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Thirty thousand people in West Gresham could get different zip codes next year if the United States Postal Service thinks a realignment would benefit the community. The Gresham City Council on Dec. 15 unanimously decided to request that the postal service remedy “jurisdictional confusion” caused by residents in West Gresham having a Portland or Fairview zip code.

Source: Gresham Outlook, Dec 18, 2015

The two main Gresham zip codes are 97030 and 97080, but the 30,000 people that are in the impacted area have zip codes that are 97024, 97230, 97233 and 97236.

The zip code alignment issue leads to residents being unclear about what city they live in and from where they should be requesting services such as police and fire or business licenses

Residents in North Gresham asked whether they want the city to undergo a project to unscramble a street grid that is not congruent with the rest of the city.

Source: Gresham Outlook, Dec 28, 2015

Residents were first notified of this project at the end of November with letters from the city saying that a survey would be coming to gather opinions about changing the street names and addresses in the neighborhood.

The area impacted contains about 1,800 residents and is bounded by Northeast 205th Avenue, Northeast 226th Avenue, Northeast Stark Street and Northeast Burnside Road.

The street names in the neighborhood do not match those in the rest of the city because they were addressed under a different set of standards before the property was annexed into Gresham in the 1990s.

If the city moves forward with the project, the street names would be changed to be consistent with the rest of the city.

Get Involved, Make a Difference When: Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:30-8PMM Where: Gresham City Hall Oregon Trail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Gresham, OR Get Map!

The Design Commission is the primary advising subcommittee to the City Council on design excellence for the built environment of the city.

More info
Contact Jamie Thomes at 503-618-2842 or Jamie.Thomes@GreshamOregon.gov.

Get Involved, Make a Difference When: Wed Nov 04, 2015 6:30-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall HR Training Rm 1333 NW Eastman Pky Gresham, OR Get Map!

The Citizen Involvement Committee advises the Council on the development, implementation and maintenance of programs designed to facilitate citizen involvement, engagement and to foster a deliberative process between residents and the City. For more information about the Citizen Involvement Committee please contact Aaron Abrams at 503-618-2482.

More info
Contact Teresa Hall at 503-618-2871 or email Teresa.Hall@GreshamOregon.gov.

Honoring Our Veterans When: Sat Nov 07, 2015 11AM-1PM Where: Historic Downtown Gresham Gresham, OR Get Map!

Sergeant McDowell's Military Relief will sponsor a Veterans Day parade in downtown Gresham on Saturday, Nov. 7.

More Info
Contact Faustina McDowell at 503-888-9053

Get Involved, Make a Difference When: Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:30PM-9PM Where: Gresham City Hall Springwater Trail Rm 1333 NW Eastman Pky Gresham, OR Get Map!

The Planning Commission advises City Council on long-range, comprehensive planning and land use issues within the city.

More info
Contact Tammy Richardson at 503-618-2401 or Tammy.Richardson@GreshamOregon.gov.

Artist rendering, Chet Antonsen design Click to enlarge		Early Neighborhood Meeting When: Mon Nov 16, 2015 7-9PM Where: Albertina Kerr Campus 722 NE 162nd Ave - Bldg H Gresham OR Get Map!

Neighbors Object
At the Summer 2015 Wilkes East Neighborhood Association meeting, August 24th, Craig Smith with SGS Development LLC (a Bend-based company owned by developer Chet Antonsen that has built several projects in East Multnomah County), presented plans for construction of new 64-unit 4-story 2-building apartment homes at 165th & NE Halsey St.

During the presentation several neighbors raised concerns about the project. Among the main concerns was the number of parking spaces, ingress/egress to the property, building height, 55-and-older vs family tenants, play area size, impact on schools, and a possible wetland.

Addressing Concerns
Over the next several weeks SGS Development explored ways to address the neighbor’s concerns including reducing the building height to 2 or 3-story buildings and spreading out the buildings across the entire site. Based on comments raised at the August meeting a wetlands specialist was retained to study the proposed site. His findings supported the existence of a wetland area on the north portion of the property. A 15' buffer will now separate the wetlands from the project leaving this habitat area undisturbed.

(New design and next meeting info below page break)

Get Involved, Make a Difference When: Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:30PM-6:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Springwater Trail Rm 1333 NW Eastman Pky Gresham, OR Get Map!

The Urban Forestry Subcommittee advises the City Council and staff about tree preservation, tree species for the City’s street tree list and trees to be designated to the City’s significant tree list.

More info
Contact Tina Osterink at 503-618-2392 or .

Rockwood NA Meeting When: Mon Nov 16, 2015 7-9PM Where: Rockwood Building 124 NE 182st Ave Greaham OR Get Map!

More Info
Contact Catherine Nicewood, Rockwood President, at 503-285-6587 or email rockwoodpresident@gmail.com.

When: Mon Nov 16, 2015 7:00PM-9PM Where: Albertina Kerr   (New location!) Louise Room 722 NE 162nd Av Gresham, OR Get Map!

Neighborhood Meeting, Everyone's Invited

Join Your Neighbors. Get involved. Make a difference!

Save the date
Be sure to save Monday, Nov 16th at 7PM for the Wilkes East Neighborhood 2015 Fall Meeting. The meeting will be held at Albertina Kerr - Louise Room, 722 NE 162nd Av, Gresham OR. Get map!

Guests & Topics
Election of Officers, Rockwood Triangle Development, Reaching Out for a Better Oregon, Waterside Apartments Update, Friday Night Youth Basketball, and neighborhood news and updates.

Join the Board   Are you motivated, passionate, creative?
Become a Member-at-Large at this year's neighborhood elections. Being a Board Member is a great opportunity and experience for any neighbor, whether you’ve been on a board before or you're considering the idea for the first time. No experience required.

Who should attend?
This meeting is open to all residents and businesses in the Wilkes East Neighborhood!

Be Part Of Your Community. Plan To Attend.