What’s next? “Wait, boys, he’ll take the WHOOOOOLE graveyard!” (Here)
The City of Portland commissioners recently voted to buy part of the (unused) River View cemetery land along Taylors Ferry and Highway 43 for storm water drainage, salmon habitat and probably a bike path or two. But the road to the graveyard is paved with ill intentions. Read on.
The Zero puts these two facts in opposite order but I’ll put them chronologically for you as it shows the real story line:
First: Land owner wants to develop his own prime view property but the City of Portland planning poohbahs say no:
Developers Ed Darrow and Randy Tyler met with city planners in 2007 to consider the site for a large-lot subdivision. But they said they never formally proposed a project in part because of doubts about zoning changes. A year before that, River View filed a $25 million land-use claim against the city of Portland because of the zoning limitations. But it dropped the claim after state law changed.
Lawyers exchange nasty letters, bad headlines about constitutional takings are probably threatened, and the city goes hunting for your money to pay these guys off so they can have what they call down at city hall a “win, win.”
The Portland City Council this month approved spending $6 million collected from utility customers toward the $11.25 million cost of buying 146 acres owned by River View Cemetery Association. The utility money comes not from water or sewer rates but from a lesser-known stormwater charge.
And, as an added bonus, you will have to pay even more because as we all know the City doesn’t actually put maintenance costs in its budgets for mission creep (at least that’s what insiders tell me at the city):
Land acquisition has been the most costly. The Portland City Council voted unanimously May 4 to buy the River View land, which will be managed by the Portland Parks & Recreation Bureau.
Can’t wait for the next bond measure to maintain this property! And the best quote from Sam Adams? Wait for it:
“We’ve saved money by doing Grey to Green,”
