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CONCORDIA NEWSA free publication of the Concordia Neighborhood AssociationHomelessness:how does thecity respond?A member of the city’sHomelessness and UrbanCamping Impact ReductionProgram will explain thatWednesday, March 3, at theConcordia NeighborhoodAssociation general meeting.See Pages 2 and 7 for details,and visit ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAMeetings forinformation about attendingthe virtual meeting.CNA Mission StatementTo connect Concordia residentsand businesses — inform, educateand report on activities, issues andopportunities of the neighborhood.Concordia NewsThis free, monthly publication of CNAwill abstain from publishing anythingthat could be construed as libel.Copies are delivered to all residencesand many community and business locations in the Concordia neighborhood.Concordia News is printed on 40%post-consumer or better paper, manufactured at a local mill.Find us online at:Concordia Neighborhood AssociationP.O. Box 11194Portland, OR 97211Non Profit OrgU.S. PostagePAIDPortland, ORPermit No. 452ConcordiaPDX.org andFacebook.com/groups/ConcordiaPDXMarch 2021Trustee files foreclosure on CUTBy Nancy VarekampCNews Editorrustee Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation initiatedfor e c lo s u r e pr o c e e d i n g sagainst Concordia University Jan. 27 fordefaulted loans. It came 13 days short of ayear after the school announced it wouldclose its doors.News of the foreclosure spread quicklyafter certified copies of an 11-page Trustee’s Notice of Sale were posted on thecampus by the trustee.According to the notice, if CU doesnot repay the loans upon which it hasdefaulted, a sale of the properties andfacilities is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 29.“In a foreclosure, if the borrowercures the defaults and pays the amountsdue, the lender will cancel the foreclosuresale,” explained the trustee’s attorneyTeresa Pearson.Many of the questions CNews askedweren’t answered. Among those unanswered are: May someone pay the inexcess of 37 million named in theTrustee’s Notice of Sale and precludethe June 29 sale? Will the four distinctareas named in the notice of sale be soldseparately, or as one piece? Do those fourareas comprise the entire campus, oronly the majority of CU’s property?However, there is an answer to onequestion many neighbors ask, and that’sto what uses a new owner is allowed toput the 24-acre campus.Quite simply, that depends on whatthe new owner wants — and what the cityallows.Currently zoned Campus Institutional(CI1), colleges and medical centers – anda few other accessory uses – are allowed.That’s according to Eric Engstrom, principal planner for the Portland Bureau ofDescriptions of the properties/facilities being foreclosed may not beclear to the casual reader of the Trustee’s Notice of Sale. Teresa Pearson,attorney for trustee Lawyers TitleInsurance Corporation, shared thesedescriptions with CNews: The property bounded by DekumStreet on the north, Holman Streeton the south, 27th Avenue on theWest, and 29th Avenue (includingthe vacated portion of 29th Avenue)on the east The area between Holman Streeton the south, Rosa Parks Way onthe north, the vacated portion of29th Avenue on the west, and 30thAvenue on the east, except for theresidential building and lot locatedon the most northeast corner ofthat section, which is not included The small plaza on the northeastcorner 29th Avenue and Rosa ParksWay adjacent to the Faubion Schoolproperty The Concordia House, ConcordiaPlace Apartments and two otherhouses on the west side of thecampus, each on 27th AvenueA map of the foreclosure areas is available at bit.ly/CUSaleMap.The Concordia University campus has been devoid of students and instructors — and thestaff has dwindled — since classes ended last spring. Pedestrians, dog walkers and otherneighbors who read posted copies of the Trustee’s Notice of Sale wonder who the newowner will be. Photo by Chris BakerPlanning & Sustainability.He added, “A fundamental question, of course, is if the site is purchasedby another educational institutionwho would use it in a similar way asConcordia, or if a new owner had anentirely different vision in mind.“The current zoning does not allowgeneral commercial uses or housing(other than student or employee housingassociated with a campus institution),”he wrote in an email.Continuing as a CI1, any major additions of new facilities would trigger atransportation impact review, he added.And that would involve community input.If a new owner wants to change ormodify the zoning, there are two options.Both require opportunities for publicinput, and the city council makes thedecision, the planner pointed out.“In both cases, considerations wouldinclude traffic, infrastructure adequacyand consistency with the city’s overallplanning goals,” he explained. “Some ofthose goals touch on things like community character and public involvement.”GENTRIFICATION MEETS FOETaking Ownership PDX helps ownersstay home, in business.WHAT’S UP ON 30TH?Four businesses open, retool on oneConcordia avenueSee Page 5See Pages 6-7Editor’s note: The story doesn’t stop here.There are already a few details knownthat don’t fit this CNews space. VisitConcordiaPDX.org/OtherCUIssues. Andmore details are expected to be revealedin coming weeks and months, so staytuned to CNews, ConcordiaPDX.org andFacebook.com/groups/ConcordiaPDX.Nancy Varekamp issemiretired from hercareer in journalism,public relat ionsand – her favoritework engagement –writing and editingtargeted newsletters.
Page 2 Concordia NewsMarch 2021From the BoardConcordia NeighborhoodAssociationBy Peter Keller, CNA ChairBoard Meeting1st Wednesday of the month, Wednesday, March 3, 6:30p.m., venue: see box below, contact Peter Keller, Chair@ConcordiaPDX.orgImagine being homelessIt’s mid-February as I write this, and we’vejust come to the end of a long, snowy weekendand possibly winter’s last gasp. When weget these occasional big snow storms, we’re fortunate to live on one of the best hills in our corner ofConcordia for sledding.Every year we watch the neighbors with theirvarious sleds, tubes, cardboard boxes, etc. as theyslide down the hill. While I was covering some of myplants to protect them from freezing rain, I decidedComparatively, theinconvenience ofa power outage isnothing.to try to use one of the bottoms of the plastic plantersas a makeshift saucer.It didn’t work, but one of our neighbors ran upwith a saucer for me to borrow. It was a perfect dayfor it, and I felt like I was a kid for those two ridesdown the hill. I love how the snow puts everyone in agreat mood, and you see the best in people.The next morning the power went out and stayedout for more than 24 hours. This is not uncommonwhen we have these ice storms, and fortunately thiswasn’t too bad, but living without power for 24 hoursor more helps you empathize with how hard it mustbe to be houseless – especially in the cold.We have thousands of people currently livingNSrlandCullyNE 42nd Ave.EastDistrictNE Killingsworth St.NE 22nd Ave.inabNorthwestDistrictia Blvd.NE 33rd Ave.NE 22nd Ave.VernonWoodlawnSundelumboutside in Portland as we all know. Comparatively,the inconvenience of a power outage is nothing.In 2007, the city declared it would put an endto homelessness but, despite all the good work andmoney going into the effort, the crisis may get a lotworse especially with looming evictions in June.On the Feb. 16 broadcast of OPB’s “ThinkOutloud,” Lisa Bates, of Portland State University’sHomeless Research and Action Collaborative, said89,000 households in Oregon are behind in theirrent. Of those households, they predict 25-62% couldbe evicted in June. Of these households, over 90%have suffered unemployment due to the pandemic,50% are households with children and 40% areBIPOC households.These statistics are alarming, and I cannot do thetopic justice in this short column, but we do want tostart a dialogue with the neighborhood.At the upcoming CNA general meeting we willhave Jonathan Lewis, program coordinator for thecity of Portland’s Homelessness and Urban CampingImpact Reduction Program, on hand to make apresentation.He will speak to the program’s mission, visionand strategic plan – as well as expanded hygieneaccess, outdoor emergency shelters and the Shelterto Housing Continuum project.Please join us for the presentation and Q&A at 7p.m. on March 3. Details on how to join the virtualmeeting are at ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAMeetings.Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordiasince 1997. He runs a small marketing agency withpartner Max, out of their home studio. He lovesexploring outdoors with and without his dogs.Chair Chair@ConcordiaPDX.org Peter KellerEast 1 East1@ConcordiaPDX.org Heather PashleyEast 2 East2@ConcordiaPDX.org Joseph FraleyNorthwest 1 NW1@ConcordiaPDX.org Isham “Ike” HarrisNorthwest 2 NW2@ConcordiaPDX.org Amelie MarianSouthwest 1 SW1@ConcordiaPDX.org Garlynn WoodsongSouthwest 2 SW2@ConcordiaPDX.org Matt BoydAt Large 1 AL1@ConcordiaPDX.org Robert BowlesAt Large 2 AL2@ConcordiaPDX.org John FitzgeraldAt Large 3 AL3@ConcordiaPDX.org John McSherryAt Large 4 AL4@ConcordiaPDX.org Sonia FornoniAt Large 5 AL5@ConcordiaPDX.org Truls NealAt Large 6 AL6@ConcordiaPDX.org Brittany van der SalmCNA meeting venuesSouthwestDistrictNE Prescott St.AlamedaNE Alberta Ct.Beaumont-WilshireWednesday, March 3, 7 p.m., venue: see box belowSocial CommitteeIf you’d like to volunteer to help plan fun, communitybuilding events, contact Sonia Fornoni at SoniaGF419@gmail.com.Media Team1st Tuesday of the month, Tuesday, March 2, 6p.m., venue: see box below, contact Gordon Riggs,MediaTeamLead@ConcordiaPDX.orgLand Use & Transportation Committee3rd Wednesday of the month, Wednesday, March 17, 7p.m., venue: see box below, contact Garlynn Woodsong,LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.orgFinance CommitteeLast Wednesday of the month, Wednesday, March 31,7 p.m., venue: see box below, contact Heather Pashley,Treasurer@ConcordiaPDX.orgCommunity Room RentalFor info and scheduling, visit ConcordiaPDX.org/community-room-rental or contact Sonia Fornoni atCNARoomKennedy@gmail.com.CONTACTSCNA ChairPeter Keller, Chair@ConcordiaPDX.orgCNA Vice ChairGarlynn Woodsong, SW1@ConcordiaPDX.orgCNA SecretaryJohn Fitzgerald, Secretary@ConcordiaPDX.orgCNA TreasurerHeather Pashley, Treasurer@ConcordiaPDX.orgNorth Community Safety TeamCNA Board of DirectorsConcordia Districts andadjoining neighborhoodsNE CoGeneral Membership MeetingPhone numbers and/or URLs to attend virtualCNA meetings: Facebook.com/groups/ConcordiaPDX ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAMeetingsJacob Brostoff & Daniel Franco-Nunez, north.pdxteam@PortlandOregon.gov, 503.823.4064SUBMISSIONS & ADVERTISINGSubmissions to Concordia News: Deadline is the10th of the month preceding the upcoming monthlypublication. Contact CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.orgSubmissions to CNA Website: Submit nonprofit news& events to MediaTeamLead@ConcordiaPDX.orgAdvertising: Gina Levine, CNewsBusiness@ConcordiaPDX.org, 503.891.7178MEDIA TEAMCNA Board Liaisons: Heather Pashley, John McSherryMedia Team Lead: Gordon Riggs, MediaTeamLead@ConcordiaPDX.org, 503.515.8209CNews Editor: Nancy Varekamp, CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org, 503.740.5245CNews Graphic Designer: Gordon RiggsMedia Team: Chris Baker, Kathy Crabtree, KeithDaellenbach, Joel Dippold, Steve Elder, Tamara AnneFowler, Tami Fung, Will Goubert, Sharon Kelly, LloydKimeldorf, Gina Levine, Vanessa Miali, Gordon Riggs,Rob Rogers, Marsha Sandman, Nancy Varekamp, KarenWells, Carrie Wenninger, Dan Werle, Tara WilliamsLAND MAINTENANCE PLANT CAREOrganic, Non-Fuel-BasedGarden MaintenanceAnn (503) 395-7880prideandjoylandscapes.com
Concordia NewsMarch 2021 Page 3Concordia Art Works3 community shows are on tapIBy Maquette ReevertsAlberta Art Worksn 2004 a group of artists fromSaturday Market started a gallerywhere they could sell their workconsistently, and Six Days Art was born.The collective gallery’s roster of artistshas changed over time, as did the name.Now Alberta Street Gallery is a mainstay on Alberta Street. In 2018 a moveto a better location allowed the gallery todouble its artist members and to pursuea long-held vision to become a gatheringpoint for the community, artists and artlovers.The gallery is reaching out with threecommunity shows this year. March is the6x6x6 Community Show, open to all localartists who were encouraged to participate with the only parameters being thesize.This is the gallery’s fifth annual eventand runs through the end of the month.Artists are eligible for three cash prizes.This year the gallery has doubleddown on inviting artists in with a newshow in June. The gallery has dedicateda room for special exhibitions and namedit Lavaun’s Community Gallery afterthe passing of a beloved artist member,Lavaun Benavidez-Heaster.Lavaun was a paper artist and,being legally blind, she relied on highcontrasting color and her intuition tocreate her collages. The new space willhold a retrospective of her work in Apriland, to further honor her memory, theAble Artist Show will be an open callthat will feature work by local artists whoidentify as disabled.Fall is when the gallery’s third community show, Continuing the Conversation,will focus on the Black Lives Mattermovement. This juried show is meant tokeep a focus on social justice and is opento local artists.Hours at the gallery at 1829 N.E.Alberta St. are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily. Findout more at AlbertaStreetGallery.com.PROUD CONCORDIARESIDENT SINCE 2009Last year’s fourth annual 6x6x6 Community Show drew visitors to Alberta Street Gallery.This year’s display is scheduled through March and, once again, the art collective gave localartists just one parameter: small, square dimensions. Photo by Maquette ReevertsThe gallery has dedicated a roomfor special exhibitions and named itLavaun’s Community Gallery after thepassing of a beloved artist member,Lavaun Benavidez-Heaster.Mi c h e l Re e v e r t s,akaMaquet te,holds a master ofarts degree in arteducat ion, ser vesAlberta Art Works asdirector and AlbertaSt reet Gallery asa board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.orgLetter to the editorTo the Editor:For over 10,000 people livingin Portland’s Concordia neighborhood, there is a lot at stake withthe impending sale of the privateConcordia University campus on thesteps of the Multnomah County Courthouse on 29 June.Given the site’s current educationalzoning and the 116 years of continuousinvestment in building academic property assets, my first hope is that a largepublic Oregon university, such as OSUor UO, would purchase the 24-acrecampus to establish a campus footholdin the state’s largest metropolitan areawith access to over half of Oregon’spopulation.Like OSU’s Cascades campus inBend, it is an amazing opportunity fora large and diverse public institutionto establish new educational opportunities for people of Oregon. With this,PSU or OHSU, already based in Portland, would also seem to be a logicalnew owner possibility as an extensionof their existing Portland campuses.Beyond that, perhaps a privateOregon college could be a new ownerwith the goal to establish a vibrantPortland campus.This kind of intact and close-incampus coming up for sale is exceptionally rare and could be an academicgame changer not just for the institution that acquires it but also for theequity of a whole new population ofOregon students that already liveright here in the City of Roses.Because of over a century of investment, certainly preservation of thesite as an academic institution makessense.It fits well into the site’s historyand proscribed use as well as it is aprime opportunity for a new centuryof scholarship and good neighborlyrelations that serves progress for thepeople of Oregon.— Keith K. DaellenbachCNA respects the views and beliefs of all Concordians, and their cultures and faiths. Theviews expressed by these writers do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA. Submitletters (250 words maximum) to CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org.AMELIE MARIANBroker Licensed in OR sson.com
Page 4 Concordia NewsMarch 2021Thanks for AskingShe embodied what’s fading from landscapeTBy Karen WellsCNA Media Teamaking photos in the neighborhood recently, two images gotmy attention. A photo of JudyMae Phillips in the window of AlbertaCooperative Grocery and a “Black MamasMatter” placard in another windowpassionate about community with abeautiful singing voice.She cared for her aging mother andolder brother, helping with self-care,meals and daily routines.When she wasn’t caregiving forfamily, she passed the time on the benchoutside of Alberta Co-op, keeping an eyeon life passing by. The bench was “herJudy Mae had a trusting familiaritywith passersby, regardless of outwardappearances. She was a culturalplaceholder, a reminder of a way of lifebeing replaced by a faster cadence.nearby.A Google search revealed a 2017Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) storyon the former.Judy Mae “Pretty Eyes” was a 5-foot,3-inch “tiny” woman, “a force of nature,”NOW OPENTUE-SAT 4-11PM-INDOOR DINING WITHSEATING DIVIDERSoffice,” a porch for her “day job.”Judy Mae had a trusting familiaritywith passersby, regardless of outwardappearances. She was a cultural placeholder, a reminder of a way of life beingreplaced by a faster cadence.She was the “eyes and ears” of thecommunity. Judy Mae was woven intothe cultural landscape, and she greetedvolunteers and staff at Sabin Community Development Corporation, AlbertaCo-Op and adjacent businesses.Her purview included Otesha Placejust across 15th Avenue. She knew thekids and parents.Otesha Place is a mixed-use buildingwith offices and affordable apartments.At the time of her passing in 2017, JudyMae had progressed to first on the waitlist for Otesha Place. She would’ve had ahome of her own.The OPB story used “panhandler” todescribe her vocation while “at the officeon the bench.” This description suggestsJudy Mae was a “vagrant.” That’s thelabel used in the post-Civil War South forBlacks who couldn’t find work because ofrace codes of the era.Judy Mae was a mother of three, aYour Concordia neighborhoodconsignment shop is open for safe andsocially distanced shopping. Schedulean appointment for consignment orshop online at TakeItOrLeaveItPDX.com-HEATED COVERED PATIOShop Local at 5012 NE 42nd Ave.Thursday – Monday, 12-6-DELIVERY AND TO-GOCRAFT COCKTAILS-GAMEPLAY WITHSANITIZED CONTROLLERSWWW.RGBPDX.COM6720 N MLK JR BLVD AT DEKUM Neighborhood Florist – Patty McMahanSince she died in 2017, you will no longer see Judy Mae Phillips participating in hercommunity from a bench outside Alberta Co-op. But her memory lives on with the peoplewho interacted with her daily, and in a photo memorial displayed proudly in the window.Photo by Karen Wellsgrandmother of 15. A symbol of “BlackMamas Matter,” she had a vocation andwas always home by midnight to care forher mother and brother. She contributedto the social fabric of community.Unfortunately “vagrant” hints atunintentional bias coloring her aura ofhumanity. Judy Mae was the embodiment of a neighborhood fading from theAlberta Arts District landscape.What connects a photo in a storefrontwindow and a placard in a neighbor’s?Humanity’s resilience. Do we celebratean activist or pen a requiem for a neighborhood?Thanks for asking.Karen Wells is asemi-retired adultand early c hildhood educator. Sheserves on the planning committee ofWomxn’s March andRally for Action inPortland, WomxnsMarchPDX.com.Sojourn Church – A Neighborhood ChurchSojourn Church is collecting winter hats, gloves, jackets andblankets in partnership with The Portland Rescue Mission.Donations should be in good condition and can be dropped o fSundays between 8-11am at the Oregon Stamp Society building(4828 NE 33rd Ave.) or contact info@sojournpdx.org or 971-3179892 to arrange porch pick up.sojournpdx.orgFacebook.com/sojournpdxInstagram: @sojournpdxinfo@sojournpdx.orgLike your neighborhood?Opportunities abound – volunteer andsometimes paid –
Concordia Neighborhood Association P.O. Box 11194 Portland, OR 97211 Non Profft Org U.S. Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit No. 452 CNA Mission Statement To connect Concordia residents and businesses — inform, educate and report on activities, issues and opportunities of the neighborhood. Conc
