The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with the backing of Metro, the Portland regional government. It was opened to create more economic growth opportunities in Portland. In 2003 the convention center was underperforming, and Metro made the decision to upgrade. This renovation came with the promise of generating surplus revenue. Unfortunately, the […]
Elected officials across the state are scrambling to do something to reduce homelessness in Oregon. In March, the Oregon Legislature fast-tracked $200 million in spending to address housing and homelessness. The City of Portland is fumbling around to find space for sanctioned homeless camp sites. Multnomah County is considering buying a 241-room hotel to house […]
The most accurate polling is the message that comes from election results. In 2020 and 2022, the results sent a powerful message from the voters in Clackamas County: We can’t afford more tax increases and unjustified expenses. Numerous METRO spending measures were turned down by the County voters in recent years. Most notable was a […]
During a recent County Board meeting Sonya Fischer announced she has only supported sustainable budgets during her time as a Commissioner. The claim is not true. In spite of record revenue Fischer knowingly approved unsustainable budgets in 2017 and 2018, leaving the taxpayers millions upside down. Managing a $1 billion budget is the most important […]
For more than a year, Cascade Policy Institute has urged Metro to convert all or part of its Expo Center into a shelter for the region’s homeless. For much of that year, the City of Portland and Metro have had on-again, off-again conversations about using the site.Let’s face it. The Expo Center is a money […]
People in the Portland area love their parks and they love nature. So much that in 2019, voters approved $475 million in bonds for Metro’s “Parks and Nature” program. What voters thought they were voting for—and what they were told they would get—was more public parks for people and the protection of natural areas. However […]
In December 2021, Metro, the Portland-area regional government, opened Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, located in Oregon City, and Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, southwest of Hillsboro. Prior to the opening of the new parks, a mere 12% of Metro’s parks and nature land was open to the public. That figure has now roughly doubled. This […]
The Tigard City Council is going through the motions of adopting a new land use plan for the 827-acre area known as the Washington Square Regional Center. When adopted, it will replace the existing plan, which was approved in 1999. If you were not aware that there was a “regional plan” for the Washington Square […]
A recent Oregonian/OregonLive editorial criticizes Metro’s lack of “vision” in implementing its homeless services measure (“Metro lacks vision for homeless services measure,” Feb. 21). In particular, the editorial questions what the measure will achieve or what “success” will look like. This should not be a surprise. Metro never had a vision for the measure. Last […]
Winter is coming to Oregon, and it might be a rough one. As if the pandemic, riots, and a recession weren’t enough, the Northwest is looking at La Niña weather conditions that will bring us a cold, wet winter. While most of us will tough it out in our warm homes, thousands of unsheltered homeless […]