PDC Says Worthwhile Projects Put on Hold During Appeal

The PDC has sent out a press release stating that the appeal filed with the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA), regarding the expansion of the River District URA, may delay important projects located in the 50 acres that the City agreed to include in the RDURA.

The appeal questions the River District expansion, as well as the satellite district created to build a school in David Douglas.

In my opinion, the satellite district should be overturned. The satellite URA is 8.5 acres of property currently owned by the David Douglas School District at 7144 SE Deardorff Rd. Here is a satellite view of the property from Google Maps:



David Douglas has real needs, but using urban renewal money in this way is illegal. One of the prime objectives of urban renewal is the removal of blight. This property is virtually empty and currently owned by the district. Can it really be considered blight? The fact that it is non-contiguous to the rest of the district raises another legal question. I understand the City Council is trying to address the need for a school but URA is not the way to do it.

Another point that should be addressed in the appeal is the $40 million in URA money that the PDC is giving to Multnomah County to make up for the "lost revenue" related to the incremental tax financing. But the money is going to upgrade county office buildings, not to pay for basic services. Basic services such as police and fire are most often mentioned as items the River District "isn't paying for" because property taxes go to pay down the URA debt. This kind of gift is illegal, and why isn't the county using to fund those basic services or address its budget woes? Why is the money going to building improvements?

The PDC says projects such as the access center and Post Office property will be put on hold because of the uncertainty created by the appeal. However, the bulk of the money for the access center won't be spent until after the appeal has run its course. I believe, planning for these projects can continue during the appeal process.

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