18. September 2008 by admin.

The Council unanimously approved a motion to reject the request to rezone Colwood Golf Course. Commissioner Leonard made the motion, Commissioner Adams seconded.  Mayor Potter was not present (which was expected).  Read more on Oregonlive.com

However, the applicant - represented by Steve Janik - made procedural request where they would be able to submit further testimony within 7 days. As such, Council will take a FINAL vote after that testimony is received. October 22 is the day they are looking at right now.

Thank you to everyone who sent in testimony or presented testimony tonight!  You voices were heard!

We encourage you to contact the Portland City Council and thank them for their action on 9/17 and encourage them to remain committed to supporting the Hearings Officer’s decision when they reconvene on this issue on 10/22.

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16. September 2008 by admin.

The Colwood rezoning proposal came was covered in the Oregonian and the Portland Tribune today. And Jack Bog added his two-cents on this again at bojack.org (that Jack is definitely not a shy guy…)

But what we need is Y-O-U! We need you at the hearing to show support and we need you to send in testimony right away.  Written testimony will be accepted until 4 pm on 9/17.

The hearing will be  at 6 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, September 17. Hope to see you there!

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14. September 2008 by admin.

The Portland City Council hearing will be on Wednesday, September 17th at 6 pm. You can sign up to testify or show up and provide moral support.

If you can’t make the hearing - or even if you can - PLEASE submit written testimony to Keep Colwood Green NOW! Your testimony in opposition of rezoning Colwood from open space to industrial must be received by the Council Clerk no later than 4 pm on September 17th. 

Send it snail mail, email or via fax:

Karla Moore-Love, Council Clerk, 1221 SW 4th, Room 140 Portland, OR 97204

kmoore-love@ci.portland.or.us

FAX: 503-823-4571

Not sure what to say?

Use our sample letter: colwood-testimony-sample-letter.pdf

Or send our sample email to the Council Clerk right now!

So don’t hold back, send in your letter of support today! Thanks!

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11. September 2008 by admin.

The Colwood issue is getting a lot of coverage on local blogs, the most recent addition is this post on bikeportland.org.

If you haven’t already, Send in Your Testimony Today!

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10. September 2008 by admin.

Jack Bog had some not so nice things to say about the lobbyist working to rezone Colwood on his blog. Read it here.

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6. September 2008 by admin.

The Mercury’s Sarah Mirk posted a piece on the Colwood Golf rezoning proposal. Check it out!

What can you do now to Keep Colwood Green? Submit your testimony, tell your friends and neighbors to do the same, plan on joining us at the hearing at City Hall on 9/17 at 6 pm to testify or just provide moral support.  We can do this!

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3. September 2008 by admin.

There are many reasons to ensure that Colwood does not become an industrial area. One of the biggest is that this area is the one of the last areas on the Columbia Slough that has not been contaminated or abused by industrial development.

Why is this important? Consider Johnson Lake which is part of the Columbia Slough near I-205.  For decades Johnson Lake was a recreational retreat for Portland residents. The lake was crystal clear and boasted a beach house and dance hall.  People swam, fished, and enjoy the serenity of this special area.

The Owens-Illinois Glass Factory set up shop on the land adjacent to the lake in the 1950’s.  They soon began dumping industrial waste into Johnson Lake, much of it containing PCBs (a known carcinogen). Needless to say, Johnson Lake has not been open to swimming for the past 50 years and fish caught in the lake is unsafe for human consumption.

The clean-up of Johnson Lake continues - slowly. Most recently the DEQ has come up with a plan that will require a partial cleanup of the lake. The Owens will be required to dredge some of the contaminated sediment at a cost of $1.3 million. But this won’t solve the problem. Instead nature will still need to do the rest of the work over a number of decades. Find out more about the clean-up of Johnson Lake here.

Let’s learn from the past.  Keep Colwood Green!

Send in your testimony to Keep Colwood Green today!

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3. September 2008 by admin.

The Colwood Golf Course issue was recently covered in the Portland Sentinel.  Read the full article here.

Be sure to submit your testimony to Keep Colwood Green by 9/17!

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