Stormwater permit revisions brewing on the horizon
11 May--The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is revising their 1200-Z and 1200-COLS stormwater permits to lower benchmarks and increase sampling and reporting requirements. So yes, life is about to get a little more complicated if you have a stormwater permit. For more information on the proposal, go to the DEQ web page...
For a chance to have your questions answered by a panel of experts, sign up for CCA's May 25th Breakfast Forum...
Portland is raising development fees
9 May--The Portland Bureau of Development Service (BDS)is funded largely through development and building permit fees. As the recession has hindered development, BDS has been forced to lay off employees and cut back on services. To help keep service at an acceptable level, BDS is proposing and 8% increase to most fees, effective July 1st. City Council will take up the issue on May 18th and vote on the increases May 25th. More information....
Multnomah County is looking for a few good business advisors
9 May--The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is looking for business owners, executives, directors and managers to become part of the new Business Advisory Council, designed to promote private sector growth and business expansion in Multnomah County.
The council will likely meet quarterly, and may provide insight and analysis on policy issues related to economic development at the local and state level, marketing and branding the county, workforce training and development, operational efficiency in county government, local sourcing, brownfield and industrial redevelopment, collaborative opportunities among stakeholders, and training or networking strategies for local businesses. For questions, please contact Warren Fish at 503-988-5882 or warren.fish@multco.us.
Applications may be completed online and are due by May 31, 2011. View the application form.
More info at web.multco.us/biz-council.
More electric trucks unveiled in Portland
5 May--Freightliner is the most recent company to develop an electric delivery truck. Navistar (a CCA member) debuted the first commercial electric truck in the nation at a Portland event one year ago. Portland General Electric (also a CCA member) has been instrumental in encouraging manufacturers to develop the market.
You can take a look at the new Freightliner all-electric delivery van the morning of May 17th at the World Trade Center. There will be a presentation, answers to your questions and an opportunity to test drive the vehicle. For details and RSVP information...
University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators
5 May--The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators™ rose 0.7 percent to 92.0 in March 2011, the fifth consecutive monthly gain. Of the seven indicators that comprise the UO Index, four – Oregon initial unemployment claims, Oregon employment services payrolls, Oregon residential building permits, and core manufacturing orders– improved in March.
Continued economic improvement is likely as national gains propel activity in Oregon. That said, forecasts suggest the pace of growth still falls short of the rapid gains normally experienced when the economy rebounds from a deep recession. Consequently, the recovery is still anticipated to be a lengthy process.
For the University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators...
For Economic Indicators report from the economists at WorkSource Oregon...
For Portland Metro Economic Indicators from WorkSource Oregon...
New PBOT Director Tom Miller states his perspectives on transportation
5 May--Tom Miller, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Adams, became the new director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) this week. On May 5th, he attended the Portland Freight Committee meeting and applauded the committee's successes over the years and it's solution-oriented attitude when working with other modes. To get insight into his perspective on PBOT's new direction, read the BikePortland article on his comments at a recent meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee.
Stormwater permit changes coming down the pipe
25 April--The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is revising the 1200-Z and 1200-COLS (Columbia Slough) stormwater permits as part of a legal settlement. The new permits will more closely resemble EPA stormwater permits, including more stringent benchmarks, sampling, and monitoring. For more information, contact the CCA office at 503.287.8686. Several CCA members, such as GeoDesign and Schwabe, Williamson, Wyatt are carefully watching the process.
A final draft will be issued on May 9th, followed by a 30 day comment period. CCA will be commenting on the draft and welcomes your input. Email corky@columbiacorridor.org.
Port's Troutdale project wins national Phoenix Award
7 April--The Port of Portland’s Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Park won the national Phoenix Award, recognizing it as the top brownfield redevelopment project in the country. The Phoenix Award is designed to award institutions that solve key environmental or social challenges to develop blighted and contaminated areas into productive or sustainable developments. The Troutdale project was among a pool of 70 award applicants in the Northwest region before going on to be selected as the best project nationwide. More info...
City of Portland Decides to Remove E-zone Proposal from Airport Futures
19 February--The Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) ruling on River Plan North Reach is affecting the zoning proposal for property near the airport (Airport Futures). On February 11th, the City decided not to appeal a decision by LUBA on River Plan North Reach. Since the points in contention revolved around having an adequate industrial land supply, the similarity to E-zones in Airport Futures was obvious. The result is that City staff chose to remove the proposal to apply new E-zones on industrial land in Airport Futures.
The good news:
- The City of Portland is removing two items from the Airport Futures proposal: New E-zone overlays for industrial properties (IG2 and EG2 zoning codes) on non-Port property and the enhancement standard for the Middle Columbia Slough sub-district.
- Thanks to this decision and our slough tours with City Council, the City has a better understanding of the problems Airport Futures was creating.
- We now have a little more time to work with the City on an alternative E-zone proposal for this area.
The bad news:
- There is no proposed change for residential properties.
- There is no proposed change for the golf courses.
- This is a temporary proposal. E-zone relief will only last until the City decides on an alternate proposal, probably in about a year.
We still have a lot of work to do. Even though the petitioners to LUBA are appealing the decision in the hope of obtaining a still better result for business, it is very likely that new E-zones will eventually be coming to industrial and commercial properties in the Columbia Corridor. CCA will continue to work with the City to develop an E-zone proposal that will enhance the environmental benefits of the new zoning along the slough, while minimizing the negative impacts of stricter zoning on your business and finances.
River Plan North Reach
18 February--After the River Plan North Reach was adopted by Portland City Council in April 2010, Gunderson, Schnitzer Steel and the Working Waterfront Coalition entities appealed the plan to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA). On January 21, 2011, LUBA sent the Plan back to the City for several reasons, including inadequate analysis of the City's industrial land supply. Even though the LUBA decision was considered a victory for Gunderson, Schnitzer Steel and the Working Waterfront Coalition, on February 11th they appealed LUBA’s ruling to the Court of Appeals, seeking more clarity and a stronger ruling. While the City conducts more analysis on the impact of the plan on our industrial land supply, River Plan remains in limbo.
The question of impacts on industrial land supply has led the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to temporarily suspend proposed environmental zones on industrial land in the mid-Columbia Slough and to alter the new Tree Policy on some industrial lands.
- LUBA Ruling (PDF)
- River Plan heads to court - Portland Tribune, February 17, 2011
- River Plan appealed again, but not by city - Daily Journal of Commerce, February 14, 2011
- Businesses rethink River Plan win - Portland Business Journal, February 14, 2011
New Tree Policy Soon to be Adopted by City of Portland
15 February--After an extended series of meetings between staff from the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability and a citizens involvement committee, a draft tree policy has been submitted to the Portland City Council. Due to the LUBA remand of River Plan North Reach, the City chose to remove some industrial zones from the draft tree policy. The new policy is causing frustration in some neighborhoods and raising the question of how intrusive the City should be. However, the broader goal of increasing Portland's tree canopy is generally accepted.
For City staff contact info and Council hearing schedule...
For a copy of CCA's letter to City Council...
Columbia Corridor Groundwater in your Drinking Water
15 February--You probably didn't notice, but you were drinking groundwater from the Columbia Corridor during the second half of January. Winter storms caused the normal Bull Run water to become turbid. Since Bull Run water is not filtered, the Portland Water Bureau switched to our very high quality backup supply. Columbia Corridor Association contracts with the City of Portland to prevent spills of hazardous chemicals that may contaminate our groundwater supply. If you'd like to compare water quality between the two sources, go to www.portlandonline.com/water. For more questions, call the Water Line at 503.823.7525. For more information on CCA's efforts...
Watershed Council Awards Groundwater Protection Program Manager
11 February--Rebecca Geisen, manager of the Groundwater Protection Program for the Portland Water Bureau, won the 2010 Leadership Award from the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. CCA nominated her for the award. View the YouTube video of the tribute parody. Rebecca Geisen has been instrumental in making the program successfully combine protection of our groundwater supply with reasonable regulation of businesses in the wellfield. For more information on the program....
Your Business may Require a Defribrillator
18 January--Just one year ago, Oregon added a law requiring businesses larger than 50,000 square feet and with more than 50 people passing through to have an automatic external heart defribrillator (AED) and staff trained to use it. While sudden cardiac arrest survival rates are typically 10% in the Portland area, now the chances of survival in a local workplace could be as high as 70% with a well-implemented AED program in place.
Learn more from American Red Cross...
Rivergate Welcomes Subaru to the Neighborhood
18 January--A new 413,000 square foot building housing auto parts distribution, service training center and regional offices for Subaru of America, Inc. will soon take shape in Rivergate. Located near Terminal 6, the estimated $20 million project will break ground in February. The deal involves a 55-year ground lease with the Port, and Subaru has committed to a 10 year lease with two 5-year extension options. “This is a noteworthy transaction in a slowly recovering real estate market that adds a new strategic customer to Rivergate with a strong potential to also utilize Terminal 6 for container imports,” said Sam Ruda, director marine and industrial development.
New Subaru Facility Rolls into Rivergate...
This Month's New and Renewing Members
American Red Cross
Stoel Rives
Bluestone and Hockley
AMEC Earth & Environmental
City of Roses Disposal & Recycling
Boeing JR Simplot Co
Davis Wright Tremaine
Market Transport LTD
Harsch investment Corporation Miller Paint Co., Inc.
Henkels & McCoy Norris & Stevens
Multnomah County Drainage Districts
Providence Medical Center
Northside Ford
Bridgewater Group
Non-Profit Strategies & Affairs
Albina Community Bank
Vancouver Oil
DP Partners
The Portland Expo Center
GeoEngineers
Skanska
Pacific Power
Exceed Enterprises
May 19th: ResourceFull Use Workshop
May 25th: CCA Breakfast Forum on DEQ Stormwater Permit Revisions
June 15th: Lunch with PDC's new director, Patrick Quinton
September 12th: CCA's 20th Annual Golf Scramble
A 501(c)6 Non-Profit Organization
PO Box 55651
Portland, OR 97238
503.287.8686
