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When we counted the number of active storefronts in Lloyd Center last month, none was being used as a political campaign headquarters. (The Portland chapter of the NAACP has an office near the shuttered Marshalls.) Still, there’s time: The City Council election isn’t until November, Lloyd Center rent runs about $1,000 a month, and at least two candidates seeking to represent the North/Northeast district that contains the zombie mall chimed in on last week’s cover story (“Dawn of the Undead Mall,” WW, June 26). This could be the start of a beautiful platform. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Chris Olson, candidate for Portland City Council District 2, via Twitter: “I love the stores in Lloyd Center. I would support a vacancy tax on commercial real estate. It would drive prices down and allow small businesses to thrive.”
Michelle Depass, candidate for Portland City Council District 2, via Instagram: “Let’s keep reinventing it. All ranges of affordable housing? Preschools? Head Start? Public library? Locally owned shopping? Indoor arts walk like First and Last Thursdays? Community recreation center with climbing gym, pool, classes, ice skating? Small locally owned food carts? Jobs training? Artist live/work? Live music venue? Indoor and outdoor organic farm? What would be a community benefit? Keep those creative ideas coming, Portland.”
Andrew Kaiser, via Facebook: “What is dragging Lloyd down is the empty large anchor stores. Figure out a solution to those spaces and the rest would work itself out.”
Andrew Rea, via Facebook: “Only those who lived here before 1990 remember how great that mall once was.”
Bob, via email: “While I do want to see the ‘visions’ for reimagining the mall to come true, it still feels a little like ‘lipstick on a pig.’ Fundamentally, the mall is uninviting because it’s wrapped in a fortress of tiered parking across from its biggest gateway assets (park and MAX accessibility).
“A better plan would be to knock down the unused parking, open the space to carts and outside vendors and downsize the mall to a viable size.
TOO KIND TO JVP
You write as if [Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson] is doing something noble by marketing her property for high-density development [”Parting Gift,” WW, June 26]. I could go along with that if she were staying in the ‘hood she is proposing for development. But as you know, she’s not. She fled to the westside.
All she is doing is trying to maximize her sale price despite large related impacts to former neighbors. That’s her right but hardly noble. I see this time and time again in journalism world—kindness to sources. It’s unfortunate and a disservice to your readers.
Courtney Wilton
Southeast Portland
FREAKED OUT BY TEACHERS’ UNION
I’m stunned by hearing that the Portland teachers’ union is still pimping “from the river to the sea” [Murmurs, June 26]. Unbelievable. Now on a T-shirt near me? More than just Jews are freaked out by that phrase: Hamas uses it as a war call to destroy Israel, that is clear. I’m not Jewish, but if I was, I would take my kids out of public schools here. Shameful.
Karla Vallance
Northeast Portland
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