(Photo courtesy Bella Organic)

Sauvie Island farm Bella Organic has started a program it says aims to reduce miles driven in the rural area northwest of Portland: it's offering free auto parking to anyone driving to the island for a recreational bike ride. The owner of the company is also encouraging anyone who rides a bike on the island to use their parking lot and farm store as a rest stop.

"We've had lots of customers tell us, 'We wish there was more parking out here and it were more accessible,'" farm owner Sofia Kondilis-Hashem said Tuesday.

The island already has a small, free lot near the Sauvie Island Bridge that Kondilis-Hashem said is sometimes targeted by car prowlers. Bella Organic, meanwhile, has room for 100 cars to serve its u-pick berry and pumpkin farm and produce store about 1.5 miles from the bridge. Kondilis-Hashem said it only ever fills up on a few October weekends, and the farm wants to put the space to better use.

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Cover of scoping report.
- Download PDF -

Multnomah County is updating two plans that govern Sauvie Island and not surprisingly, bicycling and road safety have played key roles in the initial conversations. After garnering public feedback last spring, the County has put together a 'Scoping Report.' That report (PDF) was a central piece of the agenda at a meeting of the Sauvie Island/Multnomah Channel Community Advisory Committee that met for the first time last week.

This public process will update the Sauvie Island/Multnomah Channel Rural Area Plan and the Multnomah County Transportation System Plan, which will "inform area policies, zoning code updates and transportation improvements for a 20-plus-year planning horizon." The current plans have not been updated for 16 years.

During the public outreach process to develop the scoping report, Multnomah County heard loud and clear that bicycling and road safety issues need to be addressed. In the section of the report labeled "Transportation Visions", two items are listed: "Reduce Traffic conflicts between modes," and "Provide for safe roads/facilities for all users." (more...)

A man was hit by a blow dart while riding on Sauvie Island, a popular cycling destination just 17 miles north of downtown Portland. The reader who shared their story with us said the incident took place last Sunday (8/4) at about 11:20 am.

Here's more from "DF" (he wanted to remain anonymous):

"I was biking southbound on Sauvie Island Road, maybe a hundred yards from the Cracker Barrel Grocery Store heading to the bridge (map), when I felt a sharp pain, like a bee sting but more painful, in my lower back. I slowed down and pulled off the road, and discovered that a five-inch metal dart was lodged in my back. I immediately removed the dart and called 911. A Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy was there within minutes. He told me that the dart had come from a blow gun, and said that he would be investigating this incident as an assault."

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Riding on Sauvie Island is sublime; but narrow roads without shoulders and heavy motor vehicle traffic can also make it challenging.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

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Kenneth Tester
(Photo: Mult. Co. Sheriff)

Members of a local cycling team were pepper sprayed by a man in the parking lot of a store on Sauvie Island this afternoon. The incident was reported on the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association email list by David Root, road team director for the Therapeutic Associates Cycling team.

Root says that he and other members of the team had just finished a motor-pacing session when they pulled into the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel Grocery Store near the Sauvie Island Bridge when a man driving a Ford F150 pick-up attempted to back out of the store. "When we pulled past him he rolled down his window and asked why we were staring at him and we told him that we're just trying get past him and that we weren't staring," wrote Root. "He then continued to back out and clipped our moto driver Jon [Pearson] and then proceeded to try and start a altercation with Jon."

Then, according to Root, the man in the pickup threatened Pearson and, "Then quickly as if he had it cocked and ready to go, pulled out the most powerful Police grade Pepper Spray and shot him at close range "full discharge" in the eyes and face and some of the rest of us got a little too."

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Part of the farm-bike-boat delivery team at
last year's Village Building Convergence on
the dock at OMSI.
(Photos courtesy of CultureChange.org)

Jan Lundberg moved to Portland a year ago because it seemed like the best place to pursue his intersecting passions for food security, peak oil, bicycles, and sailing.

These passions will be coming to fruition later this month when the oil analyst's brainchild, the Sail Transport Network, will launch into its first major, ongoing local venture. Lundberg is finalizing plans to deliver malted grain from Vancouver, Washington to a brewery further down the Columbia River by a combination of cargo bike and sailboat. (more...)

Don Kruger, owner of Kruger's Farm
Stand on Sauvie Island.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Farmer Don Kruger, owner of Kruger's Farm Market on Sauvie Island, says he's "hanging tough" after the recent Multnomah County decision on his farm stand permit.

During a standard permit update process that was triggered by a complaint from one of Kruger's neighbors, the County ruled that Kruger is no longer allowed to host several of the activities that have made his farm a popular destination for many in the Portland region.

In their decision, the County ruled that the only fee-based activities that can happen at the farm are weekly "harvest festivals" and the corn maze. As for bike races, the County wrote that, "The bike races are inconsistent with the code criteria and are not an activity that promotes the sale of farm crops." (more...)

Multnomah County's land use planning department has reached a decision in the permit application for Kruger's Farm. As we reported back in June, the farm stand has hosted numerous popular bike races in the past but those events were in jeopardy after the County received a complaint that triggered an update to Kruger's land use permit.

A decision made public today by Multnomah County Planning Director Karen Schilling, states that, "Weddings, bike races, birthday parties, corporate picnics, and group gatherings are not allowed as part of this decision."

Kruger's Farm Market sits on an Exclusive Farm Use zone and farm owner Don Kruger has added many activities to the land that are not agricultural in nature. One of those uses that came under scrutiny by the county were bike races. (more...)

Kruger's Farm Market faces
a permit upgrade that could
mean no more bike races.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In recent years, Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island has hosted many popular cyclocross and mountain bike events. The events have drawn thousands of Portlanders and their families who take part in the fun and soak up the welcoming farm atmosphere just a few miles outside the city.

But now those events are in jeopardy as Kruger's Farm faces a permitting hurdle with Multnomah County's land use planning department. The County is making Kruger apply for a new permit (that would allow the events) after a complaint was filed by one of Kruger's neighbors. The County confirms this complaint, saying that it alleges Kruger is guilty of "non-permitted commercial uses and non-permitted construction of structures."
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Bikes won't have to share
the lane with cars on
new Sauvie Island bridge.
(File photo ©)

With all the recent talk about the Sellwood and Columbia River bridge projects, I haven't heard a peep about the Sauvie Island bridge.

Last time I looked (this weekend), construction on the new bridge is moving right along. According to a press release from Multnomah County, the new arch span will be installed on Friday, December 7th.

Sauvie Island is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Portland cyclists. At just about 10 flat miles north of downtown, the scenic roads are a magnet for all types of cyclists; from triathletes in training, to biking berry pickers and cyclocross racers. (more...)