_ _ “ It’s a big rip-off, if you ask me,” FtiWfy said Sandra Runstein, owner of the KeigHmMuMul State Fteakptottuce Yamhill Market.. . ” at Emupitted Henry’s beer commercials, with a firm tion drive to save the area, said, “The but polite answer that the “bidding PDC hasn't taken the time to have any was closed.” awareness of this area. They don’t But was there any bidding to begin know the people here or how many with? Many landowners and developbusinesses are thriving. We all admit ers in Portland argue that there that this area needs development, but wasn’t. not this type of blanket destruction “ I don’t believe they approached and development. Cadillac Fairview is any of the property owners,” said destroying small-time shops and Richard Amato, a spokesman for the people in favor of chain stores and Amato Brothers Enterprises, owners fancy dress shops. And the PDC won’t of several lots in the project area. “ I even consider another approach.” know we were never contacted conThe PDC explains that they feel cerning involving us in the project, or that to create the retail action and the selling or leasing the land to any develvital “mix” of business activity, the opers,” he said. He went on to add section should be developed as a unit. that, “ If this development is right or And to tackle this as a unit, you need a wrong for the city isn’t really the issue. developer with a “proven track recWhat concerns us, and most of the ord” who, presumably, has the money people down there, is the way they are and talent to pull it off. What the PDC both [the PDC and Cadillac] going doesn’t explain, however, is that more about this project.” often than not, the Cadillac Fairview The Portland Development ComCompany likes to own the track as well mission has declared that Cadillac has as the record. tried for several months to buy land in The Cadillac Fairview Company of the area but that it wasn’t “available.” Oregon is a wholly owned front group So, rather than taking this as a sign of for the Cadillac Fairview Ltd. Corporstrength for the interest and vitality of ation of Toronto, a North American the area, and looking into why these conglomerate with holdings of $1.7 people wanted to hold onto their propbillion and developments ranging erty and businesses, the PDC from industria l parks, shopping promised the Cadillac Company that centers and office towers, to the they could obtain the land through the planning and management of ‘new powers of eminent domain and told communities.” them to proceed on course with the In a move described by Business development. Week as an effort to “circumvent what However, this action, though they consider to be restrictive laws and believed to be legal by most experts, is an anti-growth attitude at home,” beginning to draw blood with many [Canada], the northern giant moved people. heavily into American development “ I’m of the old school,” said Paul and land holdings in the late 1960s. Gold, a long-time property owner and Since that time, the company has Downtown “fat cat”—“which says developed major retail and civic that the city doesn’t have the right to centers in White Plains, New York, take property from one person and Atlanta, Palm Beach, North Carolina, give it to another person. I don’t think and Houston, to name but a few. All urban renewal is right and I’ve always told, the company has developed more fought it.” than 40 shopping centers, 29 urban Said another developer, “We have developments, 60 industrial buildings, reservations as to whether this project and two planned communities. One of warrants the use of condemnation to these communities, Erin Mills, outside begin with. But if it should be used, of Ontario, Canada, is designed for a we believe that the principle involved planned population of 170,000 people. should be the same in all cases, and Almost half the size of Portland! tha t is, established, open and And of the more than 40 million competitive procedures should be square feet of property they have followed without regard to the size of developed, they own or control more the project.” than 27 million feet. More than twoBill Kloster, owner of the Looking thirds. Clearly this company, which Glass Bookstore and a leader of a petiwas founded on the fortune of the We’re mad as hell, And we’re not going to take it anymore A group in opposition to the Cadillac Fairview proposal has been formed to apply pressure on the City Council to defeat this development. SOLD (Save Our Liveable Downtown) urges people to call City Hall and tell the Commissioners that you are against this form of development Downtown. Call: Mildred Schwab........................................................ . . . . 248-4180 Frank Ivancie.................................................................... 248-4151 Charles Jordan .................................................................. 248-4682 Connie McCready............................................................ 248-4145 Mayor Goldschmidt.......................................................... 248-4120 The city council will be considering this development at a meeting on July 24. The Clinton Street Quarterly urges opponents of this development project to attend this meeting. Bronfman family, owners of the Seagrams 7 line of whiskeys, is not interested in development alone. They are interested in buying a sizable chunk of stock in downtown Portland. Exactly what the company expects in terms of cooperation and concessions was outlined by Cadillac Fairview’s project director Gordon Horsman. He explained that the city’s assistance would be “essential” in acquiring the four blocks for the project. The city will be required to condemn the land, purchase it from the present landowners, and then resell it to Cadillac Fairview at a financial loss. The way this little number works is that the city will “write down” the value of the land after it purchases it through the condemnation process, but before they resell it to Cadillac. The company argues that the land is zoned for office space “ at its highest value,” but since they are bringing a multi-use complex they don't want to pay the going rate for office property. So, in return for its service of keeping the Downtown from Incoming a “forest of office towers,” as one PDC spokesman said, the company wants the city to subsidize their purchase while they make off like bandits with two or three million right off the top. In addition, the city will be involved in financing and managing one or two parking garages in the giant retail complex. We will also have to pay for the moving of the utility lines and pipes along the Mall (just after we finished two years of upheaval and construction along the Mall), and the city will have to “grant the right of way” for the air and ground space where the retail tunnels and walkways will be located. The original plan for this development calls for a series of “ retail walkways" below the ground, and “ skybridges” above the street, connecting the complex with nearby retail stores and parking lots. This could mean as many as three levels of shops above 5th Avenue and Morrison Street, creating a tunnel effect in Downtown and preventing the sun from ever again shining on that corner. To top it off. the city may be “ involved in the financing of those skybridges." according to one PDC official. In return for these considerations, what do we get? Well, if you listen to some business interests and the mayor’s office, Portland gets financial “leverage” to the tune of $70 to $85 million, to do a project which we “couldn’t otherwise handle.” We also get the increased tax base, several hundred new jobs, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 man years of employment during the project’s construction phase. However, if you listen to other people, we get “screwed, insulted, and ripped off.” “ It’s a big rip-off, if you ask me,” .said Sandra Runstein, owner and operator of the Yamhill Market at 5th Avenue, a friendly place to stop for fresh fruit along the Mall. “This storefront is prime Downtown land. They say about 60,000 people a day go by here. So the city comes along and condemns it. I know for a fact that people have been trying to buy property on this mall since before it was built, but nobody wanted to sell. Now the city comes along and gives it away.” Richard Amato also expressed outrage over the “deal” the city is Katwiat fcootb OwtpoiMIm ROM OfttaxdEmit Co. S.UJ. (Mett &IVkttaken KBOO 90.7 fm Listen Compare Subscribe KBOO 65 SWYamhill Portland, 97204 YES! I want to subscribe' Enclosed is my contribution of $10 for a one-year subscription. Name _____________—---------- Address_______ __________ C i t v - Zip - ------ Phone___________ __ __ — 11
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