Some of Portland's biggest power players are gearing
up for an ugly brawl over a downtown block whose fate
may alter the face of the city for years to come.
A high-clout cabal, led by former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt,
insists that extending the South Park Blocks from Southwest
Taylor Street down to Burnside is the key to revitalizing
downtown.
Goldschmidt & Co. thought their main problem was
raising cash. But now a new obstacle has reared its head:
the Portland Development Commission, under Mayor Vera
Katz.
The first inkling came last week at an advisory-committee
meeting, when PDC staff handed out a map showing the agency's
vision for downtown, including the block between Yamhill
and Morrison, which is owned by the Zell family.
There on the map, instead of the modest three-floor Zell
Bros. jewelry building, stood a massive 12-story high-rise.
"I went through the ceiling," says Jim Westwood, attorney
for the Park Blocks group. "I saw red."
Westwood represents a group of political heavyweights,
including Goldschmidt, movie mogul Tom Moyer, Wells Fargo
exec George Passadore, and Weinhardt heir Bill Wessinger.
The group has already bought one block, between Yamhill
and Taylor streets, and has set its sights on the adjacent
Zell block for conversion into park space.
But, as the group learned last week, the PDC has already
entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Zell
family, which calls for a city-subsidized high-rise residential
tower atop an underground parking garage and at least
two floors of retail stores.
The PDC's Les Prentice says the there's nothing more
to the MOU than discussions right now. "We're exploring
all alternatives," agrees Marty Zell, a spokesman for
the Zell family, which rejected a Goldschmidt inquiry
last month.
Either way, Park Blocks proponents want the PDC to back
off until their proposal gets full public study. They
argue that turning those blocks into a promenade lined
with shops and restaurants, like the famous Ramblas in
Barcelona, Spain, would create a unique public meeting
place, a shopping mecca and a tourist
destination.
Katz spokeswoman Elisa Dozono says the city will likely
hold a "public discussion" of the idea, but she doesn't
know when.
Nevertheless, the idea of extending the Park Blocks,
rather than developing them, is picking up steam. On Sunday
The Oregonian endorsed the Ramblas plan, and more
public pressure may result from a City Club meeting this
Friday.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Willamette Week | originally
published April 26,
2000
