Whilst usually a big fan of Government............

...boy did this ever make Government look like shit.

OK......

There was this divey little tiki bar/Chinese restaurant in the south part of downtown Portland....across the street from where I used to work (the 1900 bldg.) and a couple blocks away from where I used to attend higher education....

Been there for a bit.....I enjoyed it, so did several others.

OK.......


So, the PDC (Portland Development Commission) strongly suggests other uses for the property that The Jasmine Tree currently (as well as for the past....errmm.....30 years) leases.

And they say..........according to the Vanguard: Kathryn Krygier, a PDC development manager, said the goal of the project is to provide the area with middle-income housing, which it currently lacks.

Ooooooh-Kay. Now, for starters, I've seen enough of this bullshit in Portland. Basically, what happens is that a developer craves an up-and-coming yuppie-fiable neighbourhood. The City looks lefty in APPEARANCE and tells said developer "NO!!! we DEMAND affordable housing....so, make ten percent of your total dwelling units rentable and we'll give you a tax break for it for 10 years!!!!!!" and thus, they cut an absolute horseshit deal where the developer states "OK! 75 unit condo goes up!! 10 percent of the units (8 studios, usually) will be NOT SOLD, but rented for what is deemed to be an affordable rent............"

"...oh yeah.......uhhh....and, in return, you give us a tax break!"

Right, let's look at 'what is deemed affordable rent', shall we? Let's look at the Gretchen Kafoury Commons monthly rent....right by Portland State University.

Sooooo.......following "affordable income guidelines", we have:

1 Bedroom/1 bathroom = $625 - $695 per month
2 bedroom/1 bathroom - $805 per month


Uhhh......OK, cool. For downtown Portland, that seems cool.

BUT....BUUUUUT, these are "low income apartments"!

So WHAT EXACTLY qualifies one person for entrance into these apartments??

No greater income than 40% MFI (Median Family Income) in the Portland Metro Area.

OK.....cool.....so, as a single person, that means WHAT????

Sooooo........according to the Portland Metro Area MFI guidelines, one solo individual, to qualify to reside in the Gretchen Kafoury Commons, can make no more than......

.....DRUMROLL, [please]........................

SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY!! *

*NOTE: This also assumes that Joe or Jane convenience store owner who employs you also covers 100% of your medical insurance




And that's WHAT again?? $625 rent for a one bedroom???

WTF????????



So guess fucking WHAT?? At 8 bucks an hour one earns working at the convenience store downtown that charges $6.00 for a pack of cigarettes and $10 for a sixer of shit beer........

....YOU are jus' makin' way too much money to live at Gretchen's place.......

And even if you DID qualify.....the tax breaks and the REQUIREMENTS on the developer for "affordable" hosing die in TEN YEARS. And THEN WHAT??


Uhhh....can you say "Goes Condo"???

OK....allright.....so, the original point being simply that, according to the Portland Development Commission, the Jasmine Tree is being booted because "...the goal of the project is to provide the area with middle-income housing, which it sorely lacks....."

OK, whilst I'm no 25-year veteran, I've been in Government long enough to see that "GOALS" often do not become "STATUTE CODE POLICY" due to some......errrmmm...."external influences" (MAYBE, [operative term here MAYBE] perhaps, the political and fiscal clout of developers?)

Right, so when the area surrounding The Jasmine Tree is developed according to the P.D.C.'s wishes.....

.....tell me, at the median HOUSEHOLD income of Portland, being $65,000 right now, will you find the sale price of a new 2 bedroom condo in the area where the Jasmine Tree used to stand, going for less than $500,000??

If a certain Bureau grows a pair of balls or ovaries and makes these GOALS a REAL POLICY.....then you will........

But, sadly, facing with what were FORMERLY apartments in the southern part of Downtown (Portland City Center Apartments) going condo, and asking and getting $650,000 to purchase a one-bedroom condo........I tend to doubt you'll find Middle Income condo ownership for less than $500, 000

....otherwise, don't hold your breath.......




And a city that CLAIMS to be as progressive as Portlanda actually not only ALLOWS this shit.....but FACILITATES it???

Disillusioned....that's all I can say......

-E-