HAP's Institutional Credibility 2/25/03

Dear Reporter:
To accurately and fairly report to the public on HAP's institutional credibility regarding the Columbia Villa remodel project a journalist must include HAP's behavior over the past two years of their project. In our recent phone conversation I told you that HAP has NO INSTITUTIONAL CREDIBILITY when it comes to the Columbia Villa remodel project.

The two year old, tax-payer financed, government controlled Columbia Villa remodel story has three fundamental components:
1. What makes good or bad public housing policy?
2. What are the politics?
3. What is the credibility of the players?

The credibility of an institution is determined in part by its historical consistency. I sincerely hope that you and other journalists will keep all of these basics in mind as you craft your stories. Below is a series of reminders of HAP's historical lack of credibility.

Where Are They? What Does It Cost?
Last week City Commissioner Erik Sten and his chief housing staff person, Marshall Runkel, accepted my map and chart of Estimated HAP Clients By Neighborhood as an accurate reflection of the truth. Just because they think it is "good enough for government work" does not necessarily mean that it is good enough for you, a professional reporter or your publication. Or does it? What kind of credibility does HAP, a quasi-governmental institution, have when it refuses to disclose the location of its client base and the relative costs of housing clients in government owned buildings versus section eight accommodations? Is there any legitimate reason why this tax-payer funded agency should not be totally forthcoming with this public information? The public policy issue of client concentration, distribution and costs as well as the true value of land to be sold and property to be demolished are fundamental to this story.

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org

Missing In Action
The following were accepted as elements of the Columbia Villa remodel by HAP's Executive Director, HAP's Hope VI Project Director, and HAP's chief architect in a face to face conversation with me in May 2001.

1. A pipe shall be constructed to carry methane gas from the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant to the HAP property in the Portsmouth neighborhood.

Methane gas produced by the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant can provide a significant energy resource for heating air, water or generating electricity. The Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant uses 50% of the methane generated at the plant to make hot air, water and electricity for its own use. 20% of the methane is sold to Malarkey Roofing about half a mile down Columbia Blvd. The remaining 30% is available. Stephen Behrndt, Director of Wastewater Management for the City of Portland has expressed support for the idea.

[City Commissioner Dan Saltzman committed two million dollars for methane conversion hardware to HAP's Hope VI Project Director. Has anyone heard a public peep from HAP or Saltzman on this?]

2. A community utility structure(s) shall be constructed that will provide hot/cool air and hot water which can be distributed throughout the Portsmouth HAP property. All buildings shall be constructed or retrofitted to accommodate shared community utilities.

3. A piping system shall be constructed to carry recycled water from the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant which can be used on lawns, open spaces, trees, flowers etc.

4. The design of housing units must give a similar street level appearance so that passers by can not detect which units are low, medium or high income.

5. As much as is possible, adjacent housing units will alternate between low and medium or low and high income dwellings.

6. All medium and high income units must be owner occupied.

7. All structures shall be designed to be as environmentally sound and “green” as current thinking and technology allow.

8. Every creative effort shall be made to assure that the HAP Portsmouth Neighborhood Enhancement Project shall be state of the art.

9. Underground fiber optic cables shall provide high capacity, T1/T3, Internet access to every structure on the HAP Portsmouth property.

Very high speed Internet access will be necessary to draw medium and high income buyers. Low income persons will also benefit.

10. Several fire arts (glass, ceramics, blacksmithing) and other artist studios shall be constructed. Rental priority shall be given to HAP Portsmouth residents.

These studios will enhance the overall quality of the HAP Portsmouth property and support the current neighborhood effort to locate and encourage North Portland artists.

11. A pedestrian bridge shall be built over Columbia Blvd. which would connect the HAP property to the hiking and bike trail on the Treatment Plant site which connects the Willamette and the Columbia rivers, Smith and Bybee lakes and the 40 mile loop. A shop, store, kiosk or interpretive center of some kind should be very close to the overpass on the HAP side that will attract the myriad of visitors that will be using the trail around the Treatment Plant when it is finished sometime in the Fall of 2001. “Connecting with nature” is a theme which will draw potential middle and upper income buyers.

The above were accepted by HAP's highest officials. I challenge you to find evidence that these are incorporated in either of HAP's official grant applications. [At about the same time, in a face to face meeting, Erik Sten also supported these proposals and was surprised this week when I told him that they were not included in HAP's grant applications.]

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/May2001.html

Zoning
HAP has deliberately violated zoning codes at Columbia Villa for years. It was cited by the City of Portland. HAP ignored the citation and continues to be in violation today.

HAP approached the Portland Planning Commission with a request for a ten acre business district zone change. The Commission rejected HAP's proposal out of hand as lacking credibility. HAP returned a second time with a seven acre request and was again rejected for lack of credibility. During the third round the Commission grudgingly approved 3.8 acres not because the plan had achieved professional credibility but because the Commission was bullied into believing that if they didn't give HAP something its federal grant would be in jeopardy.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=12383

Library
HAP has included in its grant application and its newsletters a commitment by Multnomah County to support a branch library at Columbia Villa. No library has ever been funded or sited by Multnomah County at Columbia Villa.

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/HAPLibrary.html
http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/CruzConnection.html

School
HAP has included in its Hope VI grant revision and its newsletters a proposal to build a 750 student elementary school at Columbia Villa. There is no written evidence of an official proposal made by the Portland Public Schools' Superintendent or Board to build a school at Columbia Villa.

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/HAPMagic.html

Urban Renewal Funding
With great reluctance HAP's petition to extend the Light Rail Corridor Urban Renewal District three miles west to the border of St. John's was agreed to by the committee setting the boundaries. This unnatural boundary extension was granted with the understanding that it was strictly for leverage with HUD. HAP agreed not to ask for any dollars from this fund. HAP reneged on this commitment on at least two occasions.

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/NPBA.html

HAP Propaganda
HAP's tax-payer supported New Columbia Newsletter which is regularly mailed to local residents surrounding the Villa never mentions the growing opposition to this project by both businesses and citizens. It prints untruths about a library and a school. It fails to report that millions of dollars in so-called "committed" funding are unsecured and may not be forthcoming for a variety of reasons including massive government deficits and war. It fails to report the consequences of potential if not likely decreased funding.

http://www.goodgrowthnw.org/StateFunding.html

This is not a credible tax-payer supported publication.

Below is a list of those that have signed and mailed in a statement opposing HAP's Villa remodel.

WE AGREE - A Citizen's View of Public Housing Policy

Increasing the number of tax-supported low-income housing clients in a neighborhood that already has the highest number of low-income housing clients in the City of Portland, Multnomah County and the state of Oregon is Bad Public Policy. The Housing Authority of Portland’s plan to approximately double the number of qualified residents (80% or less of Average Median Income) at Columbia Villa, Oregon’s largest (70 acre) tax-supported low-income housing compound, falls under this Bad Public Policy and should be rejected.

Group/Business - City
* Accurate Copy - Portland
* Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association*
* Darcy's Deli - Portland
* Import Repair Center Inc. - Portland
* MacSolutions Inc. - Portland
* Moses Orthodontics - Portland
* North Portland Business Association - Portland**
* Master Transmission & Auto - Portland
* St. John's Veterinary Clinic
Individual - City
* Carole Alexander - Portland
* Charles Bennett - Milwaukie
* Morris Borenstein - Portland
* Harold Brenning - Portland
* Pauline Bryan - Portland
* Francine Clark - Portland
* Peter Davis - Portland
* Elizabeth Drenkhahn -Portland
* Richard Ellmyer - Portland
* Michael Fitz - Portland
* Janet Flaherty - Portland
* Peggy Flynn - Portland
* Maria Ganger - Portland
* Leo Giroski - Portland
* Goldie Goudge - Portland
* Tip Hanzlik - Portland
* Jill Hoddick - Portland
* Kent Hoddick - Portland
* Mable Hoffmann - Portland
* Florence Ivie - Portland
* Lloyd Ivie - Portland
* Duane Johnson - Portland
* Jerrie Johnson - Portland
* Kelly Johnson - Portland
* Kristine Johnson - Portland
* Brady Joy -Portland
* Kathleen Joy - Portland
* Vera Korn - Portland
* Martin J. Kuntz - Portland
* Stella K. Kuntz - Portland
* Wesley Lashbrook - Portland
* Barbara Lehmann -Portland
* Rebecca Liu - Portland
* George M. Kennedy - Portland
* Dennis McCormack - Portland
* Bonnie Meltzer - Portland
* Reno Montana - Portland
* Jesse Moses - Portland
* Sharon Nasset - Portland
* Bette Nelson - Portland
* Victor Nelson -Portland
* Joanne Orr - Portland
* Nola Payne - Portland
* Arcus Pierce - Portland
* Claudia Riffle - Portland
* John Schwager - Portland
* Vivian Smith - Portland
* Mason Walker - Portland
* Dick Wisher - Portland

* Arbor Lodge Statement

** North Portland Business Association Statement

If the written Press does not hold government to account for its behavior then who will?