Portland Planning Commission.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Citizen activist Chris Smith is the newest member of the Portland Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is a volunteer body that advises City Council on “any proposal that directly affects any goal or policy related to any element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan”.
Smith — whose day job is with Xerox Corporation in Beaverton — is well known in biking circles because of his activism, his blog (PortlandTransport.com), and due to his involvement on many transportation-related committees and stakeholder groups. He’s currently a member of the Bicycle Master Plan Steering Committee.
In a video interview with Mayor Adams prior to his confirmation, Adams said he nominated Smith for the commission because of his “extensive experience from the grassroots level on transportation, transit and zoning issues.”
Smith is filling the unexpired term of former Bicycle Transportation Alliance executive director Catherine Ciarlo, who left the commission to take the job of Transportation Policy Director for Mayor Adams.
Asked about his new appointment, Smith told BikePortland “I’m very excited to be joining Planning Commission right now. As you know, my passion is to help Portland develop sustainably – socially, economically and environmentally.”
Smith said his focus will be to instill those values into the ongoing revamp of The Portland Plan and that his work on the Bicycle Master Plan and Streetcar System Plan “are going to be cornerstones of that effort.”
Smith made a run for City Council in 2008 and he has been an outspoken critic of the controversial Columbia River Crossing project.
A major advocacy focus for Smith has been Portland’s streetcar planning efforts. He is currently Chair of Portland Streetcar Citizen’s Advisory Committee. According to the Willamette Week, he intends to step down from that role in order to avoid any conflict of interest.
Smith’s first Planning Commission meeting will this coming Tuesday.