When snow falls on city streets it eventually melts and goes away thanks in large part due to the self-plowing effect of motor vehicle tires. But where cars and trucks don’t go, the snow remains as visual proof of unused roadway space.
People’s seemingly boundless hunger to live in Portland, especially its bike-friendly eastside grid, will keep the apartment construction market booming in 2014, a local real estate expert says.
But that’ll keep rents from rising quite as fast as they have been, he predicted.
“It looks like 2014 will again be all apartments, all the time,” Greg Frick of HFO Investment Real Estate said in a talk at the Multnomah Athletic Club, echoing his firm’s motto.
The surge of new units entering the market, he added, will probably drive up vacancy rates slightly and slow the rise of rents. Market-rate rents will probably grow a bit more slowly than the 6.6 percent hike the area saw in 2013, which was the third-highest rent increase in the country.
As we enter the fifth day of a major storm here in Portland, the snow that has accumulated since last week is now beginning to melt. Over the weekend, temperatures stayed below freezing and the metro area was covered in a layer of ice. Those conditions presented a set of challenges on their own. Now, with temps climbing just a bit above freezing, the Great Thaw has begun in earnest.
I rode from north Portland to downtown this morning and here’s what I experienced…
Residential streets remain a big challenge to ride on. It’s easier with larger, aggressively treaded tires; but for the most part a lot of snow and ice still remains. PBOT does not plow residential streets, and they don’t get much auto traffic, so they will be the last ones to be clear of snow and become easier to ride. Neighborhood collector streets, like N Ainsworth shown below, are a bit better as long as you take the lane and ride in the wheel rut created by auto traffic.
Today’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Portland real estate broker Leigh Perretta. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Leigh wants to show prospective home buyers a “love nest” in Linnton between the St. Johns bridge and Sauvie Island with river and mountain views that’s “just minutes from the City’s best cycling.” Contact Leigh via email for a private showing.
And now, here are the bike links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
How to cut traffic deaths: Legalize weed — or so claims a study last year from the University of Chicago, which considers evidence that people replace drinking with smoking.
Natural traffic calming: Today seems like the day to spot and share local sneckdowns, those icy promontories that show where cars don’t need to be able to go.
Year: 2013
Brand: Breezer
Model: Downtown EX
Color:700c
Size:Sage
Serial: SICBI12R00610
Photo: http://clevercycles.com/2013-breezer-downtown-ex
Stolen in Beaverton, OR 97005
Stolen:2014-02-8
Stolen From: 4200 SW 107th Ave Apt 102. Canyon Park Apartments.
Neighborhood: Beaverton – Canyon and Hwy 217
Owner: Roxanne Nichols
OwnerEmail: newdragon113(A T)gmail.com
Description: Matching sage fenders, rear rack. Red spray painted stencils on frame
Police record with: Beaverton PD
Police reference#: 14-502049
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
With the City of Portland and other agencies telling everyone to stay indoors due to the sheet of ice that has blanketed our town, I couldn’t wait to leave the house this morning and see if I could still ride a bike.
So, I went out to my shed, pulled down my mountain bike and headed out. Turns out it’s not as bad as I expected. That being said, if you do plan to play around the neighborhood on your bike today, here are a few tips to consider.
Snow! It’s everywhere and it keeps coming down! I know many folks in other parts of the country more accustomed to snow are laughing at us; but here in Portland the amount of accumulation we’re seeing is pretty rare. It’s stayed cold and dry enough for several days that the entire city is covered in several inches.
To us, this is sort of a big deal.
Parks and streets have been transformed into winter wonderland scenes and with the weekend upon us, and many events cancelled (including The Worst Day of the Year Ride, see below), people are getting as much snow-play in as they can. And for many of you, that means biking. Very fun biking.
Update: The Worst Day Ride’s organizers said Saturday that they’ve canceled Sunday’s event completely (making various earlier misreports about the cancellation retroactively accurate, I suppose). People who’d bought places in the ride will get automatic entry in next year’s.
As of Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service expects another 4 to 8 inches of snow to fall by Sunday afternoon, plus freezing rain and ice in some areas, on top of the three to five inches that fell Friday and continued to pile up Saturday.
Here’s the announcement from their site:
Alas, Mother Nature wins this round. We have been forced to cancel the event, or more accurately, postpone for one year. Worsening weather conditions and a forecast of freezing rain tomorrow make for unsafe conditions.
Your safety and the safety of our support staff is our number one concern, and conditions have dictated that it would be nearly impossible to guarantee the well being of everyone during this event.
We appreciate your understanding of this decision and want to thank you for your support by guaranteeing your entry into next year’s Worst Day of the Year Ride.
In its voicemail message Saturday, Good Sport Promotion said an email in the next week will contain instructions on how to claim next year’s ride. It didn’t mention whether cash refunds will be available on request.
Our original Thursday night post follows.
Year: 2012
Brand: Scattante
Model: Americano
Color:White
Size:49
Photo: http://imgur.com/WDs9KW7
Stolen in Portland, OR 97209
Stolen:2014-01-24
Stolen From: In front of Ruby Receptionists in bike parking on NW Lovejoy and NW 13, around the corner from the Safeway in the Pearl District
Neighborhood: Pearl District
Owner: Crystal McGrath
OwnerEmail: gustafzire(at sign)gmail.com
Reward: $25
Description: Bike had green handlebar tape and a green seat. Was upgraded with a black rear 36h velocity deep v laced to a blue sturmey archer s3x hub with black dual butted spokes and black nipples. Also had the drop handlebar 3 speed shifter. Also had clear éclat pedals and white matching aluminum fenders.
Police record with: Portland Police Bureau
Police reference#: T14000882
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
With yesterday’s storm finishing up over night, we woke up to several inches of snow covering Portland streets. Before the next storm makes it way to us something this evening, I headed out today to see what was going on.
By 2020, Brandon Rhodes predicts and hopes, Lents will finally have a grocery store.
For now, it’s got him and his bike trailer.
Thirty years old, with six of them spent in the Lents intentional community he helped organize in 2008, this cussing Christian with a Ph.D in ministry is launching his first business: Rolling Oasis, a weekly produce delivery service that’s “ending the Lents food desert one bike ride at a time.”
