Rockwood

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Nov 17, 2020 11:30AM-12:30PM Where: Online meeting via Zoom

Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meetings allow necessary Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as advisory committee reports, bid and grant awards, budget adoption, public hearings, resolutions, project updates and policy matters.

COVID-19 emergency order meeting procedure

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the meetings are held online via Zoom, typically on the third Tuesday of the month 30 minutes following adjournment of the 10:00 am Gresham City Council, with some exceptions to that schedule.

How to attend and access agenda material

• For Zoom meeting log-in/call-in information, please see the meeting agenda on the Council Meeting Agendas and Videos page under Upcoming Events or the Gresham Redevelopment Commission page. Agenda materials are posted to those locations approximately one week before the meeting
• If you are unable to access the meeting via Zoom, contact Cecille Turley, Program Technician, by calling 503-618-2545 no later than 24 hours before to the meeting start time so the City can provide alternate arrangements.

How to provide testimony

• Residents wishing to provide oral testimony must register their name, e-mail address, phone number, and subject matter no later than 24 hours before the meeting start time via email to Cecille Turley, Program Technician, at Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.
• Residents wishing to provide written testimony must submit their written testimony no later than 24 hours before the meeting start time via email to Cecille Turley, Program Technician at Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov so the testimony can be provided to the GRDC before the meeting.

For more information, contact Cecille Turley, Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.

Metro's proposed Clackamas to Columbia River connector will impact school zones and pedestrian traffic on Northeast 181st Avenue

By Mike Elston, President
North Gresham Neighborhood Association

As President of the North Gresham Neighborhood Association, I'm informed about development plans that impact our neighborhood. Recently I became aware of a Metro proposal that'll increase traffic from Clackamas to the Columbia River ("C2C"), largely by routing it down Northeast 181st /182nd. Although the scheme has apparently been in development for years, Metro and the city of Gresham are only now involving North Gresham citizens — at a point where it's nearly a done-deal.

We have a number of concerns about C2C we feel aren't being heard by Metro. We strongly believe this will have the effect of transforming 181st /182nd into another 82nd Avenue. It will certainly increase traffic, which is already a nightmare during rush hour. That, in turn, will negatively impact the three schools along its proposed route as well as pedestrian access to the MAX and to our area's one grocery store.

We're at a loss to understand how this benefits North Gresham (and maybe that's why we weren't informed about the plan until it was too late to have much impact). Metro claims it'll provide jobs, but they're temporary employment during construction and not permanent.

In our view, this only benefits the higher-income residents of Happy Valley at the expense of Gresham's north-end, lower-income neighborhoods.

Funding for the C2C would be provided by the passage of Metro bond measure M 26-218 in November, and our only chance to delay C2C and permit more time for citizen feedback is for the measure to fail.

We therefore, ask for your help. Join us in voting NO on Measure 26-218, November 3, 2020.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Aug 18, 2020 4PM-6PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meets as needed on the third Tuesday of the month immediately following adjournment of the 3:00 pm Gresham City Council meeting.

Meeting start time varies.

GRDC meetings allow necessary Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as approval of projects, budget adoption, committee appointments, public hearings, resolutions, etc.

For more information, contact Cecille Turley, Urban Renewal Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Jul 21, 2020 4PM-6PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meets as needed on the third Tuesday of the month immediately following adjournment of the 3:00 pm Gresham City Council meeting.

Meeting start time varies

GRDC meetings allow necessary Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as approval of projects, budget adoption, committee appointments, public hearings, resolutions, etc.

For more information, contact Cecille Turley, Urban Renewal Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.

COURTESY RENDERING: CITY OF GRESHAM - The Downtown Rockwood market hall, middle, has been redesigned to lower construction costs. Click to enlarge.

Source: The Gresham Outlook
Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis voices concerns about completing long-brewing development

By Christopher Keizur

A Rockwood development project that has been brewing for more than two decades is getting a redesign to keep construction costs in line with budget constraints.

The second phase of Downtown Rockwood — originally called Rockwood Rising — was for a market hall with an international grocery marketplace, public commissary kitchen, and small business and pop-up stand opportunities.

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission heard the proposed design changes for the building that had bloated past its cost estimates during a meeting Tuesday afternoon, May 19. The new market hall looks different, and adds 3,000 square feet of restaurant/grocery/retail space; 10,000 square feet of office space; and four additional micro-restaurants.

But officials said it maintains the original intent of uplifting the diverse community of food entrepreneurs who call Rockwood home.

"The new design offers more variety of spaces," said Emily Bower, interim executive director of the Gresham Redevelopment Commission.

COURTESY RENDERING: CITY OF GRESHAM - The new market hall has more space for businesses. Click to enlarge.

The new market hall has more space for businesses.The idea behind Downtown Rockwood is to bring new construction and needed services into the heart of the neighborhood. The Catalyst Site, located between Southeast Stark Street, Southeast 185th Avenue and East Burnside Street, will be a central square with a public plaza and play structures for kids, an innovation hub with services for locals, retail stores, apartments, and the market hall.

The 5.5-acre plot of land was initially purchased by the Gresham Development Commission in 2005 with funds from the city's urban renewal district. The city spent three years, from 2014-2016, soliciting ideas and feedback from residents in the neighborhood.

The project finally broke ground last summer, marking a shift from planning to actually seeing Downtown Rockwood come to fruition. Since then the former Rockwood Community Office Building was renovated and construction of the innovation hub should be complete by July.

Bower said the market hall should be completed by Summer 2021 — a timeline Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis voiced concerns about.

"I feel like we are constantly changing the program and have had the property tied up for years with little steps being made," Bemis said during the virtual meeting. "I want to get this project done and do these things we have been talking about for the last 20-plus years. I am really concerned about hitting timelines and delivering for our community."

Bower said complications the last two years led to the redesign. Developers said the Portland area has experienced historic increases in the costs of construction. That, coupled with new federal tariffs on construction material, led to the need for a redesign. The new building has been simplified to maximize the leasable area within the building to improve finances.

"I am confident we will finish this project in the 2021-22 timeline," Bower said.

This story first appeared in The Outlook. Support community newspapers. Subscribe at http://savinglocalnews.com

2020 Spring Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Spring 2020 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Pining for a Parks District Albertina Kerr Housing Update Wilkes East Land-Use Update Glisan Street Lane Reduction

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Nadaka Nature Park won't have much of a reason to celebrate the new year.

PMG PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KEIZUR - Lee Dayfield said a parks district funding mechanism is the best option for maintaining Nadaka Nature Park, which lost its fiscal agent and programming at the end of 2019. Click to enlarge

By Christopher Keizur
Source: Gresham Outlook (Oct 18, 2019)

The beautiful green space in the heart of the Wilkes East Neighborhood will be empty after losing its fiscal agent — transforming what was once thought of as the model for future parks in Gresham into just another open area. Despite the work that has been poured into the park, residents will have less of a reason to visit than ever before.

"It almost makes me cry to walk through here and know all those kids won't be coming here to be educated," said Lee Dayfield. "This park was their backyard, playground and forest."

There is no better person to talk to about Nadaka Nature Park than Dayfield. She spearheaded the charge to transform her dream park into a reality. She overcame red tape and bureaucracy, founding Friends of Nadaka to help secure grants and other funding.

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council, a Portland-based organization, had supported the Gresham park since its inception. But with some changes to the board and executive director, the group has decided to focus on other projects.

The backing for Nadaka will end when the money runs dry, which is estimated to happen in January 2020. That means no more activities — from community cleanups to educational gatherings for local schoolchildren — that made the park so special.

"They were so strong and supportive of us for seven years," Dayfield said. "People will notice a big difference."

Click "Read more" (below) to continue reading this article.

Let's Play Futsal! When: Sun, Feb 09, 2020 5PM-7PM Where: Friends of the Children Gym 424 NE 172nd Ave. Get Map!

Indoor Sunday Futsal youth recreation is open to all students in grades 6-12 on Sunday from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Friends of the Children gym.

• Free
• Open to boys and girls in grades 6-12
• Learn new skills, make new friends, play futsal
• Participants must bring a signed waiver to play
• Adult supervision and mentorship provided by Active Children Portland volunteers

For more information, email Ricki Ruiz at Ricardo.Ruiz@GreshamOregon.gov or call 503-583-0771.

Futsal flier and waiver

Read more about Sunday Futsal.

Public Meeting, Join Us! When: Mon, Nov 18, 2019 7PM-9PM Where: Human Solutions/Rockwood Bldg. 124 NE 181st Ave. Get Map!

For more information about the Rockwood Neighborhood Association, contact Catherine Nicewood, Rockwood President, at 503-285-6587 or rockwoodpresident@gmail.com.

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Nov 19, 2019 4PM-6PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meets as needed on the third Tuesday of the month immediately following adjournment of the 3:00 pm Gresham City Council meeting.

Meeting start time varies.

GRDC meetings allow necessary Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as approval of projects, budget adoption, committee appointments, public hearings, resolutions, etc.

For more information, please contact Cecille Turley, Urban Renewal Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.