|
The two sides face off next week. BY PATTY WENTZ, pwentz@wweek.com
Johnson Creek runs through some of the most densely populated areas of east Portland. City officials have decided that when it comes to Johnson Creek, rather than fight Mother Nature, it makes more sense to accommodate her. For decades various federal and state agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, have developed plans to keep Johnson Creek in its banks, but nothing substantial has been done since a WPA project in the 1930s. "A few folks get riled up, and nothing ever comes from it," says Bureau of Environmental Services Director Dean Marriott. In 1996 high waters caused $700,000 worth of damage to homes and businesses within the city limits. But neighbors say recently proposed zoning changes in the flood plain won't solve flooding problems; they'll only force property values down. Since they can't stop the river from flooding, city officials are now trying to curb future damage by limiting--and in some cases eliminating--development in the most vulnerable areas. And they're battling a strong current of opposition from east-siders who say, once again, they're being treated like second-class citizens. "You can't engineer your way out of this problem," says City Commissioner Erik Sten, who will be on hand next week when the City Council discusses the plan. Sten is echoing the findings of 1995's massive Johnson Creek Resource Management Plan. It was created by a group of residents and business owners who worked with various agencies to deal with flooding and pollution in the basin. Mostly funded by the city of Portland, the plan is an attempt to balance environmental and economic issues within the watershed. The 25-mile-long creek, which originates east of Boring, runs through Gresham and several eastside neighborhoods before joining the Willamette River near Milwaukie. Since spring of 1997, the city has spent more than $1.5 million of city and federal funds to buy 13 residences along the creek considered to be within the five-year flood risk area. The city has demolished the structures on the sites, creating more open space for floodwaters. But more than 54 buildings sit next to Johnson Creek, and at least 724 acres lie within the flood plain, including empty parcels the owners hope to someday subdivide and sell to developers. This is exactly what the city doesn't want to happen. The more construction allowed in the flood plain, the more damage a flood will do. To stop future development in the flood plain, the city has proposed three levels of restrictions on properties within the flood plain. The most severe restrictions fall on those living right next to the creek. The first draft of the plan limits improvements to existing properties and bans new development. This is bad news for people who own large lots that they want to develop in the future or homeowners who hoped to someday cash in on home improvements. Furious residents grilled Sten and fellow commissioner Charlie Hales for more than three hours during a neighborhood association meeting last month. This is a corner of town where many are still smarting from what they see as being forced to hook up to the city sewer system. Anti-government sentiment runs deep. The neighbors feel they are being forced to pay for a problem they didn't create. "They never talk about the big houses on Mount Scott sending water down the hill into the creek when it rains," says Gail Noonan, whose family owns a 25-year-old business in the area. Sten stresses that this is just the first step of a larger plan, but he and his colleagues are probably in for more of the same from the neighborhood. In an unprecedented response to residents' concerns, the City Council will hold a special evening session Feb. 11 at Marshall High School. The final vote is expected the following week. |
