Councilors Candace Avalos and Jamie Dunphy, two of District 1’s representatives on Portland City Council, invited East Portlanders to bring their thoughts, frustrations, and ideas to their Gateway Town Hall last week at IRCO’s Sokhom Tauch Community Center. And wow, did East Portlanders deliver, with a record turnout and feedback ranging from public safety issues to economic opportunities.
The recent closing of the Gateway Fred Meyer has created a big gap in supplies for neighbors, who had come to depend on the one-stop store. More than that, the Gateway Shopping Center also played a pivotal role in the development of East Portland, spanning decades. Fred Meyer’s closing has left many anxious about the future of the area, given that the store sits at the epicenter of the Gateway Regional Center.
Past civic events have been more sparsely attended in East Portland than in the rest of the city. But this is the first time we have dedicated representation in city government, and that makes a difference. For many attendees I spoke with, this was the first civic event they had ever joined in their neighborhood. One person I sat next to had moved to East Portland less than one year ago, and he wanted to support his neighborhood. The food and child care helped too! I heard a few attendees say they appreciated not having to choose between making dinner for family and participating in the town hall.
Avalos and Dunphy kicked off the gathering with a welcome and an introduction of leaders of Prosper Portland, the Portland Housing Bureau, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), and Public Environment Management Office (PEMO). I can’t remember seeing so many bureau directors in one meeting east of 82nd Avenue. Bureau staff shared some history of recent projects and programs, such as the Gateway Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District and the expansion of Portland Street Response. At one point, folks could be seen fumbling with their phones to add the new call number for Portland Street Response (503-823-7773).
Next, it was time to break into roundtable discussions covering five topics: economic development, public safety, housing, transportation and the Gateway TIF District. Dunphy said he was all about hearing people’s concerns and frustrations, but he also asked that conversations focus on ideas and actionable solutions.
Annette Stanhope, former executive director of Historic Parkrose, facilitated the Gateway TIF District table. The focus was, predictably, the fate of the Gateway Shopping Center. The people who joined her table “want to see a town center, and they want there to be a walkable, complete neighborhood there, where they can have access to businesses and be able to get to things on foot,” Stanhope recounted. “They also want to see actual affordable housing, and there was a topic brought up about social housing,” in addition to hopes for a new one-stop grocery store. These last few comments were also central to the conversation in the housing roundtable.
The table focused on economic development echoed some of the same concerns and desires as the TIF District conversation. Some participants highlighted the need for community gardens, particularly for families who live in nearby apartment buildings without garden space, as well as better access to day care. A number of people brought up the need for gathering places, including street plazas, more locally owned coffee shops and community centers.
JR Lilly, longtime East Portland civic leader and the director of Multnomah County’s Office of Community Involvement, facilitated the transportation table. “Folks want to be involved,” Lilly said. “They want to know when the council committees are and how they could notify somebody. Like, ‘Oh, I see this thing in front of me right now. How can I get on my phone and just connect to somebody who can address the issue?’”
People in the transportation breakout group also wanted access to data and other information that can help them understand changes in a broader context. As Lilly recapped: “I might be unhappy about the road, but if something good happened — there’s less traffic deaths, there are more safe street crossings, and there’s some data for that — [people] want to know about it. Some of the unpleasantnesses of the updates that have happened are more digestible because we’re all about the higher goal of safer streets and safer engagements.”
Before the town hall ended, everyone came back together to hear facilitators share summaries from all five tables. I was not able to get to the public safety conversation in time, so I am looking forward to that summary in the councilors’ upcoming newsletters (links to sign up below). One person shared that they hadn’t expected to leave that town hall with “Dare I say, hope,” as they did, to which many other attendees agreed.
Dunphy and Avalos promised to share what they heard via their newsletters and that this would be only the beginning of events and actions to advance a more connected, vibrant Gateway District.
You can sign up for District 1 Councilors’ newsletters: Councilor Candace Avalos, Councilor Jamie Dunphy and Councilor Loretta Smith. Councilor Smith has a District 1 Town Hall scheduled for October 24.
