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SK Northwest, a Portland-based retailer of jet-skis and personal watercraft, has submitted another proposal to develop a key parcel of Willamette riverfront land.
The proposal was submitted to the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) on March 1st and once again, it does not include plans for a trail.
You might recall the long and winding saga of this company’s attempts to develop land on the Willamette riverfront just south of OMSI. I’ve covered the story extensively since breaking the news almost one year ago.
SK’s initial proposal was denied by the city of Portland, in large part because so many of you wrote in to express your concern and opposition.
The current gap between the southern terminus of the Eastbank Esplanade and the start of the Springwater Corridor trail is not an acceptable long-term option. It winds through heavy industrial land, that includes cement trucks from the busy Ross Island Cement company.
Backers of this proposal claim that even if they included a trail, it wouldn’t go anywhere because of a gap that would remain on both sides of them. Indeed, the Portland Spirit property to the north (which has the same owner as the parcel in question, Wayne Kingsley) and the Ross Island Cement Company to the south pose serious problems for a seamless riverfront trail.
However that’s not stopping businessman Derek Hanna. He’s developing a parcel directly adjacent to the SK Northwest lot and he has worked closely with community groups and has some exciting plans for a trail through his property and along the river.
BTA Executive Director Evan Manvel has met with Hanna and posted about it on the BTA Blog.
Now, we need to let the city of Portand know that SK Northwest should cooperate with the community in a similar fashion.
another one with the same owner) is substandard.
The parcel of land in question sits smack dab in the middle of one of, if not the most heavily ridden (and currently one of the most inconvenient and dangerous) trail segments in the city.
If you would like to weigh in on this application, the public comment period ends March 22nd.
Letters should be directed to Kate Green at the Bureau of Development Services, and CC’d to Randy Leonard (the Commissioner in charge of BDS).
Personal stories of how this development might impact our community should be mailed to:
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City of Portland
Bureau of Development Services
ATTN: Kate Green
RE: Case File Number, LU 06-171821
1900 SW Fourth Ave. Suite 5000
Portland, Oregon 97201
You can also email Kate Green and Commissioner Leonard. To make it easier, I’ve made this handy mailto link that fills everything in for you.
Read the full proposal in PDF form here.
The BTA is watching this case closely and from a comment left on their blog, it seems Shawn Karambelas (the “SK” in SK Northwest) might attend the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood meeting this Thursday (3/15) next Tuesday (3/20).
A decision on this proposal will be made on March 29th.