Portland’s Odd Couple Knows Exactly What It Wants

To Jusuf Nurkic, the rim suddenly closed tight. The 7-foot, 275-pound Bosnian center had been traded to Portland less than two weeks earlier, liberated, really, from Denver’s bench. He needed the Trail Blazers and hoped to immediately impress. Against Toronto that night in February 2017, his easy bunnies fumbled around the rim and against the backboard. He looked around at everything and nothing, muttering to himself.

"No, stop," Blazers star guard Damian Lillard told Nurkic. "I don’t want to hear that s–t anymore. We’re not making excuses tonight."

As much as Nurkic needed the Blazers, Lillard recognized the team needed Nurkic. They had been floundering, hitting the All-Star break at 10 games below .500. The lottery seemed a more realistic destination than the playoffs when Portland made the deal for Nurkic.

Lillard had offered Nurkic some breathing room for a couple of days following the trade. Now, though, he needed his new teammate’s focused play. So Lillard let Nurkic know the clouds would eventually part and the ball would start falling. He went out of his way to get him the ball that game.

"It means the world to me, man," Nurkic says. "I’m from Bosnia, a small country, three, almost four million [people]. To me, it’s like a dream to have a superstar, and he kinda takes you under his … wing for whatever you need. "

Lillard remembers telling Nurkic the organization accepted him and wanted to help him advance as a player. "Once that happened, he just opened up," Lillard says in a conversation a few days before Thanksgiving. "I felt like he needs somebody to be in his corner because it seemed like they didn’t support him there, so I just decided I was going to be in his corner and he opened up to me and we hit it off from there."

Since Nurkic’s arrival, the Trail Blazers have gone 82-54. This season they find themselves, as usual, bunched in a clogged Western Conference. While last spring’s flameout in the first round to the lower-seeded Pelicans prompted a lot of talk of changing the roster, the club has opted, for now, to run it back with essentially the same group. Improvement, the type that allows for a playoff series win, will need to come internally. For that, the organization is looking for Nurkic to become a third pillar alongside Lillard and CJ McCollum.

The club tried to express its faith he could do it in agreeing to a four-year, $48 million extension with the 24-year-old veteran over the summer, a deal that should allow Nurkic to play without looking over his massive shoulders.

"You always want to see people that trust in you, and you got to earn it one way or another," Nurkic says, adding: "You want to feel the communication."

He grew up in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the son of a police officer, Hariz, and homemaker, Rusmina. "He was a cop, man," Nurkic says of his father. "Got a big ass car."

Jusuf Nurkic is big. His father, Nurkic cannot emphasize enough, is BIG. The legend goes that Hariz once expressed an interest in basketball, but no one could locate shoes large enough for him.

"Well, actually, that’s his story, so I need to believe him," Jusuf says. "Trust, man, you will, too. He’s big. … He never looks fat. He’s just big. His bones and everything. He’s … almost something like compared to Shaq right now. He’s just a big dude. You can’t even stand against him. You feel small."

His father made the news for a fight that landed 14 people injured. He remained standing. Enes Trnovcevic, an agent reading about the incident, located Hariz and asked him one question: Did he, by any chance, have a son?

Trnovcevic offered to train Jusuf in Slovenia, telling the 14-year-old that he was the best basketball player born in 1994. That dude is on drugs, Nurkic recalls thinking. "I’d barely ever touched a ball," he says.

Hariz insisted that his son open himself up to the possibility. Nurkic relented.

He went from hardly touching a basketball to living the sport in Slovenia. He practiced and trained relentlessly while trying to familiarize himself with a new language in a new country. Can I do this? Maybe not, he would think to himself some nights.

"People don’t get it when you’re young and you’ve never been away from your family, your father, mother or anybody close to you," Nurkic says. "You’ve never been, really, a day without them and then you going like [a] six-hour drive to another country. It’s, like, a big transition, especially [for] a kid. … It was hard. It was struggling, man. You’re just out there by yourself and you basically need to grow up overnight."

Nurkic made it through that year and returned as a growth spurt began kicking in. He had made friends. He learned the language. He became comfortable.

Oh yeah, he started thinking. This is something I want in my life. This sport is changing me and my whole life. The future was different.

By the time he was 18, he signed his first professional contract with Croatia’s Cedevita Zagreb.

"Players … would set illegal screens and there’s no offensive fouls and there’s no three seconds out there; like, people being in the paint," Nurkic says. "People play physical. That’s why you have like 50, 60 points a game. There is [nobody] who can score 50 a night. He going to the hospital that night, for sure."

Nurkic became frustrated, though, backing up Cedevita veterans and was loaned to Zadar. There, he teamed with Romeo Travis, a high school teammate of LeBron James, and tried soaking in as much English as possible from the Ohioan. "I thought the most important thing for me was just listen to him and [talk] to him for days and days and the whole season," Nurkic says.

On the court, he flourished and helped defeat Cedevita in the semifinals of the Croatian Premier League playoffs in 2013. He returned to Cedevita and started noticing NBA personnel in the stands.

"You start [to] realize that something [is] going to happen," Nurkic says. "You might have a chance to play in the NBA. You wanna stay on the ground and focus on what you need to do, but at the end of the day, you start to realize it’s true."

In 2014, the Bulls drafted Nurkic with the 16th overall pick and then dealt him to Denver. Nurkic had questions about Denver’s intentions. The Nuggets already had a crowded frontcourt. Midway through his first season, though, the club traded away centers JaVale McGee and Timofey Mozgov, moves that opened playing time for Nurkic. "I was confident before and I know I can play, but the more important thing was like, Can they see that?" Nurkic says.

Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris were both drafted by the Bulls in 2014, but were traded that same night to the Denver Nuggets for Doug McDermott, Anthony Randolph and a future second-round pick.

Things changed quickly in that first offseason. A torn patellar tendon required surgery in May 2015. Mike Malone replaced Brian Shaw as the team’s coach, and Nikola Jokic arrived that June.

Malone tried playing both at the same time to ill-fitting results in today’s smaller NBA. "They basically cannibalized one another," Portland general manager Neil Olshey says. Nurkic requested a trade in April 2016, only to relent and return for another season. The combination still clashed, so Malone brought Nurkic off the bench, a situation he found to be untenable. He started being held out of games altogether, openly sulking, and again asked to be traded. He had lost trust in the franchise.

"It’s tough to understand what the organization is trying to do with you and how much you’re important for the future," Nurkic says. "We just want to hoop, man. Pretty much you want to hoop every night, but in the end, you didn’t have that much patience. You just want things to happen overnight."

Shortly before the 2017 trade deadline, Denver dealt Nurkic and a first-round draft pick to Portland for Mason Plumlee and a second-round pick.

"Everything was kind of perfectly set up," Nurkic says.

By the time Nurkic arrived in Portland, the Trail Blazers were in the middle of a retrofitting of sorts. The team had been built around the career arcs of LaMarcus Aldridge and Lillard, but when Aldridge left for San Antonio in free agency in 2015, the plan needed recalibration.

Olshey asked Lillard to talk.

"We’re going to hit the reset button," Olshey told his remaining star. "We’re going to bring in young guys. We’re going to have to Moneyball it a little bit by finding guys that have been a little bit overlooked or forgotten by other organizations, so they’re not going to be flashy signings. We’re going to have to take some fliers. We’re going to have to build a culture and we’re going to have to be patient."

Olshey told Lillard he planned to build around him for the long haul. He asked if Lillard would be ready or even want the responsibility.

"It takes a lot of your energy as a player because you’ve got to think of 14 other guys with everything you do," Olshey says. "You can’t just focus on your game and your development. You’re going to have to understand that everybody is going to look to you, and that can become exhausting in terms of your own personal resources."

Lillard, Olshey said, did not flinch in accepting the role, and when Nurkic arrived in the middle of a 2017 season that appeared destined to end in the draft lottery, Lillard was ready for the onboarding process.

In the wake of LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure in 2015, Damian Lillard has become the voice of the Blazers, not only to fans and media but also to his teammates.

"Part of what makes Dame special is he doesn’t punish the son for the sins of the father," Olshey says. "There’s no revisionist history. If we make a decision to move on from a player and bring somebody new on, Dame knows it’s his job to integrate him into the culture, embrace them and give them the best chance to succeed. That was very empowering for Nurk because when he joined our team, we had slipped out of the playoff race. The season was going downhill really fast. It looked like we were going to miss the playoffs for the first time in four years. Dame realized that Nurk was the linchpin to turning the season around, so he jumped on it right away."

Lillard had already been eyeing Nurkic from afar. He’s known Shaw for a while through their mutual Oakland connection and tuned into Denver’s games whenever he could.

Nurkic’s body language stood out to Lillard.

"I would see him get frustrated," Lillard says. "They would always talk about him on the broadcast, how big his dad was and all that stuff. He stuck out like a sore thumb because he was a big dude, powerful. When he came to us, he was kind of hard. He was happy to be there, but he was still hard, like he didn’t want to really mess with nobody that much."

Lillard made sure that Nurkic knew he was welcomed and held to the same standards as everyone on the roster.

"That’s where I kind of struggled the year in Denver," Nurkic says. "[In Portland] I came to enjoy the basketball. It’s just kind of fun out there. Just two great guards who make my life easier, just kind of on the fly. We understand each other. Even if we don’t talk, we understand what we’re supposed to do on the court."

Fellow Portland center Meyers Leonard likens Nurkic’s game to a rival big man who plays farther down the coast.

"If you watch the Warriors in particular, when Draymond [Green] catches the ball in the post, he’s not even really looking to score," Leonard says. "He’s waiting for a cutting player or a cutting KD or somebody to go into a gaggle action, or a flare screen, and all of a sudden, two defenders make a mistake and there’s a backdoor cut. Nurk has that vision. … Then having a shooting touch … when he’s locked in and when he’s playing to his fullest capability, he’s impressive to watch."

And it made a difference in Portland soon after he arrived.

The Blazers ended the 2016-17 season 17-6. In an overtime win over Philadelphia, Nurkic became the first player to have at least 28 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists and six blocks in more than 30 years. "Portland fans fell in love with him," Leonard says. Just as Nurk Fever overtook Portland, however, Nurkic suffered a fracture in his right leg. He returned for a cameo during Golden State’s sweep over Portland in the playoffs.

With Nurkic playing about 26 minutes per game, the Trail Blazers rank third in the league in rebound percentage and 10th in opponent points allowed in the paint, according to NBA.com.

Still, a home had been found. Nurkic enjoyed the passion of the city’s fans and that he could find a coffee shop seemingly on every corner. It reminded him of home. (Nurkic estimates he began drinking coffee with his mother at around five.)

Damn, that’s a good life out here, Nurkic recalls thinking.

The honeymoon is over. Work toward a lasting partnership is progressing. The organization asked Nurkic to drop some weight over the summer of 2017, so he stopped eating sugar and took up boxing classes, CrossFit and bike riding.

Nurkic shed more than 30 pounds. He posted career highs in points (14.3), rebounds (9.0) and blocks (1.4) while playing in 79 games in his first full season with the Blazers. Portland’s defensive rating jumped from 22nd (110.0) to sixth (105.5). At times, Nurkic still struggled with inconsistent play.

"I was too fast, I guess," Nurkic says. "I would do stuff in a rush. I would do stuff like, I didn’t recognize myself either."

Nurkic describes this past summer as a whirlwind after getting swept out of the first round last spring. Speculation swirled about whether these Trail Blazers had peaked and if the Lillard/McCollum backcourt should be dissolved. The organization optioned for stability and Nurkic signed his contract extension.

"You’re talking about a guy who had one foot out of the league, to the point where Denver gave us a first-round pick to take him to a certain degree," Olshey says. "He was a guy that everybody knew was talented, but there were issues as far as would he make it or not; could he control his emotions, did he have the maturity, was he professional enough? Dame guided him through the end of that rookie scale contract. And then when he got paid last summer, Dame had another talk with him about, ‘It’s going to be different now. You have a contract. Eyes are going to be on you. People are going to expect you to live up to and earn that contract.’"

Nurkic knows. "This is kind of the place I want to be and where I’m going to be hopefully the next three to four years," Nurkic says. "The next step was, ‘I want to be an All-Star and I want to win as many games as we can.’"

So far, the results have been mixed.

A brief ride to the top of the Western Conference standings has leveled off of late for the Blazers. For his part, Nurkic has been the same, efficient low-post presence he’s been since arriving in Portland, averaging 15.0 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting and 10.6 rebounds.

"He’s taking his time a little bit more when he gets the ball, either on rolls or offensive rebounds or post-ups," says Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "I think he’s doing a better job of finishing around the basket. Defensively, he’s had an impact ever since he’s been here, so I don’t notice as big a difference on the defensive end, but it just seems like he’s a little bit more under control at the offensive end."

Lillard has noticed the changes.

"Now … that he’s been with our team, [he has an] understanding of what we need him to do and what we want him to do to improve, and he’s committed to it," Lillard says. "It’s one thing for him to have all those things that he’s capable of and [it’s] … another thing for him to be committed to it and to do it all the time, and I think that’s the biggest difference for us."

Indeed, Lillard won’t let him forget. The two have become close in their season-and-a-half together. They text. They FaceTime. They discuss games and game situations and more.

"We’re always around each other, always in each other’s ear. Before practice we sit there and talk. After practice we sit there and talk. We went to dinner in Orlando and just talked about our girlfriends, you know.

"I think it’s gone past the teammate group; that’s my brother now. I just want somebody to think they need to remake the movie with Gheorghe Muresan, My Giant, and have me and Nurk in there. I told him we should do that next year for Halloween."

Jonathan Abrams is a senior writer for B/R Mag. A former staff writer at Grantland and sports reporter at theNew York Timesand theLos Angeles Times, Abrams is also the best-selling author ofAll the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire—available right here, right now. Follow him on Twitter: @jpdabrams.

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/portlands-odd-couple-knows-exactly-what-it-wants/

New Shelter For Portland Homeless Families Emerges From Donation

PORTLAND, OR – There’s a new place for 75 children and their parents to seek shelter from the winter weather. The shelter at 1150 Northwest 17th Avenue opened for business on Dec 3.

The shelter is in a building donated by developer Tom Cody and is being operated by Portland Homeless Family Services. The shelter was created by them along with the City of Portland and Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services.

"I am optimistic that by working together, the business community and the public sector can continue to make meaningful progress in addressing homelessness," Cody said.

"With many contributing, outcomes can be immediate and impactful. I hope we can continue to build on these kinds of partnerships."

Get all the latest information on what’s happening in your community by signing up for Patch’s newsletters and breaking news alerts

The location is new for the shelter, which was previously located blocks away at Congregation Beth Israel.

The congregation will continue helping the shelter by providing volunteer and community connections.

It will be open every night from 6 p.m. through 8 a.m. through April 30, 2019.

The shelter is expected to bring a big lift of assistance for homeless families in the area. Currently there are more than 100 families on the wait lists for shelter who are currently sleeping in their cars or on the streets.

"These are kids who don’t have anywhere to do their homework, brush their teeth, or read bedtime stories," the executive director of Portland Homeless Family Solutions, Brandi Tuck said.

"Thanks to this unique collaboration Portland Homeless Family Solutions is able to provide 75 kids and parents a place to sleep and get back on their feet this winter. We will work with families to help them move back into housing."

Families will be able to apply for space at the shelter by calling 211.

If space is available, they will be given an interview.

Families that make it in to the shelter will be able to stay there as many days as they need and will receive a hot dinner and breakfast.

Portland Family Homeless Services will also operate a day center nearby at SW 13th Avenue and Salmon Street in partnership with the First Unitarian Church. Families can take showers there as well as do laundry and hang out.

Photo via Portland Homeless Family Services.

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/new-shelter-for-portland-homeless-families-emerges-from-donation/

City Council approves changes to short-term rental rules

not everyone thinks the current policy needs updating.

The Portland City Council on Monday night approved new short-term rental rules aimed at slowing the trend of renting private homes and apartments through services like Airbnb.

Councilors passed rules that will allow property owners to register only one short-term rental per year. Councilors also increased the cap on non-owner occupied short-term rental units to 400 from the present 300 units.

Mayor Ethan Strimling said the vote was disappointing and would hurt affordable housing in the city.

“This body will be back looking at short-term rentals in a few years because we didn’t get it right,” he said.

But Councilor Justin Costa said focusing on short-term rentals ignored many other reasons Portland has an affordable housing problem.

“The more we take out one tiny piece and try to focus on that and make that the stand-in for the issue of housing affordability, that does not do justice to the issue here,” Costa said.

“Pitting neighbor against neighbor is not going to help us solve this problem and it is not going to make anyone’s lives any better.”

Presently, the ordinance allows apartment building owners to rent units they don’t live in short term, as long as they live in the building. As a consequence, there are actually 315 units rented in non-owner occupied apartments and houses.

Another 31 units in owner-occupied buildings are on a city waiting list, making a total of 346 rental units not in a primary residence.

Some are concerned that if the trend continues, it will have a serious effect on the city’s long-term housing stock and worsen Portland’s affordability problem.

“I don’t want any building to be completely dominated by short-term rentals,” District 1 Councilor Belinda Ray said.

The practice of renting a private room, home or apartment for a night or two has become a popular alternative to hotels, spread through online services like Airbnb.

Supporters of short-term rentals say it supports local economies and helps homeowners pay for taxes and improvements.

Critics, however, contend that short-term rentals are taking needed housing for full-time residents off the market, pushing rents up and eroding neighborhood character.

The updated ordinance clarifies that after the new rules take effect on Dec. 1 only homes or apartments that are a primary residence can be registered as owner-occupied. The non-owner occupied units that are registered, even those that exceed the cap, can be re-registered for the next year.

Several property owners who spoke at the meeting Monday said they made improvements to their multi-unit buildings they live in with the expectation they could rent them short-term. They were dismayed to learn the rules were changing and were not allowed to register a short-term rental in their building.

Thibodeau, the District 2 councilor, said the rules work and do not need a wholesale rewrite. He also doesn’t think there is evidence short-term rentals are eroding the city’s affordable housing stock.

“In short, I don’t think we should pin the affordability crisis on the shared economy,” he said.

Airbnb also believes the city’s new rules go too far.

“Simply put, we believe that there is clear value in continuing to foster STR activity among non-primary residences and that there is no evidence suggesting that short-term rental activity is a primary driver of rent increases in the city of Portland,” said Josh Meltzer, chief of Northeast public policy for the online company.

Instead, Airbnb advocates a tiered approach that would distinguish between and have progressive regulatory schemes for occasional hosts, regular hosts for primary residences and non-primary home hosts.

While it supports grandfathering existing registered units above the cap “we encourage the council to recognize the benefits of allowing new hosts to also list secondary homes going forward,” Meltzer said.

But some neighborhood activists don’t believe the council’s new rules go far enough.

Last week, a group called Munjoy Hill Conservation Collaborative sent councilors a petition with 35 signatures demanding a one-person, one-listing system only for primary residences or a tenant who has landlord approval – similar to the rules passed by South Portland voters on Nov. 6.

Karen Snyder, a member of the collaborative who lives on Waterville Street, is disappointed the city is honoring registered non-owner occupied units that now exceed the limit.

She’s also worried people will find new loopholes in the city’s ordinance and keep registering new non owner-occupied units.

“Ultimately, I think it is a step in the right direction, but if you actually review the ordinance right now, it is really wordy and sometimes not really clear,” Snyder said.

“Creating a new one from scratch would be better,” she added. “You are just trying to fix a broken policy, putting a band-aid on it.”

Peter McGuire can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

pmcguire@pressherald.com

Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/city-council-approves-changes-to-short-term-rental-rules/

Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 114-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and center JaVale McGee, right, block a shot from Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) during the first half of a game on Saturday. (Craig Mitchelldyer / Associated Press)

These two games felt like scheduled losses for the Lakers. After a drama-filled week with news of a tense interaction between Luke Walton and Magic Johnson, the Lakers had Portland on the road and then were to return home to play the east-leading Toronto Raptors the next day.

Instead, the Lakers notched their first win in Portland since the 2013-14 season and are 2-0 since that much-talked-about meeting Tuesday.

1. Rajon Rondo was tremendous on the court of the Lakers and had an amusing interaction with a fan at the end of the game. Walton said he orchestrated a “beautiful game.” His play was a major part of why the Lakers won that game.

Then in the game’s closing seconds, as Portland fans began to leave in frustration, Rondo looked engaged in conversation with a woman sitting courtside.

“She said she loved my shoes and I was telling her I loved hers,” Rondo said after the game. He was told she waved goodbye. “Did she or [did she] shoot me the finger?” Rondo asked. “Which one?”

She actually made a hand motion indicating he was talking too much. “Oh she did that,” Rondo said. “Oh, [you can] tell her favorite character on ‘Muppet Babies’ was… who’s the guy who did this [moves his fingers like it’s a mouth]? Kermit?”

Lakers

2. JaVale McGee is about to get some help, but he’s shown his value to the Lakers so far. McGee had six blocks Saturday night and was critical for the Lakers defensively.

Their plan was to force Portland’s shooters inside and that plan depended on McGee being able to make them pay once they got there.

“I just try to be in the right places at the right time,” said McGee, who leads the NBA in blocks. “I got beat to the rim a couple times, but I was just really trying to focus on not letting that happen.”

3. Ivica Zubac got his first extended playing time all season. He’d only played seven minutes all season before this and not at all in the previous four games.

“Their second unit has been killing games. They had 50 [points] last game, I think, as a group,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “And they’ve been playing that bigger lineup out there. And Zu, like I said, he’s been working hard and he’s looked good the last couple days. So we told him before that there’s a good chance he gets his number called so be ready.”

4. Walton joked with Josh Hart that it was nice to have him back. Of course, Hart didn’t go anywhere, but his play had slipped a bit over the past few games. Hart laughed when he was asked about Walton saying that. Then he was asked if moving to the bench affected him.

Lakers

“It’s a little different because I’m coming off the bench at the four,” Hart said. “So it’s different from a backup shooting guard to starting shooting guard to backup power forward. So the road’s a little different, but I have the opportunity, I showed them what I could do. And now it’s just helping this team win, and that’s whatever role I’m given and do that to the best of my ability.”

Hart took only three shots and made them all. Two of them were critical three-pointers. He also had an assist, a steal and two blocks. His impact extended far beyond

5. The Lakers defensive effort was better Saturday night than it has been all season. In speaking with players in the locker room, they felt that what changed was that the team sustained its effort.

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/five-takeaways-from-the-lakers-114-110-win-over-the-portland-trail-blazers/

Portland Business Owners Say They Ended Up On Campaign Material They Didn’t Actually Support

Eva Liu doesn’t support the Portland gross receipts tax measure on the ballot this November.

That’s according to the Multnomah County Voter’s Pamphlet, at least, which includes about a quarter of a page of arguments “furnished by Eva Lui” in opposition to the measure. Her corner of the pamphlet implores voters to vote “no” on Measure 26-201, the ballot initiative that would impose a one percent tax on the gross revenue large retailers generate in Portland in order to create a clean energy fund.

But Liu doesn’t actually oppose the measure, which she says she supports because of rising utility bills at her Northeast Portland restaurant of 18 years. Proponents of the measure, which would use money generated from the tax to fund clean energy projects and jobs around the city, notified Liu of her presence on the voter’s pamphlet. Her photo also appeared on the “No On 26-201” website.

“I didn’t know my name was on there,” Liu told OPB. “They even had the last name wrong.”

Proponents of the measure filed a formal election complaint with the Secretary of State’s office asking for an investigation into how two business owners appeared on campaign material they didn’t actually support. They say Liu and another business owner were misled by the Keep Portland Affordable PAC — the group opposing the gross receipts tax — into falsely supporting the opposition campaign.

“I didn’t realize that I was signing on to oppose the Portland Clean Energy Initiative,” Liu wrote in a letter to the Keep Portland Affordable PAC Tuesday.

The complaint alleges the PAC intentionally misled at least two small business owners — both immigrants whose second language is English — into signing documents they believed endorsed another measure. The group says the two owners were led to believe they were being asked to support measure 103, which would prohibit taxes on groceries.

Documents included in the complaint show Liu and Hari Lal, who run King’s Omelets and Spice Kitchen respectively, both signed papers with quotations later attributed to them on Keep Portland Affordable campaign material. Both owners’ photos appeared on the Keep Portland Affordable website. Liu was quoted in a paid political advertisement in the Oregonian/OregonLive. She also appears in the opposition section of Measure 26-201 on the county voter pamphlet.

Both business owners have since expressed their support for the gross receipts tax measure. Keep Portland Affordable PAC has removed their photos from its website.

A screenshot of Hari Lal, owner of Spice Kitchen, on the Keep Portland Affordable PAC website.

“It was made very clear what the measure is and what support was being requested,” Keep Portland Affordable PAC said in an emailed statement. “If Ms. Liu, or other supporters, change their positions on the measure, we will of course abide by any of their requests.”

The ‘no’ campaign said its outreach efforts include a website sign-up, social media, or individual outreach and relationship building. Documents show Liu signed an official document for the County Elections office noting opposition for measure 26-201 on Sept. 10. She said canvassers who’d entered her restaurant did not tell her explicitly that the document was related to the gross receipts tax measure. The complaint argues that even though Liu and Lal signed legal documents, “the ‘no’ campaign made no efforts to ensure that Ms. Liu or Mr. Hal (sic) understood the legal documents they were signing.”

“They said, ‘keep Portland affordable’ – I remember those words,” Liu said, referring to canvassers who entered her restaurant this summer. “I thought I was signing for no grocery tax.”

The gross receipts tax measure would not apply to groceries, medicine or health care services, and the Keep Portland Affordable PAC said it does not collaborate with the Yes on 103 campaign. It also says it has not heard directly from Lal about the use of his image on their website. Lal signed a similar letter to the one Liu sent to the PAC, stating he did not realize he was signing documents opposing the Portland Clean Energy Initiative.

Hari Lal said he supports the gross receipts tax measure on the ballot this November.

As for the language that ended up in the voter’s pamphlet, Liu said she doesn’t recognize any of it.

“Immigrants who speak English as a second language are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and that’s what happened,” said Khanh Pham, manager of immigrant organizing at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon. APANO is on the steering committee for the clean energy fund measure.

Lal, meanwhile, told supporters behind the clean energy measure that he could not remember anyone taking his photo, which has since been removed from the Keep Portland Affordable website. He only remembers someone dropping off “Yes on 103” signs, literature and magnets.

Since taking down their photos, no local business owner is featured on the Keep Portland Affordable homepage.

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/portland-business-owners-say-they-ended-up-on-campaign-material-they-didnt-actually-support/

Portland Moves To Clean Up Its Act (Or At Least Its Streets)

PORTLAND, OR – Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler knows that the city needs to clean up its act. On Thursday morning, he announced what he hopes will be first steps toward making that happen.

Wheeler announced that starting this week, the city will be providing trash service six days a week. Downtown Portland, meanwhile, will soon be getting an additional 200 trash containers for the streets.

The bins – 100 of which will arrive this month – are being purchased by Clean & Safe, an affiliate of the Portland Business Alliance. The group is spending $300,000 for the high-capacity bins. Get all the latest information on what’s happening in your community by signing up for Patch’s newsletters and breaking news alerts

Officials say that with Clean & Safe buying bins for downtown, it will allow the city to buy more trash receptacles for other parts of the city.

"It is critical that we put our money and efforts where our mouth is, and this additional pick up schedule is just one of the ways we are doing that," Wheeler said at a news conference to mark the 30th anniversary of the Clean & Safe District downtown.

"This is just the first announcements of several to come."

Wheeler says his goal is to make Portland the cleanest city in the United States.

Photo of Mayor Wheeler with new trash receptacles via Clean & Safe/Portland Business Alliance.

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/portland-moves-to-clean-up-its-act-or-at-least-its-streets/

Portland’s first price-restricted housing unit a tough sell

The Onejoy project, a 12-unit condo building under construction in Portland’s West End. A unit in the development is being set aside as affordable housing for a middle-income family.

For more than six months, Chris Lavoie has tried to sell a condominium in Portland’s West End, a desirable neighborhood with historic buildings and a short walk from award-winning restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, breweries and shops.

At 515 square feet, the one-bedroom condo under construction at Onejoy, a 12-unit development off Brackett Street, qualifies as micro-housing – a hot trend among some buyers, particularly young professionals or empty-nesters. The price – $208,700 – is actually lower than what comparable condos have sold for in the neighborhood, even in the same building. And it’s being marketed at a time when the real estate market in Maine’s largest city appears to be firing on all cylinders.

“I can’t get traction on it,” said Lavoie, who created a separate web page for the unit.

Such is the plight of the real estate agent tasked with selling Portland’s first newly built price-restricted housing unit to result from a 2015 affordable housing ordinance.

Portland’s so-called inclusionary zoning ordinance was intended to promote the construction of housing affordable to middle-income workers. The city has seen a flood of luxury condos being built since 2015, but those developers have opted to pay the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees rather than put units on the market that qualified as affordable under the ordinance. That money has gone into a fund used to help finance other affordable housing projects.

Now, three years after the ordinance passed, the first unit is under construction as part of an unusual condo project aimed at less affluent buyers.

Portland’s ordinance requires 10 percent of units in projects of 10 or more units to be affordable to middle-income earners. Such programs, known as inclusionary zoning, are being used by cities across the country to preserve and produce affordable housing for the middle class.

The sale price must be affordable for a household earning 20 percent more than the area median income for Greater Portland. The income level depends on the size of the household that fits into a unit. A three-bedroom unit, for example, could be priced for a family of four earning $108,000. The price is then based on what that family can afford if it spends 30 percent of that income on rent or a mortgage.

Developer Todd Alexander, whose Renewal Housing company is doing the Onejoy condo project in Portland’s West End.

So, in the case of this small one-bedroom unit at Onejoy, the city’s target buyer is a single adult earning as much as $75,600, which results in a maximum price of $208,700.

Under the city’s rules, future resales of so-called workforce housing units also must comply with the pricing limits. A 99-year deed restriction is attached to each unit to ensure that it remains relatively affordable to future workers.

The sticking point in the effort to sell the unit at Onejoy doesn’t seem to be the unit size, finishes or price, Lavoie said.

Two other 515-square-foot units in the same building, with hardwood floors and quartz countertops, are already under contract for sales prices between $215,000 to $260,000. The so-called workforce unit has the same finishes and is listed for less money – $208,700. Lavoie said that is about half the average sales price for condos sold on the Portland peninsula in the last year.

“The only thing I can go back to is the deed restriction,” Lavoie said. “People buy the real estate to get the upside of it. If they’re realizing in the process that they’re being handicapped in selling it, they look for something else.”

Portland adopted its inclusionary zoning ordinance in late 2015. At the time, rents in Portland had risen 40 percent in the preceding five years and policymakers were looking for ways to create and preserve workforce housing for people like teachers, firefighters and young professionals.

So far, 16 approved projects have triggered the ordinance and four more are under review. But most developers have provided the city a fee rather than actually building the units. That fee is currently set at about $105,000 for every workforce unit not built. So far, developers have paid just over $976,000 into the city’s housing trust, according to city data. Some developers with projects in the pipeline have yet to decide whether to provide the housing or pay the fee.

The fact that most developers would rather pay the fee doesn’t bother Jeff Levine, the city’s urban planning and development director. Levine said the city can leverage every $100,000 payment into six or more units of housing by working with affordable housing developers such as Avesta Housing and the Portland Housing Authority. But he also said he would like to see more workforce housing like Onejoy being built.

“I expect as the market matures, more people will be building these units,” Levine said.

Some city officials have proposed strengthening the ordinance. Mayor Ethan Strimling and City Councilor Brian Batson have proposed requiring a higher percentage of workforce units in new developments. And Strimling has proposed higher fees for developers opting out of the program and lower income guidelines, which would reduce the price of the units. But the council has not moved forward with those proposals.

Cape Elizabeth has required that low- and middle-income units be included in subdivisions with more than five units since 1992. Its program also has a fee, but it’s the difference between the restricted sales price and the actual sales price, which can be much more than $100,000. Most developers end up building the units, according to Town Planner Maureen O’Meara, who said the program has created 14 affordable units.

O’Meara said the fee in some cases can be $200,000 or more. “Nobody takes that option, because it’s a really expensive fee,” she said. “The fee encourages actually constructing the affordable housing, which is what we prefer.”

Kevin Donoghue, the former Portland city councilor behind Portland’s ordinance, said the fact that developers are paying the fee instead of building the units tells him one thing.

“The ordinance could certainly be strengthened,” Donoghue said. “As most developers choose to pay the fee in lieu of building inclusive housing developments, the current fee is clearly set far too low. The fee proceeds certainly allow the city to help create new permanent homes.”

Some developers have found another way to comply with Portland’s ordinance without building workforce units or paying the fee. They provide price- or rent-restricted units off site, typically by purchasing a housing unit and attaching the price restriction.

The ordinance allows the practice as long as those units are located within 1,500 feet of the project, or within the same U.S. Census tract, or when a case can be made that it is in the same neighborhood, Levine said.

That’s how the NewHeight group met the city’s requirement to build two workforce units as part of the high-end Luminato condos on Franklin Street. They’re also using that strategy to provide one of three workforce units required in the Verdante at Lincoln Park, which was recently approved by planners.

NewHeight provided the required housing at 42 Hampshire St., a three-unit building that the company already owned nearby. The developer sold the three-unit apartment building to Community Housing of Maine for a discounted price and CHOM deed-restricted two two-bedroom units so that the 24-unit Luminato project would comply with the ordinance, said Erin Cooperrider, who holds positions at both NewHeight and CHOM. The third unit will help the nearby 30-unit Verdante project comply with the ordinance.

“It has the same impact,” Cooperrider said. “It preserves a unit at an affordable rent or affordable sales price for a period of time.”

Cooperrider said they will pay a nearly $210,000 fee to the city for the remaining two workforce units required at Verdante only if they cannot find another apartment building to buy, or find a landlord to provide the deed-restricted rentals on their behalf. “We’d like to find another small building for sale that’s on the peninsula, but nothing’s for sale,” she said.

While more developers have indicated an intent to build workforce units, only two others have actually begun construction and marketing of those units. In addition to Onejoy, the 23-unit Parris Terraces project in Bayside is building two deed-restricted workforce units.

Developer Todd Alexander, whose Renewal Housing company is doing the Onejoy project, said he decided to include the workforce unit at Onejoy because the price was not all that different from the market-rate units. He also supports the mission behind the city policy, because his company primarily does affordable rental housing development out of state, he said.

“The city is doing the right thing by having this policy,” Alexander said.

Jack Soley, the developer behind Parris Terraces in Bayside, also included deed-restricted workforce units because their sales prices are expected to be comparable to similarly sized units within the project. His two workforce units are about 500 square feet and are listed at $215,000, whereas the other 23 units are priced as high as $229,000.

Soley also has not seen much demand for his deed-restricted workforce units over the four months they have been listed, but he’s not sure the deed restriction is to blame. People are generally interested in the units on the upper floors.

“All the units on the fourth floor went within the first week of being on the market,” Soley said. “People simply want the views.”

Portland did build in an escape clause for the deed restrictions, which could help developers or future owners sell the units.

If a unit has been marketed for six months and no buyer can be found, the seller can ask the city for relief from those requirements. The city can then either purchase the unit, or it can allow the owner to sell the unit at market rate to any buyer, regardless of income. If the latter occurs, however, the owner must pay the city the proceeds between the restricted sales price and the actual sales price.

Levine said staff may ask the council to extend the marketing period, based on similar programs in other communities. “One specific change we are looking at is a longer marketing time, since we have learned that buyers of affordable units want to see a completed unit,” Levine said.

The city is also taking some steps to help developers market their workforce units. City officials are working with Avesta’s Homeownership Program to find qualified buyers, Levine said. And the city has created a website and list-serve for prospective buyers to keep them informed when units become available.

Strimling said he thinks Portland should reconsider the provision that allows people to get out of the program if they have marketed the property for six months without a buyer.

“That is definitely a loophole we need to look at,” Strimling said. “That seems like an opportunity for someone to put it on the market for six months and not put in the effort it needs and sell it for more money to get around it.”

Soley, the developer of the Parris Terraces, said he’s not sure if he will ask the city to drop the deed restriction if his units haven’t sold after two more months. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he said.

Although the unit at Onejoy has already been marketed for over six months, Alexander, the owner, said he’s going to keep trying – at least for now.

“Our intent right now is to keep the inclusionary zoning restriction in place and keep marketing it,” Alexander said. “I’m not sure we will do it forever.”

Share

Source Article

Visit to Learn More: http://www.correfarmaceutico.com/portlands-first-price-restricted-housing-unit-a-tough-sell/