South Tabor Neighborhood Association
Land Use Committee Meeting Agenda
We will not have a land use committee meeting in April. It had been scheduled for 4/19/22, but is now CANCELED. The STNA general meeting for 4/21/22 is still happening.
In the meantime, I gave public comment at the 3/23/22 TriMet board meeting on behalf of STNA, asking TriMet to expedite the Powell Division Safety Improvements project. Here’s what I said:
Good morning, Dr. Simmons, Vice President Bauman, Directors. My name is John Carr. I am the Land Use Chair for the South Tabor Neighborhood Association.
Our neighborhood sits between Division and Powell from 52nd to 82nd Ave. I also served as chair of the Division Transit Project Community Advisory Committee.
The Division Transit Project is on track to launch this fall. Our neighborhood along Division is very excited about that. It was a massive lift with lots of complexity.
But there’s another TriMet project in the Powell Division corridor that is languishing. This is a complement to the Division Transit Project. It was fully funded back in 2016, but has yet to break ground.
I’m talking about the Powell Division Safety Improvements project — a series of enhanced pedestrian crossings at key spots along SE Powell and SE Division, from Cesar Chavez to 151st.
While the project spans TriMet Districts 4, 5, and 6, my neighbors in South Tabor and in Foster-Powell have been paying close attention, because 6 of the 13 crossings touch our boundaries.
These safety improvements go hand in hand with the Division Transit Project. They are essential for riders of the Line 9 as well as future riders of the Division FX who live and work south of Powell. Our concern is that they’ve stalled out.
I’m not sure what to recommend or ask you to do. Our neighborhood association has already asked about the feasibility of splitting this project up so that the simpler pieces can be built now. But I’m hoping you can work with TriMet leadership and staff to find a solution so that construction can begin on these before the new Division line launches this fall.
We’re excited for the changes that are coming and hope to see these safe crossings in place soon. Thank you for your time this morning.
TriMet’s general manager responded that he would look into it. Later, I received confirmation from the agency’s Community Affairs team that they have updated the general manager, and he will brief the board at their next meeting.
Couple other things. . .
- Here are the April updates from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
- As a reminder, here’s our collection of land use and transportation resources.
STNA is committed to holding open, public meetings where everyone is welcomed and respected. Please email us at info@southtabor.org if you have any questions, concerns, or need special accommodations to attend and participate in your neighborhood meetings.
Email landuse@southtabor.org if you have land use questions or suggestions for future meeting topics.
All land use committee meeting summaries are posted here: http://southtabor.org/land-use/
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