Chapter 1

"Day One: The Rattle of Swords"

Day One was a skirmish with the Appellant Army assembling their forces on their side of the battlefield in heart of the Town Center, and the opposition troops off in Evergreen Wood, biding their time.
    Two Appellant generals rode their steeds to the 

fore and raised their swords to signal the
Gods that they were ready for battle.  They appealed to the Gods to make them victorious in the coming fight.  They had expended much of their wealth to get this far never thinking the townsfolk and their benefactor would be so fearsome.  This battle was crucial for success.

The generals were joined by their soldiers, who, one by one, came forward and repeated the same chant to the Gods - that theirs was a worthy cause, and that they would bring riches and vibrancy to the townsfolk they sought to vanquish.  Some of the town's shopkeepers and dignitaries joined the Appellant's Army, for they had seen the generals' great wealth by the way they lived and coveted the riches they had promised.  


After the Appellants made their case, the Gods spoke and asked the townsfolk to give
 answer to the Appellant Army.  "What do you want?" they asked.  "Why is it you refuse riches and vibrancy?  Are you all daft?"

The townsfolk emerged from the Wood and assembled in the Town Center to give answer to the Gods.  

"My Lords, the Appellants promise much, but we have heard their grand schemes and fear the number of new people they would bring to our village would tax our fields and empty our wells, " said one.

"Our gardens will lie in the shadows of their tall buildings, and the newcomers in their balconies will peer down on our festivals in the park and our travels on the roads," said another.  "How are we to live here in peace?"



"We are a friendly village," they all cried.  "We would gladly take new neighbors into our fold, but this is too much in one place at one time.  It will ruin our life here."  

The Gods nodded to show that they had heard what all had said.  "It is time to rest, for we are growing weary.  We will think upon what we have heard and meet again at the beginning of the next nightfall."  And the Gods rested.  

The Battle of the Block

Battle over Wizer Block plan heads to the Lake Oswego City Council

The Oregonian, September 22, 2014, By Michael Bamesberger

The battle over a proposal to redevelop Lake Oswego's Wizer Block continues Monday as the developer makes an appeal to the City Council.

Patrick Kessi, principal with Evergreen Group LLC, is fighting back against a July decision by the city's Development Review Commission to deny his plan for an upscale apartment and commercial complex in the heart of downtown Lake Oswego.

A majority of the commission found the project did not meet the city's "village character" design standard and the vision for a "compact shopping district." But Kessi argues that the commission misapplied the design standard and the decision was made in error.

Supporters said the project would invigorate the area's shops and restaurants, continuing the success of surrounding developments like Lake View Village. 

But critics pounced on the $93 million plan, arguing it featured too many housing units, not enough retail space and, at five-stories, was too tall. The Wizer Block, they said, is designated to be a largely commercial, not residential, block.  

Both sides are waging a public relations campaign. The developer created a website, www.keeplakeoswegovillagevibrant.com, and Facebook page to promote the redesign. Meanwhile, the group Save Our Village has been organizing residents against the plan. 

The hearing will be streaming at the city's website. More information about the appeal hearing can be found on the project's website.

Save all our small towns

Save Our Village:  New Jersey, USA 

northjersey.com. March 6, 2014  By Laura Herzog

Planner for "Citizens for a Better Ridgewood" testifies before planning board 

The planner for the grassroots group Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) said at Tuesday's packed Planning Board hearing that three high-density multifamily housing developments proposed for the downtown area are "out of scale" with their surroundings. 

"I am encouraged by the growing community interest and awareness of this very important issue that sits before our Village Planning Board," [Amy Bourque] said. "It seems as if very few members of our community are in favor of these high-density zoning changes. It leaves us scratching our heads as to why we must sit here and contemplate something that seems so drastically out of character for the Village of Ridgewood." 
________________________________________________________________________________

Save Our Village: Bloor West Village, Canada

http://saveourvillage.ca/news/

Condos Are Coming 

The condos are coming to Bloor West Village. Old buildings, empty lots and parking lots are all candidates. What do you want the future of Bloor West Village to look like? Condos in the 8 – 12 storey range are proposed. Now is the time to start participating, adding your voice to help balance the perspective of the developers and the city planners who together will reshape how Bloor West Village feels over the next decade. ______________________________________________________________________________

Save Our Village: Brightstone, Isle of Wight, UK

http://www.change.org/p/isle-of-wight-council-planning-services-save-our-village-of-brighstone-refuse-permission-to-build-on-blanchards-2

Save Our Village of Brightstone -refuse permissiono build on Blanchards

Brighstone lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and its coastline is designated as a Heritage Coast and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI).

A developer, Christopher Scott, is proposing to build 57 dwellings including flats, terraced houses detached and semi-detached properties and a doctor’s surgery on a 10 acre piece of agricultural land, known as Blanchards, in the middle of the historic village of Brighstone on the Isle of Wight.
________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
Save Our Small Town: Lake Placid
http://www.saveoursmalltown.com. 
Save Our Small Town.com is a web site inspired 
by a group of local citizens in Lake Placid New 
York who are passionately fighting  to save the 
small town they love from overdevelopment.  

All across America these same battles are being waged between local residents defending their towns from unbridled overdevelopment.

Promises made

Wonderfully put.

Perhaps the Council didn't guess that the ultimate design would be so poor.  Will the Council demand that promises made in exchange for $5+ million of taxpayer money be honored?  They should.
                                                          * * * *

Lake Oswego Review; Readers' Letters, September 18, 2014

This is what we may get? 

Is the Wizer proposal really what this community wants to morph into?

The proposal is on property identified in city planning documents as being one of four “compact shopping district” blocks. The property is a prime retail block, yet as designed, the interior first level is comprised of: offices (not much vitality there!); a private library for the residents of the apartments; an exercise room for the residents of the apartments; a private patio for the residents of the apartments; a “Club Lounge” for the residents of the apartments; and restrooms and a sauna for the residents of the apartments.

Wow, this project is going to be a real generator of retail activity downtown!

The agreement between the developer and the Lake Oswego Redevelopment Agency, in Section 6.15, calls for the walkway between First and Second streets to be subject to “...the terms of an easement to allow reasonable access to the pedestrian corridor running east and west...” which is to “...seek to balance the residential nature of the improvements along the pedestrian corridor with reasonable public access.”

Shouldn’t the city have the language of this agreement made public before the City Council acts on the appeal? What if the developer and the city do not reach terms agreeable to both parties? Will the interior be potentially closed to the public?

All this property is zoned for commercial ground-floor usage, and this is what we may get?

Lori Grady

Lake Oswego

On doing well, and doing good

two thoughts:

killing the golden goose 

One day, a fairy rewarded a woman for her hard wok.  The woman receives a goose.  Each day the goose would lay a golden egg.  The woman would sell the egg and buy the things she wanted.

But soon the woman got greedy and wanted all the treasure at once.  She cut the goose to get all the eggs only to find that there were none inside.

the golden rule

Christian:   (Luke 6:31)  "Do to others as you would have them do to you." 

Sermon on the Mount (St. Matthew 7:12): "So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets." 

(John 13:34): "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

Epictetus: "What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." (circa 100 CE)

Seneca: "Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors."  Epistle 47:11 (Rome; 1st century CE)

putting it together:  

The Wizer Block development reflects the Evergreen Group LLC owners and team.  How are each of them affected by the product they are trying to market?   Elaine Franklin, wife of Senator Bob Packwood, lives in Dunthorpe;  Patick Kessi and his family live in Scappoose;  Gene Wizer lives on Wall Street in Lake Oswego;  Christe White, a "top-flight dealmaker" attorney is from Laurelhurst;   Len Bergstein lives in Portland.  They aren't affected at all except for the money they will pocket.  The moral principals behind the golden rule will have been replaced by elitist self-interest.  This isn't their neighborhood, and except for one person, it isn't even their city.

Gene Wizer and his family helped build this town, and prospered.  The Wizers gave much to the community, and the fortune Mr. Wizer has today came from the community.  Only self interest is seen now as the community struggles with his plan that will affect the daily lives of a great many and alter the path of the city.  If the mega-apartment buildings get built, the goose that laid the golden egg will be killed : killed will be our city's small town character and the livability of downtown neighborhoods.

It's a feeling I can't shake - that something terribly wrong is happening here.  A different plan at a much smaller scale would be welcomed as a good neighbor, but this beast seems selfish, unfeeling, overwhelming and unwanted.  Morality, empathy and honesty are never out of place in business, and doing well should not be at the expense of doing good.

a golden opportunity
to do good.  

A house with a yard

State laws give Metro authority to act, but local citizens and governments can say no to most land use plans.  Vote carefully.

Public isn't embracing urban planners' view of a denser future
Lake Oswego Review, September 18, 2014  Editorial

Excerpts:

The prevailing sentiment among urban planners is that the Portland area is headed toward — and would benefit from — a denser future where more residents are living in condominiums, apartments and townhouses.

However, a recent survey of the people who live in this region ought to provide a splash of cold water on those notions. It turns out that only a small number of Portland-area residents want to live in such close quarters. Surprising or not, most people prefer to reside in a single-family, detached home — and, shockingly, a plurality even prefer the suburbs. (See story, Page A2.)

The survey was commissioned by the Metro regional government, which should be commended for its willingness to ask important questions. Now, however, the Metro council and staff must give serious consideration to the survey’s findings. Clearly, this survey challenges Metro’s narrative that the Portland area must continue to grow through infill and avoid expansion around the edges.

The results of the recent survey are not ambiguous when it comes to the housing preferences of Portland-area residents. Four out of five Portland metropolitan residents said they wanted to live in single-family, detached homes. Only 13 percent prefer an apartment or condo, and just 7 percent prefer a single-family attached home, such as a rowhouse or townhouse.

Metro officials might be tempted to ignore or explain away the overwhelming preference for single-family homes. If they accept the survey’s findings, it will be difficult for them to illustrate how the region can stay within its current urban boundaries.

Nonetheless, if the Metro council’s charge is to represent its constituents, it must take into account their housing preferences, or it will place at risk the public’s long-standing support for regional planning and conscientious land use.

Monday: Wizer Block Appeal Hearing

Speak Now or...

Appeal Hearing on the Wizer Block Permit Application is on Monday. 

Only those who testified in person or in writing may testify at this hearing.  Likewise, those who testify at the City Council Appeal Hearing will have standing to testify at the Land Use Board of Appeals Hearing, which is sure to follow next week's findings no matter the outcome.  Hang in there or  ...forever hold your peace.  

Wizer Block Appeal
Hearing Date, Time, and Location:

Monday, September 22, 2014; 6:00 PM* 

Council Chamber, 380 A Avenue

Lake Oswego, Oregon

(* If necessary to complete testimony, the public hearing may be continued to later dates, e.g., September 23 and 24)

FileNumber: LU13-0046

Appeal Hearing Notice*
Project Page
Staff Report  on Commission Findings


* includes how to testify

Expect to see a lot of sign-up style forms that say the person supports the Wizer Block.  Kessi's Hired Guns have had their tent out on Farmers Market days to entice people with graphics and clipboards with forms on hand.  These cannot be testimony, but they are trying to sway the Council nonetheless.  The move might backfire though - if I were on Council, I would throw forms like this away. 

Survey says suburbs are preferred

Well whadda ya know.  People like the burbs.  Does anyone still need convincing?  Let's dispense with the dogma about density and vibrancy.  If anyone thinks apartment bunkers are so great, then why do developers, political strategists and politicians live in exclusive enclaves or far from the density they support for others?   Com'on now - we all want the same thing: our own patch of earth to call our own and the peace to enjoy it.  (And freedom from government constraints.)

Where do most want to live? 
In the suburbs, survey says.      
The Lake Oswego Review, September 18, 2014  By Jim Redden

The traditional American Dream is alive and well in the Portland area.

Despite all the buzz about tiny homes on wheels and apartments with no designated parking, most Portland-area residents want to live in their own single-family detached home with a yard. And more people prefer the suburbs instead of downtown and close-in neighborhoods.

Those are among the results of the most comprehensive study on housing preferences ever conducted in Portland and surrounding communities. The Residential Preference Study for the Portland Region was undertaken by Metro, the elected regional government. The results are the most in-depth and complete ever gathered in the metropolitan area. And they fly in the face of national surveys that claim most people prefer to live in cities.

According to the study:

• Asked what kind of housing they prefer, 80 percent of metropolitan residents said a single-family detached home. Only 13 percent prefer an apartment or condo, and just 7 percent prefer a single-family attached home, such as a row house or townhouse.
• Asked where they prefer to live, 34 percent chose a suburban neighborhood, 27 percent chose an urban neighborhood or town center, 26 percent chose a rural neighborhood and 13 percent chose an urban central or downtown neighborhood.
• Reaffirming the preference for suburban-style living, 61 percent of respondents said they would like a large or medium size yard separating their home from a neighbor. Thirty-nine percent preferred a small yard or private courtyard.

The Metro Council is just beginning to consider the results of the housing preference study, which was released to the public on Sept. 4. Although the council is not obligated to honor the results, they will be discussed as it considers the draft Regional Growth Report in preparation for deciding whether to expand the Portland region’s urban growth boundary next year.

The complete study is available online at www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/ResidentialPreferenceStudy-FullReport.pdf.

I-5: The thin red line of the SW Corridor

How do Tigard, Tualatin, and Metro land use planning affect Lake Oswego?

My prediction:  Traffic, congestion, and pressure to develop dense housing and commercial uses (mixed use development) along connecting roadways like Kruse Way and Boones Ferry Rd. By the Freeway.  Perhaps connections to the Tigard Triangle from Southwood and pressure to develop that area and any area that abuts the freeway.

The Metro machine is moving in this direction, but citizens in Tigard and Tualatin are fighting back with anti-light rail or HCT without a oublic vote measures.  What do residents want?  The big boxes are moving in: is the Corridor the next Beaverton?   Will Lake Oswego residents have the right to decide about light rail and HCT?

The Oregonian, September 18, 2014  By Joseph Rose
Tualatin Cabela's opening raises concerns about worsening big-box traffic jams in Washington County


Long before regular traffic jams, a sprawling Fred Meyer and the new Cabela'soutdoor-gear emporium dominated the landscape, Tualatin's Southwest Nyberg Street was part of a prehistoric ice age trail.

"I already have to sit in a holding pattern at green lights without moving on Nyberg," said [Helena] Dyer, who works as a manager for a health-care company based in downtown Portland. "Just imagine how bad it will be when that place opens."

In reality, it's just one piece of a bigger problem facing the region's rapidly growing Southwest Corridor: Traffic jams caused by shopping rather than workaday commuting.


As Metro planners and elected officials map out a 20-year transportation strategy that is expected to push for a controversial new light-rail line, a boom in big-box development along crowded highways has already caused traffic patterns in Washington County to collide.

As the plan takes shape, Metro is focusing on light rail or bus rapid transit with dedicated express lanes as its preferred ways of moving people in the future. Just as the Cascade Station shopping mall and Ikea sprouted next to the Red Line near Portland International Airport, a new age of commerce would likely bloom around high-capacity transit in the Southwest Corridor, planners say.  

"High-capacity transit could add a lot of cohesion to retail development in the corridor, as well as reduce traffic," said Noelle Dobson, a Metro community engagement specialist.


But that hasn't stopped TriMet from pitching a two-branch transit line that could end in both Tigard and Tualatin. Metro planners and elected officials are progressing as if the dichotomy doesn't exist, or like it will just work itself out once a certain number of people get sick of being stuck behind the wheel. 

Regardless of how the fight over Metro's big transit dreams plays out, Tigard planner Cheryl Caines said the city can't afford to continue 20^th century "silo planning," where land is zoned exclusively for living, working and shopping.

The Tigard Triangle -- a 450-acre area bound by Interstate 5 to the east, Oregon 217 to the southwest, and Oregon 99W to the north -- has been identified for future redevelopment that would better mix housing, employment and shopping as the region's population grows. Currently, the triangle is dominated by office space and parking lots. 

"There's not a lot of transit serving the area, so we have to plan around that," Caines said. "We need to make it easier to walk rather than getting into your car for every trip to go buy something."

Millennials surprise experts

Hold onto your seat!  Echo Boom (aka Millennial) births peaked in 1990 and as adults, their numbers are moving into the age of marriage and children of their own.  And they want a house to call home.  Just like the idea that people won't want want or need automobiles, when it comes to housing, the Central Planners have it wrong.

For generations, the goal was for a family to own their own home.  Homeownership solidifies a community and gives families and neighborhoods alike stability, social connection and safety.  Human needs don't change.

In desire for homeownership, millennials not so different after all, study finds
The Oregonian, September 16, 2014  By Eliot Njus

Real estate agent Amanda Haworth, right, shows a home in Southeast Portland. (Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian/2012) 

The conventional wisdom has been that millennials, who came of age in the middle of the Great Recession and a deep housing crash, might be turned off to homeownership.

Gleaning some knowledge of this generation's habits and preferences is critical to developers, builders and planners. According to the institute, about 8.5 million new millennial households will be formed by 2018, and in the meantime millennials will spend $1.6 trillion on renting and buying homes.

Other findings from the survey:

• 88 percent of millennial households own a car.
• Millennials have little saved for a down payment on a home, but they're open to new approaches to home finance. Most (69 percent) said they would consider a potentially risky lease-to-own arrangement.
• 36 percent of millennials say they plan to buy their next home. Another 26 plan to rent single-family houses, while 36 percent plan to rent in multifamily apartment buildings. Only 2 percent plan to buy condos in multifamily buildings.

Student debt and a rough start in the workforce may delay homeownership for millennials, The Demand Institute acknowledged, but it isn't likely to forestall it completely.

And Tualatin too!

Citizens Rule!  

Special Election September 16, 2014

34-220	City of Tualatin	Prohibits using city resources for rail transit without specified election

Next Update Friday at 3:00pm. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------           

SUMMARY REPORT             Washington County, Oregon          Unofficial 

Run Date:      09/16/14             Special Election 

RUN TIME:  09:19 PM           September 16, 2014 

                                                                     VOTES     PERCENT 

 PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 6)  .  .  .  .  . . . . . ..         6         100.00 

 REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL .  .  .  .  .    11,877 

 BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL.  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . .3,191 

 VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL  .  .  .  .  .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.87 

 34-220 City of Tualatin
          Proposed Charter Amendment
          VOTE FOR  1 

                                         Yes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,381         74.62 

                                         No.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 810         25.38








======================================================================

Oregon in the dark about energy

It's hard to believe that Oregon is considering going down this destructive path towards higher energy costs for families, businesses and all consumers.  Redistribution of the tax to effect "equitiblilty" is nothing more than wealth distribution and the ability to control yet another essential part of our lives.

This IS NOT about climate change!  People won't use less gas to get to their jobs or to shop, and they won't use less natural gas or heating oil to heat or cool their homes.  But they WILL pay more of their disposable income for the privilege of doing so, plus more for consumable goods and services - the food they eat, the plumber that fixes the leaky pipe, the furniture delivery truck. The places people will cut back is where they spend what's left of their disposable income.  The damage to the economy will affect jobs and negatively impact the poor the most.  This is a short-sighted political concept without a reasonable or responsible outcome.

*

Broad outlines of a new carbon tax in Oregon get positive response from legislative committee.
The Oregonian, September 15, 2014  By Dana Tims

A new tax on carbon in Oregon could raise as much as $2 billion annually, a state legislative panel heard Monday. As proposed, the tax would be "revenue-neutral," meaning all of its proceeds would be "repatriated" to residents and businesses through lower taxes and other means. (Matt Brown/Associated Press)

*

Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2014  By Rob Taylor and Riahonnan Hoyle

Australia Becomes First Developed Nation to Repeal Carbon Tax

Tony Abbott Pledged to Get Rid of the Tax Last Year

CANBERRA, Australia—After almost a decade of heated political debate, Australia has become the world's first developed nation to repeal carbon laws that put a price on greenhouse-gas emissions.

Opinion:  Why Australia Ditched Its Carbon Tax - VIDEO
Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2014

Institute of Public Affairs Director of Development and Communications James Paterson explains why Australia became the first nation to repeal its carbon tax. 



Opinion:The Stealth Carbon Tax  - VIDEO
Wall Street Journal, February 29, 2012


Manhattan Institute senior fellow Robert Bryce on how electricity prices are skyrocketing in states with renewable energy mandates. 

Candidate and Issue Forums October 5 and 12

LOCAL (Lake Oswego Citizens Action League) is hosting 2 candidate forums for the community to hear the five candidates for City Council talk about their positions on topics important to the citizens of Lake Oswego.

LOCAL is a nonpartisan organization formed in 2012 to bring factual information to Lake Oswego citizens.  Their website is LOCitizens.com.

USC Disclaimer:  I am a member of LOCAL and support their activities.

*

          Welcome to Lake Oswego Citizens Action League.         

Five candidates are running for three open council seats in the November 4 election. LOCAL will be interviewing all the candidates individually as well as sponsoring a candidate forum on Sunday, October 12th. After the candidate forum, we will announce our endorsements based on LOCAL's five values:

• Prioritizing local needs
• Ensuring fiscal responsibility
• Focusing on essential city services
• Preserving local community character
• Respecting all citizens and their rights

LOCAL will also be sponsoring two issues forums. This is a great way to learn more about City issues and ask questions of community members who are familiar with particular issues.

Mark your calendars: LOCAL Issues and Candidate Forums:

• Issues Forum: Sunday, October 5, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, Lakeridge High School Auditorium

• Candidate Forum: Sunday, October 12th 3:00 to 5:00 pm, Lake Oswego High School Auditorium

Read about the candidates and their positions on a few issues here.

Solar Storms disruptive and beautiful

As I suspected, we are probably too late for any auroras to be seen with this solar flare. It would have been nice.  See update from NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center:

2014-09-14 02:34 UTC  Storm Conditions Now Waning
It has now been a little over 48 hours since the first of two CMEs passed Earth, 36 hours since the second arrived. This pair of plasma clouds interacted with Earth's magnetosphere, mostly on Friday evening, producing minor to strong (G1-G3) geomagnetic storms in their wake. Unfortunately for hopeful aurora watchers across most of the U.S., the majority of the activity occurred before dusk on Friday. However, our European friends were able to see them farther south than usual. A few sightings in New England and Eastern Canada were also reported.

The magnetosphere is currently quiet, though solar wind signatures suggest that a slight potential remains for as much as G1 (minor) storms over the next 12-18 hours.

An x1.6-class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun on September 10, 2014. This image was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and shows light in the 131-angstrom wavelength, which is typically colorized in teal.
Credit: NASA/SDO

Solar Storm Heading for Earth May Spark 
Auroras This Weekend

National Geographic Newswatch, Posted by Andrew Fazekas in StarStruck on September 11, 2014

Two powerful solar storm clouds are heading straight for Earth, triggering an aurora alert across northern Europe, Asia, Canada, and the northern United States.

Two giant flares—the second of which was an X-class, the most powerful of solar blasts—erupted on the sun’s fiery surface on September 9 and 10, shooting two outbursts of charged particles known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) into space. Space weather officials predict that these plasma clouds will produce strong geomagnetic storms and hit Earth on September 12 and 13.

The flares themselves were observed by NASA, which posted stunning photos and videos of the events on its website.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation that erupt from regions of the solar surface many times the size of our planet. They can cause disturbances in Earth’s atmosphere while disrupting GPS and radio signals. The disruptions can last as long as the flares do, anywhere from minutes to hours.

Sky Glow

Now attention has turned to the two CMEs that have Earth in their crosshairs. NOAA space weather forecasters report that when CMEs slam into Earth’s magnetic field, the results may include induced electrical currents that could trigger residential and commercial alarm systems, intermittent satellite navigation (GPS) problems, high-frequency radio outages, and potentially, northern lights.

So, the big question is whether we will get to see any sky fireworks from this solar storm. That will depend on the strength of the storm and the orientation of Earth’s dynamic magnetic field when it hits. Sky-watchers, particularly those in northern-latitude regions, should be on the lookout for possible auroras visible in the northern skies. Forecasters say that these sky glows may extend as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oregon. (See “Pictures: Auroras of February and March.”)

The best time to try and capture pictures of auroras, in general, is between midnight and the pre-dawn hours. Face the northern sky and look for green or red glows that start near the horizon. In terms of equipment and technique, all you need to have is a tripod-mounted DSLR camera with a wide-angle lens, capable of taking exposures of up to 20 seconds with a remote timer. (Related: “Did You Hear the Northern Lights?”)

Candidates talk

Get a first peek at what candidates for City Council are thinking.  There will be several options for candidate forums in the coming weeks for citizens to meet and hear from each of the five candidates.  The public should ask hard questions and demand straight answers.  What is important to you?

For an overview of initial candidate comments, see the Sept. 5 post on the Common Sense LO blog.

Let's be clear about codes

Clear and Objective Housing Codes

The Planning Commission and then the City Council will soon be hearing testimony about Clear and Objective Housing Standards before adopting new Community Development Codes for developers who want to build multifamily and mixed use housing.  You should know about these codes that appear boring but will have a huge impact on this town.  There are several more sets of code changes that are coming up that are equally important, so stay tuned.  Write to the Planning Commission and the City Council with your concerns and ideas - they really want and need to hear from citizens!    

Shouldn't all codes be clear and objective?  

Of course.  But most cities don't have the (reputed) 900-page encyclopedia of codes that Lake Oswego has.  There is a lot of detail, and a lot of ways one can interpret what the codes mean.  For a large-scale development, the interpretation of codes is first looked at by the planning department who either sends it back to the developer for fixes, or recommends the plans.  The plans are then passed on to the Development Review Commission to interpret community development codes and their application to the project.

This is where things get sticky.  

Builders in the state wanted to do away with the added step of going to the DRC for approval because of the time and cost of the process - also the uncertainty that citizens could appeal the DRC decision. The state legislature enacted rules that told jurisdictions that they must not inhibit housing construction by putting up too many regulatory barriers, and required "clear and objective" standards for housing.  It is up to each jurisdiction to figure out what those codes should look like.

The LO planning department has completed the Clear and Objective codes for single family homes and is in the home stretch for the multifamily and mixed use housing.  In most of the commercial areas where multifamily and mixed use housing is allowed there are design overlays, but even then, codes that spell out how buildings should be oriented or look can get tricky.  This is where things can go sideways very quickly.  Think Wizer Block.

Who makes the decisions?  

Using Clear and Objective Housing Codes, there would be no public input, no DRC, no right to appeal -- all decisions would be in the hands of the planning department.  This would be a ministerial decision.  As citizens, there would be nothing we could do about it, even if part of the building is commercial or traffic is a problem.  All discussions would be between staff and the developer, and ALL  decisions would come from staff..

No matter how the Clear and Objective standards are written, developers always have the right to choose to go through the "discretionary" process which is more public and involves the DRC.  This is the process that gives the city and citizens the best chance at seeing development occur at a scale that will fit.

What to do?  

You can take a code and simplify it in order to make it clear and objective.  This would give developers free reign to design within those codes and the planning department would have to approve the project.  Right now there is a lack of confidence in the Planning Department after they recommended the DRC approve the Wizer Block design on its first (and second) go-around.  Even after a re-design and a new hearing, the DRC denied the project, proving the planners do not judge projects in the same way as the DRC or knowledgable citizens.  If looser codes were in place, this and other big or poorly designed buildings could easily be built with only the Planning Department's approval.

Or ..... You can make a Clear and Objective code that would not result in an offensive or controversial building.  If developers did not like this path, they could use the discretionary path for a different kind of project.

Suggestion:

1.  Limit buildings to the minimum 2-stories in the Town Centers.
2.  Limit the FAR to control the mass. (Floor Area Ratio)
3.  Set max. height and height of top floor ceiling to be equivalent to the 2-story max.
4.  Require appropriate setbacks and articulation as normal.
5.  Require "adequate" parking on-site.

Variety is the spice of life

Read this now, before EVERY building and lot in our Town Centers is "revitalized" - bought by the city at a high price, sold to a developer at a low price who also gets a wad of freebies in urban renewal funds, with lot scraped bare and replaced by something in the "Lake Oswego Style."   All of this is deemed progress and the word "vibrant" (ugh!) is used a lot,l and it keeps people in Lake Oswego city government employed and amused and developers rich, so it continues.  But as this article tells us, the end result may not be so "vibrant" after all.

Our very strong mid-century past is something most towns don't have, and yet the city doesn't even recognize that it exists.  If we don't quit this urban renewal shell game, we will have lost our history and will find ourselves with one of those plastic, unauthentic, Disneyland towns where everything is new and not so appealing after all - just creepy.  It's not just new buildings that attract people, it's the right kind of shops and the jumble of old and new and types of shopping that makes a lively atmosphere.  So keep our history "vibrant" in order to keep our town alive.  (Is it time to put the urban renewal debt-machine to bed?)

                                                       Elm wood Village in Buffalo, NY

In Building Size and Age, Variety Yields Vibrancy

UrbanLand, August 7, 2014   By Edward T McMahon

Why is it that neighborhoods with older, smaller buildings often seem more vibrant than those with larger, newer ones? Historic preservationists have long argued that older structures play a crucial role in contributing to the livability of cities and the health of local economies. Most preservationists are familiar with Jane Jacobs’s book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, in which she argues that large-scale demolition and replacement of older, smaller buildings with large new structures drains the life and vitality from urban neighborhoods.

 Successful urban revitalization is seldom about the one big project. More likely, it is about a lot of little projects that work together synergistically to create a place where people want to be.

But the world has changed a lot since Jacobs penned her thesis. What role do older neighborhoods and smaller buildings play in 21st-century cities? According to a study recently released by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab, “older buildings draw more shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, [and] small businesses owned by women and minorities and jobs” than newer neighborhoods. The study, Older, Smaller, Better: Measuring How the Character of Buildings and Blocks Influences Urban Vitality, found that “on a per-square-foot basis, small-building corridors have a larger concentration of jobs, businesses, and creative-sector employment than downtown skyscrapers.”

None of this is meant to imply that we don’t need new buildings. Of course we do. But it does demonstrate that smaller, older buildings and blocks “punch above their weight class” when one is considering the full spectrum of outcomes on the per-square-foot basis. Cities need older buildings as well as new ones, and neighborhoods with small-scale historic buildings can be economic and cultural powerhouses when given a chance to survive and evolve.

The report also suggests that the “one-big-thing model of economic development” is often not as cost-effective as supporting the bottom-up revitalization of existing historic neighborhoods like Elmwood Village in Buffalo. Successful urban revitalization is seldom about the one big project. More likely, it is about a lot of little projects that work together synergistically to create a place where people want to be.

When a city is filled - keep building?

Is THIS kind of thing what they're talking about when they say we have to have high density in our town centers (AND employment areas) in order to KEEP IT OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS?  I realize that Central Planners and city officials are doing this to Portland - densifying the bungalow neighborhoods with no-parking apartments, skinny houses on half-lots, 6-story micro apartment buildings on 5,000 SF lots between single family homes, and accessory dwelling units popping up in every converted backyard garage and basement.  And I know that many here have Portland
Envy, but if the codes start chipping away at the single-family neighborhoods, then it's time to tar and feather the city council before running them out of town.  I'm probably have to repeat this multiple times - when the city is filled, stop building.

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Fee-Simple Small Lots Yield Urbane Density

UrbanLand, August 13, 2014  By Will Macht

In the drive to increase density in cities to accommodate the increased demand for housing among younger urban professionals, planners and developers have concentrated on taller multifamily buildings full of apartments and condominiums.

Some cities recognize that increasing density in urban areas outside commercial cores requires experimenting with ordinances that increase flexibility for developers to infill smaller sites in a way that permits more innovative solutions to site planning problems.
Los Angeles enacted a small-lot ordinance to allow construction of fee-simple, infill housing on small lots in multifamily and commercial zones as a way to enable compact building footprints and minimal streetfront and setback requirements. Whereas homeownership options traditionally had been limited to condos or single-family homes on typical 5,000-square-foot (465 sq m) lots, the passage of the small-lot ordinance extends ownership options to include townhouses, rowhouses, and
other types of infill housing 

typically only available for rent.

The footprint of each house provides about 770 square feet (72 sq m) of space per level to incorporate a variety of functions and spaces. At grade, a garage can house two cars, one compact, in 16- and 22-foot-deep (5 and 7 m) spaces. A flexible 430-square-foot (40 sq m) space with a full bathroom carved out of the garage area can be used as a home office or a guest bedroom. If a kitchenette were added to the space, it might be turned into an accessory 
dwelling unit.                                           (RCH Studios)

The second level of each house contains the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and a half bath in a variety of configurations depending on where the internal staircase is placed. Bay windows with floor-to-ceiling glass, kitchen islands, and gas fireplaces articulate the living spaces. Because the houses are 36 feet (11 m) tall, including the roof terraces, internal spaces on the second and third floors are nearly ten feet and nine feet (3 and 2.7 m) tall, respectively, filling the rooms with light and expanding their more-compact areas.

The lots are different sizes, offering somewhat varied private outdoor space. The two front houses (at right) are 1,800 square feet (167 sq m). The two lots at the rear (at left) are 1,600 square feet (149 sq m). The two houses between the others are the largest at 2,000 square feet (186 sq m) each. At grade, a garage houses two cars, one compact. (RCH Studios)

The third level contains a master suite with a separate shower and tub, dual sinks, and a walk-in closet; a second bedroom; and a laundry closet.
The choice of fee-simple lots rather than what could have been apartments or condos changes a broad spectrum of development considerations. The market for fee-simple ownership is broader, and the home values are higher than those for communal ownership. In Los Angeles, condo association fees are more than $400 per month versus no more than about $60 to $80 for the shared-maintenance expense at this development, Mordoch says. At that rate, he contends, the expense differential alone amounts to about $70,000 in capitalized value. In addition, other potential capital assessments for condos, and their shared-decision-making structure, do not appeal to many prospective buyers.