Take that NIMBY’S!!! a smackdown has occurred
I just read in the Mercury that the Portland Historical Landmarks Commision approved Mississipp Avenue Lofts. As you know, the lofts have been a serious bone of contention for the Mississippi neighborhood the past seven months. Wait….let me rephrase. The Mississippi lofts have been an issue for a small vocal group of NIMBYs in the neighborhood. I will remind you that the buliding plans passed all zoning and development commissions along with recieving a letter of support from the neighborhood. BUT, this small group of neighbors, including members of the neighborhood board, kept fighting against it, finding every little loophole they could. That’s great. Let them spend all their waking hours on blogs and at meetings and on blogs fighting against progress. In the end, was it well spent? Was it worth it?
Neener Neener Neener (with a wicked hackle in the background) - development is going to happen on N. Mississippi despite you NIMBYs. The designs put forth by the Mississippi Lofts and by Kirisu will benefit this neighborhood more than you can imagine. I am excited to see the nasty brown cinder block building be raised and replaced by some choice lofts and retail space. HA!
We recall that some of these same “NIMBY” folk rallied to oppose a McDonald’s on MLK some years ago. They succeeded in stopping the hamburglar from taking residence there, and arguments leading up to the outcome are reminiscent of the occasion now at hand.
Query: Do we really want infill and all that goes with it? Or are we just posing? [And by that we mean, only the politically correct need apply?]
you should do your readers a favor and stick to things you know, like drinking games which has obviously taken a toll on your brain.
oh, look, citizen jane is whimpering because she didn’t get what she wanted… boo hoo.
Pablo, I believe a McDonalds is a little different than infill housing. I don’t know why, I just do. I remember the fight on MLK because I was new to the neighborhood at the time. I remember thinking it would be a good thing, since in the 90’s, MLK was a wasteland and maybe, just maybe, a McDonald’s could spur some changes. I also remember that battle was a NEIGHBORHOOD against the project, not a small group of individuals. For the Mississippi Lofts project, the neighborhood voted to write a letter of support. Its only a small group of individuals who think different.
Development is going to happen whether we like it or not, this is America and manifest destiny is alive an well. Just read Jack Bog any day of the week and you’ll get an earful of how the city is getting screwed by developers. I don’t say that sarcastically, but I also view it differently. If it is going to happen anyway, why not allow it to happen the correct way. The Mississippi lofts are going to be LEED certified, bike accessable, green etc. My biggest concern was that if the developers walked away due to this fight, someone else will come in and put up a box that meets every single zoning and development law, but would be ugly and poorly built. Would that benefit the neighborhood?
i’m rambling now. sorry. anyone want to discuss over a good beer?
Hey DieselBoi,
let’s remove your head from your ass and look around for just a second.
FIRST OFF, as one of the NIMBY’s I am pro-development, and couldn’t be happier with the result. I personally objected to the big slab box (original design) lifted out of the Pearl. The new design will actually compliment the existing neighborhood quite well. We didn’t shave the 4th floor off (many of us wanted that) but at least we got it minimized, we fixed the loading zone (blocking the alley) as well as intrusion into the street. And last but not least we broke up the visual mass of the FRONT of the building (primary mission accomplished!), it now looks like 3 separate buildings abutting each other.
SECOND a “rubber stamp” of approval letter from a neighborhood association does NOT mean the whole neighborhood supports it. (Did we elect the neighborhood association and the business association to represent us? Hardly…)
THIRD you obviously have no clue on how developments work. Most developers won’t walk away if they hit a ‘roadblock’ - they’ll stop, look at it and decide if there’s a way to work with (or go around) it, as they obviously have a vested interest in going forward.
You should have been at the hearings and observed not only the designs (and changes) yourself, but also the developer’s approach. The first meeting they all appeared in jeans and casual shirts. By this last meeting they all showed up, looking serious, in suits. It was nice to see them actually take US seriously, make some modifications (which they didn’t bother with on the 2nd round) and work out a compromise that works for all of us.
If you want to be a reporter and write lame-ass “controversy” you should apply for a job with the Willy Week or Boregonian.
If you have been a productive member of the neighborhood working with the developers, then I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the NIMBY’s who flat out don’t want development, citing historical working class mumbo jumbo. I’m happy you took the time to go to all the meeting and work to find a solution. Well done! I’m glad there are people out there like you.
Also, I have never claimed to be a reporter, but at least my contact info is there so people can get ahold of me. Leaving ANONYMOUS comments is a cowardly way to get your point accross.
Dieselboi,Your Quite Welcome. So are you saying you are not a productive member of the neighborhood. How many of the numerous meetings with the developers, Boise Neighborhood Association and Historical Landmarks Hearings did you participate in ? Your original posting is extremely childish, but being that you reference The Portland Mercury so much in your blogs, makes perfect sense to your hipster wannabe childishness.
what the hell is, “historical working class mumbo jumbo”?! thank you, wakeupdieselboi, I was going to try and explain to boi as well, but the idea just exhausts me. well put.
one thing though, people like dieselboi have spread a lot of misinformation about the appeal process and the people involved . One of the most gratifying things to come out of all this, except for the changes (better building, no narrowing of mississippi, and no obstruction of the alley), was that many , many neighbors came together and worked hard to accomplish something real and lasting. We have gotten to know, respect, and like each other in spite of the rumors that we were “crazies”, “anarachists” “NIMBY’s” etc ad nausem. we feel like a community and look forward to working again together. Plese dieselboi and ilk, do your community a favor and ease up on the childish inflammatory bs.
I am excited for this project and IMO think the majority of posts here have been written by self-important, pious, crude, and confused people.
Dieseloi, sorry you have had to endure foolishness and name-calling by people who seem to expound diversity and tend to champion differing values until it is something that they disagree with.
Actually, perhaps you are pleased… after all, these visceral posts display more a comical absurdity than they do anything else…
cheers
As-Salāmu `Alaykum ,Dieselboi