Tag Archives: testimony

Continued Testimony at City Council for Code 3.96

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If you signed up to testify on November 14th, but did not get a chance to speak, YOU ARE ON THE LIST!

Portland City Council Meeting regarding Code Change 3.96
Thursday, 2:00 PM, January 9th, 2020
City Hall – 1221 SW Fourth Avenue

Authorize the Office of Community & Civic Life to convene an internal multi-bureau work group to develop a plan for updating cross referenced responsibilities for public involvement and commit to renewing District Coalition Office contracts through June 2023 (Previous Agenda 1053; Resolution introduced by Commissioner Eudaly)

  • Item 24 Code Change Timeline 2019 to 2023
  • Item 24 Code For All Portlanders
  • Item 24 Exhibit B Chapter 3.96 References

Can’t make it or need assistance?

  • Council Chambers is equipped with a sound system for the hearing impaired. Assisted listening devices are available from the Clerk.
  • The City of Portland will gladly accommodate requests for an interpreter or make other accommodations that further inclusivity. Please make your request at least 72 hours before the meeting to the Council Clerk 503-823-4086. (TTY 503-823-6868).
  • City Council meetings can be viewed at http://www.portlandoregon.gov/video
  • The meetings are also cablecast on CityNet, Portland Community Media television. Watch CityNet on Xfinity Channel 30 and 330 (in HD) and CenturyLink Channels 8005 and 8505 (in HD).
  • Send your testimony in writing via email.

Code Change 3.96 Minority Report and Neighbor Testimony

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A Minority Report written by Committee 3.96 was released in September 2019.  To view it on the BDNA Google Drive, click here.

Additionally, four members of SE neighborhood associations testified at the October 2nd, 2019, 9:30AM Portland City Council meeting: Pete Forsyth of South Tabor, Chelsea Powers of Brentwood-Darlington, Sabina Urdes of Lents, and Allen Field of Richmond.  Their testimony begins around the 11 minute mark of the official City Council video below.

82nd Avenue: Proposals available for public review and testimony

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The 82nd Avenue Study project looks at the development potential of properties along 82nd Avenue and identifies barriers that can be addressed in the near term with an eye toward long-term solutions.  A report summarizing the effort, the 82nd Avenue Study: Understanding Barriers to Development Draft Report, has been available for public review since December 2018.

Learn more about improvements to 82nd Avenue, related zoning changes and transportation proposals available for public review and testimony by clicking here!

How to Testify:

  • In Person: Planning and Sustainability Commission (PSC) public hearing –
    • March 12, 12:30PM, 1900 SW 4th Avenue (SW 4th and Hall Street), 2nd floor
    • Project staff will be on hand starting at 11:30AM to help people sign up to testify.
  • In Writing: Send by mail to –
    • Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission
      82nd Avenue Study Testimony
      1900 SW 4th Ave, Suite 7100
      Portland, OR 97201
    • Written testimony must be received by noon on March 12, 2019.
  • The Map App: Click on the “testify” button and fill in the blanks.
    • You can read your testimony and others in real time.

Testify for Our Sidewalks on February 6!

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WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Testify in person at the February 6th Portland City Council meeting or send your written letters of testimony to the Council Clerk: Karla Moore-Love, 1221 SW 4th, Room 130, Portland, OR 97204

In 2016, neighbors and board members, some with small children in tow, testified before Metro.  This key piece of advocacy secured over $5M for sidewalk infill and more in Brentwood-Darlington, thanks to a Regional Flexible Funds grant.  Now, the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for accepting that grant goes to City Council on the morning of Wednesday, February 6th. With the completion of the IGA, the funding finally starts flowing and Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) can start design engineering! Please show your support of the City accepting this grant money and let them know how ready we are for our new sidewalks!

Request for Support for Public Safety

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From Mayor Wheeler’s Office:

As the 2018-2019 budget season is well underway, the Mayor’s Office would like to encourage our constituents with public safety concerns to give testimony in support of Portland Police Bureau’s budget request. Public safety in our community is in jeopardy.

The bureau is requesting funds for 93 additional sworn officers, and nine additional non-sworn professional positions. These requests support the Mayor’s key priorities of increasing public safety and police accountability, maintaining the City’s critical infrastructure, and enhancing livability. The bureau’s requests for additional ongoing resources will advance the bureau’s mission and goals to provide 21st Century Policing services, to support organizational excellence and inclusion, and to rebuild police units so they can better deliver community policing to all residents.

Staffing within the PPB has been a critical issue for the bureau for many years, and there are several factors that impact this issue: recruitment and hiring, attrition and number of officers.

There are the fewer officers in the bureau as there were a decade ago, despite a 10 percent increase in Portland’s population. This request would increase the number of officer positions by approximately 10 percent–on par with Portland’s growth.

The Portland Police Bureau continues to face challenges in patrol staffing, which has led to declining response times. In the last five years, total 911 call volume has increased by over 22%. These calls include a 97% increase in stolen vehicle calls, 64% increase in unwanted persons calls and a 32% increase in disorder calls.

Without an increase in staffing, the response time for these calls will only grow, threatening the safety of all Portlanders.  We urge constituents with any public safety concerns to voice their support for this proposed budget.

Your voice in this conversation is essential, and we urge constituents to either submit written testimony, contact city commissioners or attend one of the upcoming community budget events:

Community Budget Forums

April 17, 2018, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Roosevelt High School
6941 N Central St, 97203
Bus lines 44 and 75
Most testimony by random drawing

Budget Committee Hearings

May 10, 2018, 6:00pm – 8:30pm, hearing to receive public testimony
Council Chambers, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204

May 16, 2018, 2:00pm, Council Action to approve City Budget, testimony heard
Council Chambers, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204

Utility Rate Review
May 17, 2018 (first reading), 2:00pm, second reading May 23, 2018, time TBD
Council Chambers, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204

TSCC Public Hearing
June 6, 2018, 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Rose Room, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Council Action to Adopt Budget
June 7, 2018, 2:00pm
Council Chambers, Portland City Hall
1221 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Better Housing by Design

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From Portland’s Bureau of Planning & Sustainability:

Better Housing by Design draft Zoning Code amendments now available for review

How can Portland’s multi-dwelling zones be improved to ensure more people live in safe and healthy housing that meets their needs?

The Better Housing by Design project team has been addressing that question for the past year. With the help of community members, multi-family housing developers, renter advocates and others, the team developed the Better Housing by Design Concept Report.

Now proposed zoning code and map amendments to implement the concepts for Portland’s multi-dwelling zones are available for public review in the BHD Discussion Draft.

Read the Better Housing by Design Discussion Draft.

WHAT’S IN THE DISCUSSION DRAFT?

The proposed code changes will help ensure that new development in Portland’s multi-dwelling zones better meets the needs of current and future residents as well as contributes positive qualities to the places where they are built.

The Discussion Draft proposals will shape new development in the multi-dwelling zones by:

  • Revising the multi-dwelling zones so they relate to different types of places.
  • Regulating development intensity by the size of buildings, instead of the number of units in the building.
  • Adding incentives for affordable housing.
  • Requiring shared outdoor spaces like courtyards for larger projects.
  • Encouraging innovative green features and tree preservation.
  • Limiting front garages and surface parking.
  • Shaping building scale and setbacks to integrate development with neighborhoods.
  • Applying standards for East Portland for better design suited to the area’s characteristics.

Learn more and comment

Portlanders are invited to learn more about the Discussion Draft and give their feedback in the coming weeks. This public outreach period is focused on familiarizing community members with the detailed code amendments in preparation for the Planning and Sustainability Commission and subsequent City Council hearings later this year.

Comments on the Discussion Draft are due by March 19, 2018.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Two open houses will give community members a chance to review the proposals and talk to staff. The project team will provide a presentation summarizing the proposals and be available to answer questions.

Central Portland

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
1900 SW 4th Avenue, Room 2500 (2nd floor)
TriMet:  Multiple bus, MAX and streetcar lines

Eastern Portland

Thursday, February 8, 2018, 6 – 8 p.m.
9955 NE Glisan Street (Ride Connection Office)
TriMet: Bus #15 and 19; MAX Blue, Green, Red lines

HOW TO COMMENT

Comments are due by Monday, March 19, 2018. Send your comments to:

E-mail: betterhousing@portlandoregon.gov

Mail:
City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability
Attn: Better Housing by Design Project
1900 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 7100
Portland, OR  97201

Notice of Proposed Changes to Inclusionary Housing

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The public is invited to testify on proposed changes to the Inclusionary Housing Homeownership program, HOU-3.04.VII.B. For-sale units.

Proposed changes to administrative rules at the Portland Housing Bureau require a 60-day public notification prior to the effective date of the rule and a public hearing must be held where testimony can be heard. 
The homeownership section of Inclusionary Housing establishes participant eligibility, income qualification, unit sale price and resale price formulas, among other items. 
The proposed changes can be found on the Portland Housing Bureau website at www.portlandoregon.gov/phb/IHdraft. Paper copies will also be available at the Portland Housing Bureau located at 421 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 500. 
Written testimony must be received by or on the date of the hearing. You must include your first and last name in your testimony to be officially considered.

 

To Submit Your Testimony

Testimony may be submitted via email, fax, letter or in person.
Portland Housing Bureau
c/o IH Testimony
421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 500
Portland, Oregon 97204
  • In person: Wednesday, February 21, 6-8pm
Portland Housing Bureau
421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 500
Portland, Oregon 97204
If you need translation services at the hearing, please contact Jessica Conner, Inclusionary Housing Homeownership Rules Coordinator, at 503-823-4100 at least 3 days prior to the hearing. 

 

At the Hearing

If you would like to testify, you will need to fill out a testifier card when you arrive and hand it to the assigned staff member.

When your name is called, go up to the table for testifiers. Speak into the microphone. Each person will be given two minutes to state their testimony. Begin by stating your name as well as any group or organization you are testifying on behalf of. If you have written materials, you can give them to a staff member before you testify.

 

Tips:
  • It can be helpful to prepare an outline of what you want to say or even write it all out. Practicing a few times can also be beneficial.
  • Focus on the major points you want to make. You can submit letters with more detail.
  • Repetitive testimony is not always as effective as a planned, coordinated presentation. If you are aware of other people who plan to testify who share your feelings, you can organize a few main speakers from your group to speak about different topics related to the project. 
  • If you require special visual, audio or other accommodations to testify, please contactJessica Conner, the Rules Coordinator at the Portland Housing Bureau, at least five business days before the meeting with your request. 
If you have questions regarding the proposed rule changes or the rulemaking process, please contact the Inclusionary Housing Homeownership Rules Coordinator: 
Jessica Conner, Housing Policy Planner
jessica.conner@portlandoregon.gov
503-823-4100

City Council to Hold Public Hearings on CC2035 Plan

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The Portland City Council will consider the Recommended Draft Central City 2035 Plan at four public hearings this week and next. Community members are invited to testify at these hearings, which will be held in Council Chambers at City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave. in Downtown Portland.

Different aspects of the multi-volume plan will be considered by Council at different dates and times:

PUBLIC HEARING #1: September 7, 2017 @ 2:00PM, time certain (“Time certain” means the meeting will not start before this time.)
Volume 1: Goals and Policies
Volume 2A, Part 1: Central City Plan District
Volume 2A, Part 2: Willamette River and Trails
Volume 2B: Transportation System Plan
Volume 3A: Scenic Resources Protection Plan
Volume 3B: Willamette River Central Reach Natural Resources Protection Plan
Volume 5A: Implementation – Performance Targets and Action Plans
Volume 5B: Implementation – Green Loop

Draft Council Amendments
Council will hear public testimony on the bulk of the plan, including goals and policies, as well as proposed changes to the zoning code, zoning maps and other planning documents that implement the CC2035 policies. Council will also take testimony on the CC2035 Plan action charts and the Green Loop, a proposed Central City linear park.
Council will also take testimony on a package of amendments to the Recommended Draft CC2035 Plan offered by the Mayor and other Commissioners. The amendments document will be updated prior to the hearing.

PUBLIC HEARING #2
September 7, 2017 @ 4:30PM, time certain
Commissioners will consider early implementation of proposed increases to the maximum height and floor area limits on the US. Postal Service (USPS) site, located in the Pearl District. Early implementation is needed because of City funding contingencies and Prosper Portland’s need to begin marketing the site ahead of the anticipated March 2018 effective date of the CC2035 Plan.

Note: It is possible that Council may not be able to hear every person who signed up to testify on September 7. In that case, those individuals will have first chance to testify at the September 14 hearing, before those who sign up on September 14.

PUBLIC HEARING #3
September 14, 2017 @ 2:00PM, time certain
Council will hear testimony on the Recommended Draft New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District Design Guidelines. The new guidelines will serve as approval criteria for addition, alteration and new construction projects within the historic district.

Note: Any carryover testimony from the September 7 hearing will be heard prior to testimony on the guidelines.

PUBLIC HEARING #4
September 14, 2017 @ 2:45PM, time certain
Volume 2A, Part 3: Environmental and Scenic

Council will hear testimony on CC2035 plan-related amendments to environmental and scenic resource regulations that apply outside the Central City. A new standard is proposed for view corridors located in the scenic (s) overlay. It would allow tree and vegetation trimming and removal through a standard instead of environmental review to maintain important public views.

For more information, click here!