Responsibility of Ownership

Streetscape BannerWhen the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) adopts a new design for the Foster Road Transportation and Streetscape Plan, it will come more than 10 years after the city and neighborhood adopted its original version.  The 2003 plan called for improved transportation measures and streetscape beautification, but, unfortunately, well before biking and the concept of a “20 minute neighborhood” caught hold of the planning process…thus the plan’s refresh 10 years later.

If/when shovels hit dirt (we’ve heard 2014), it will mark the end of more than a decade of leaning on the city to improve our beloved thoroughfare.

In that time, though, the neighborhood has seen dramatic changes that are not the result of city money or planning—though they do get credit for storefront improvements, initial biking and ped improvements, etc.—rather the efforts and energy of local residents and community groups.  Neighborhood garden tours; pub crawls; community engagement; fgarden tour bikeresh paint jobs and new gardens; supporting local businesses; pride of place.  These are all reasons why Foster has emerged as an “up and coming” neighborhood (though that title was applied several years ago—will we move beyond?).

To be sure, infrastructure (see Foster Streetscape Plan) and catalytic projects (theater? grocery store?) will ultimately take us to the next level.  However, it’s evident that the neighborhood’s trajectory is fueled from within.  And in that vein, one has to wonder how much responsibility our local property owners have to the neighborhood.  I mean, it’s no coincidence that the neighborhood’s appeal and rising property values (save for a recent housing crash and subsequently slow recovery) have coincided with an increase in renovated homes, spruced up gardens, and new business owners investing in the commercial corridor.  But just because it makes the neighborhood nicer, is it one’s responsibility?

That’s debatable.

IMG_0847However, there are some cases where a property owner’s neglect to improve on their holding has a detrimental effect.  Overgrown weeds; dilapidated structures; squatters; garbage; boarded up and/or broken windows; graffiti.  All are signs that a property owner has given up taking care of their property.  So should they be held accountable?

Some examples in our neighborhood range from yards that are simply unkept, to vacant homes with overgrown weeds, and then progressing to the downright nasty: boarded up homes with trash littered about and condemned buildings that pose safety concerns. Sometimes it’s tough to know who owns the property. Sometimes it’s a bank, or sometimes the owner has passed away. But what if that’s not the case?

The city is taking some steps to address this issue on a smaller scale, for example, by holding property owners responsible for the cost of boarding up unsafe and vacant homes or maintaining overgrown weeds.  On a larger scale, though, how do we combat the glut IMG_0842of rundown buildings on Foster if not by leaning on the property owners to do something?  Take the Phoenix Pharmacy building, for example.  Many see the potential of the site with it’s historic structure, brick facade, and prominence at the corner of Foster and SE 67th.  But that potential is wrapped in plywood, broken windows, and graffiti…oh, and a large poster with the city’s signature “U” marking it as unsafe.

I can’t rehab the building and unveil its promise, though.  Nor can you.  And if the owner could afford to, perhaps they would have already.  And if they were inclined to sell the building, I suppose that would have happened already, too.  In the meantime, water drips onto the sidewalk from a faulty gutter drain; broken windows create safety issues; and its decay possibly acts as a deterrent to potential investors or business owners interested in Foster.

So who’s responsible, if anyone?

Does the city condemn it or use its power of eminent domain?  Does the owner have a responsibility to better integrate the property into the surrounding neighborhood?  Do we, as volunteers, offer to fix it up?

The concept of private property is a tricky one when considering the impact on environmental and social surroundings.  And perhaps it’s a debate not fit for this site, and rather should be taken on by a neighborhood or business association.  In the end, though, it’s clear that Foster’s ability to prosper cannot be solely tied to the city (after all, Urban Renewal money is drying up).  Yes, they can facilitate the process.  And yes, they can support us the same way they’d support the Central Eastside or Alberta Arts District.  But some of the onus falls on property owners, too.  To what extent is the question.

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Happy Weekend, FoPo!

Well, we’re not quite as sunny as the last couple Fridays, but a weekend’s a weekend. Right? We have “Fucking Art Night” as the highlight, with a few other goings-on, too. Get out and about and support your neighborhood. Remember, we have multiple gyms/health/fitness/self-defense studios, bars, restaurants, garden centers, pot dispensaries and tire shops. Surely you can spend your money locally if you’re so inclined.

Here are your weekend tidbits…

- As mentioned above, Fucking Art Night is this Saturday at the Foster Road Salon.  Not to be mistaken with “Foster Art Night,” which wasn’t promoted this month but typically takes place on the same third Saturday of the month, this event is a little more intimate. Music, readings, art, and libations. Bring a bottle of something to help keep the place stocked.

- There are a few other events on Saturday, as well:
* Mill Street Planning will be presenting their preliminary draft of the Alley Allies toolkit at Bar Carlo, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.. If you want a quick refresher on the project and some of the ideas that have come out of it, check out Foster United’s recent article: here.
* Face painting at Foster Burger, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.  Bring the kids…or, rather, embrace your aspirations as a juggalo.
* Live music:  Amber Harlan Granmo performs her jazz standards at Gemini Lounge starting at 8 p.m. (which means 9); Cody Weathers holds it down at Torta (same time); Starday Tavern surely will have some bluegrass, folk, rockabilly or Americana (just can’t confirm)

- Another week, another empty Bob White.  The last event was an Alley Allies presentation in April.  Prior to that (if recollection serves), it was a Home and Garden show that got cancelled.  What’s the word?  Anybody?

- Check out Fat Yoga on the evening news:  http://www.kptv.com/story/22246559/fat-yoga-portland.  Props to them.

- Finally, congrats to Li Alligood, the new Chair of the Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association.  The NA is certainly in good hands, but she could use a vice chair if anybody’s interested.  It’s an open seat waiting for the right person with vision and neighborhood dedication.

If you have an event you want to share, please do so.  Enjoy the weekend all.  Be cool, be safe.

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Courthouse Pigs Need Not Apply

Local art and social commentary at its best

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#FoPo…

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FoPo’s Bikeability

Bike ScoreWe already know Foster-Powell is a walkable neighborhood (see post), and now it appears we’re somewhat bikeable, too.  While this may seem counterintuitive due to encapsulation by 82nd, Foster, and Powell (all busy streets with no bike facilities), we do have a mix of bike lanes/boulevards (Center St.), nearby destinations, and a lack of hills.  Those all contribute to good bikeability.

And thanks to the heads up from Bike Portland, we can now see how Foster-Powell compares to other neighborhoods via a new feature on the website, WalkScore.com.  Bike CommutersWhile there’s no figure that compares us to the other neighborhoods (at least not publicly), the above heat map shows the differences in bikeability across Portland.  While obvious disparities exist between us and more central neighborhoods, Foster-Powell appears to hold its own—heading east along Powell, the area becomes even more bikeable as it nears the MAX line and I-205.  We can see in the other map, too, Foster-Powell has its fair share of bike commuters.  Though that changes not too far beyond our boundaries.

A couple things to note about biking in Foster-Powell:

- bikeability surely will improve once the ‘50s Bikeway‘ project is completed
- the Foster Streetscape redesign will almost certainly include bike facilities, adding to more biking improvements in the neighborhood as Foster itself becomes bikeable

If official neighborhood rankings expand to include FoPo, we’ll share when we can.

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Happy Weekend, FoPo!

Here we are again.  Friday.  Rap video.  Neighborhood cheerleading.

For all you moms out there, I hope you feel loved and appreciated.  For the rest of you, see above…make it happen.

Here are your weekend tidbits…

- Foster gets the “once over, keep going” again.  Green Zebra Grocery has a third store in the works, and….it’s not in our neighborhood.  We are getting closer, though. First Woodstock landed the healthy convenient store, and now Division—all within a stone’s throw, but not quite walkable. It isn’t for lack of retail space, that’s for sure. And there are other options we can cross our fingers for, too.

- Bar Maven officially opened this week, and all remnants of Knuckleheads and Amor are gone.  That goes along with the recent transformation of Bob and Alice’s into Starday Tavern, which now has regular live blues, rockabilly, country, and bluegrass music. Homemade chili, too.

- What’s the word with the Bobwhite?  Not a whole lot of action these days.  Has the promise of regular music, performances and film (man, what I’d do for a real movie theater) waned?  Let us know if you have any info.

- Mothers Day brings the Feminist Pop-up Festival to Foster…more specifically, Performance Works NW.  Charming Roulette: a night of feminist performance.  Peep it.

- The Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association meets this Monday at Bar Carlo.  The 6:30 meeting marks the new year in regards to board appointments, so if you’re into civic duty, stuffing ballots, rocking the vote, democracy, tyranny, or any other form of involvement, you know what to do.

- And in more civic duties—you know, if you’re into that—the community garden opens its gates this Sunday for another work party.  Dig around, get dirty, and get to know your neighbors.

- Peep this Portland Monthly writeup of Lily Day Cafe: here.  Also of note, their grand opening is next Friday, May 17.  More immediately, though, moms get free mimosas this Sunday.

- Finally, in addition to live music at Starday Tavern, Brown Erbe performs tonight (Friday) at Gemini Lounge; the Mojo Blasters and Devin Bodeen perform at Torta tonight and tomorrow night, respectively.

Cheers!  Have a good weekend, gang.

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The Best of Foster…

IMG_0161It’s not easy being the best.

And on the Foster landscape, laying claim to the best of any of the following makes for quite the distinction:  burgers, beers, auto shops, adult entertainment…oh, and I suppose cannabis clubs (see Fosterdam).

I can’t speak to the auto (chop) shops, and I know where to find the right beer/drink for the right mood.  Burgers, though?  I’ve had it wrong all this time…it’s Smokey’s.

Now, there’s some hilarity in that claim.  And not because they don’t (and I’m pretty sure they don’t) have the best burger, but because it states superiority over nearby Foster Burger, Slingshot, the Angry Unicorn, Bar Carlo, and even the sliders FoPo's best sandwichat Gemini.  One has to make their mark in the world, though…and Smokey’s is doing it in a bold way.

Bold claims don’t stop there. Foster has a couple more bests, and the proclamation declared by one’s mom says it all.

Case in point, FoPo’s best sandwich…found at none other than Speedboat Coffee.  You see, Foster doesn’t take itself too seriously.  And maybe that’s why the comparisons to an “up and coming” district like Hawthorne or Mississippi would never (ever, ever!) stick.  But FoPo's best staffit’s also why Speedboat can get away with their other claim: best staff.

Surely Speedboat makes good coffee, and if you’ve been in, you’d know their staff is actually pretty rad.  In fact, they could be the best staff—friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable, and supportive of the neighborhood…and the ability to not take themselves too seriously.  And the latter is a great quality, quite befitting of our neighborhood.  And in some ways it summarizes our own view of ourselves—we know we’re not the nicest neighborhood, but I’ll be damned if anyone says so.

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