I am pleased to say that on November 21, 2016, the Portland City Council unanimously passed the moratorium I sponsored, prohibiting new developments on parcels abutting public parks in the R-6 Zone on the East End of the Portland peninsula. The moratorium is retroactive to October 5, 2016, and it remains in effect until February 6, 2017. That means that the city has until then to put some new rules and regulations in place to help protect our parks and open spaces and ensure they won’t be compromised by nearby developments.
I want to give a big shout out to Carolyn Young, Nini McManamy, Karen Snyder, Herb Adams, Diane Davidson, the members of the Parks Commission, and many other people I know I'm leaving out for their support of the moratorium; for their support of the park; and for their efforts to organize other community members to sign petitions, send letters, and offer public comment.
Everyone who contacted me or spoke before the Council was very articulate and did a wonderful job demonstrating just how precious the views from Fort Sumner are. It was honestly some of the best public testimony I have heard in my year on the Council, and I thank everyone who participated.
Everyone who contacted me or spoke before the Council was very articulate and did a wonderful job demonstrating just how precious the views from Fort Sumner are. It was honestly some of the best public testimony I have heard in my year on the Council, and I thank everyone who participated.
What's Happening Now
Following the passage of the moratorium, the City Manager convened a working group of city staff members from multiple departments (Planning; Parks, Recreation & Facilities, Sustainability, etc.) to work on crafting the necessary rules and regulations. At this point in time, any new language that is proposed will only apply to land in the R-6 Zone on the peninsula.
Given the time constraints of the moratorium, it was necessary to focus this effort in a concentrated area. Drafting new language to apply citywide would require a much greater investment of time since we would need to carefully consider all of Portland’s park land and public grounds and the effect such regulations could have on them and their surrounding areas.
While I believe that protecting and conserving open space throughout the city is essential, I appreciate and fully support this measured approach. It’s important that we do our best to ensure there won’t be any unintended consequences from any new ordinance language we put in place.
Given the time constraints of the moratorium, it was necessary to focus this effort in a concentrated area. Drafting new language to apply citywide would require a much greater investment of time since we would need to carefully consider all of Portland’s park land and public grounds and the effect such regulations could have on them and their surrounding areas.
While I believe that protecting and conserving open space throughout the city is essential, I appreciate and fully support this measured approach. It’s important that we do our best to ensure there won’t be any unintended consequences from any new ordinance language we put in place.
The Timeline from Here
I hope to have an opportunity to talk with the City Manager about the proposed rules and regulations when a first draft of them is ready. That should be in the next week or so. After that, the proposed language will need to go to the Planning Board, who will make a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council will then need to do a first read and a second read of the item. Following the second read, the Council will vote on the item, and then it will become part of the city code—provided it passes.
There will be two significant opportunities for public comment on these rules as they make their way through the process: when the item goes before the Planning Board, and again when the City Council takes up the second read of the item. Of course, as soon as the language is available, people can begin commenting on it by submitting written comments to the city planning department, the Planning Board, or members of the Council, so there should be plenty of opportunity for people to weigh in.
I don't have dates for any of these meetings yet, but we are on a very tight schedule here. Ideally, the item will have a first read at the City Council on January 2nd, which means it would need to go to the Planning Board in December. Which is this month.
As soon as I have more details on the timeline, I will post them here, so be sure to check back for updates.
There will be two significant opportunities for public comment on these rules as they make their way through the process: when the item goes before the Planning Board, and again when the City Council takes up the second read of the item. Of course, as soon as the language is available, people can begin commenting on it by submitting written comments to the city planning department, the Planning Board, or members of the Council, so there should be plenty of opportunity for people to weigh in.
I don't have dates for any of these meetings yet, but we are on a very tight schedule here. Ideally, the item will have a first read at the City Council on January 2nd, which means it would need to go to the Planning Board in December. Which is this month.
As soon as I have more details on the timeline, I will post them here, so be sure to check back for updates.
Future Action on Parks Protections
It is my hope that over time—and it will take time—we will be able to survey all of Portland’s parks and open spaces and be proactive about putting any necessary protections in place. This is the best way for us to be fair to residents and developers. Having clear guidelines in place before development proposals is in everyone's best interests, and it is something our excellent Planning Department has been working toward for a long time.
This moratorium has given them a chance to address the issue of Parks Protections in one area of our city, and I believe that the work they are doing now will be helpful as we seek to create similar protections in other areas of the city. Again: it's going to take time. I understand and appreciate that. I just want to make sure we keep this goal in mind so that we can accomplish it in the not-too-distant future and put ourselves in the enviable position of being able to act proactively rather than reactively.
I should certainly take a moment to note that the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Facilities (PRF) already does a fantastic job managing these valuable resources within our city. They are wonderful stewards of our parks and open spaces, and they have created master plans for many of them along with multiple reports discussing the value of these spaces and the need to preserve them.
In addition, the city recently worked with the Trust for Public Land and Portland Trails to create the Portland Open Space Vision and Implementation Plan which came out in January of 2016. This plan has made a great start in mapping many of Portland’s parks and open spaces, listing their assets, and setting some goals and priorities for the future. Much work has already been done on this front, and I’m glad to be part of a city—and a City Council—that values these spaces appropriately and is interested in continuing to manage, conserve, and preserve them.
This moratorium has given them a chance to address the issue of Parks Protections in one area of our city, and I believe that the work they are doing now will be helpful as we seek to create similar protections in other areas of the city. Again: it's going to take time. I understand and appreciate that. I just want to make sure we keep this goal in mind so that we can accomplish it in the not-too-distant future and put ourselves in the enviable position of being able to act proactively rather than reactively.
I should certainly take a moment to note that the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Facilities (PRF) already does a fantastic job managing these valuable resources within our city. They are wonderful stewards of our parks and open spaces, and they have created master plans for many of them along with multiple reports discussing the value of these spaces and the need to preserve them.
In addition, the city recently worked with the Trust for Public Land and Portland Trails to create the Portland Open Space Vision and Implementation Plan which came out in January of 2016. This plan has made a great start in mapping many of Portland’s parks and open spaces, listing their assets, and setting some goals and priorities for the future. Much work has already been done on this front, and I’m glad to be part of a city—and a City Council—that values these spaces appropriately and is interested in continuing to manage, conserve, and preserve them.
Background
It was, of course, the proposed development next to Fort Sumner that made it clear to me—and to others—that we did not have adequate protections in place for some of our valued park spaces, and that their major assets could be compromised by nearby development. That is why I pursued this moratorium in the first place. You can read some background on this issue in the following blog posts from August and September:
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