Multnomah Village is a small, vibrant neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, that developed around a railroad stop over 100 years ago. The 2-story storefront architecture of its main street has changed very little over the years. It is quaint, charming, and human scale. Businesses are local and many owners live in the neighborhood. Residents and visitors alike delight in its classic small-town main street. It even has a motto: "The village in the heart of Portland."

Sadly, the City of Portland is allowing new development that is out of scale with the historic, cultural, and aesthetic character of Multnomah Village. A 4-story, 71-unit apartment building, ¾ of a block long, is planned to be constructed at the gateway to this historic area in SW Portland. The new building will dwarf the property next door—a 1941 2-story wooden structure with a community front porch that houses a coffee shop and a beauty salon— along with all of the 1- and 2-story businesses on the main street. Despite the "Storefront Commercial" zoning, the ground floor of the new development could hold apartments as opposed to retail business, further detracting from the main-street atmosphere of the area.

This neighborhood is middle class with a mix of house sizes and styles. Historically, this was a farming community that was annexed by the City of Portland in 1950. Most side streets are only partially improved; sidewalks are rare, and parents and children just walk down the middle of the street. The people who live here cherish the small-town atmosphere. But the rental market in Portland is booming and apartment units here will net considerable profit. The proposed rents ($1,500/month average) exceed many residents’ mortgage payments.

The City of Portland cultivates a reputation for environmental awareness, smart development, and functioning neighborhood centers. As a way of containing urban sprawl, a goal that we heartily support, the City is promoting dense development in established neighborhoods without regard to its effect on residents or the cultural and historic value of their neighborhood. We believe this is the wrong approach. Portland is building highly dense urban core areas, such as the Pearl District and South Waterfront. That makes sense. However, we believe that Portland needs to preserve some of its historic neighborhoods from high density development. Development should be consistent with the character of the local community. Portland’s neighborhoods that are vital and functional should be retained rather than transformed. Four stories (higher than the telephone pole in the photo) is too high for the historic neighborhood of Multnomah Village.

To make matters worse, the proposed development is likely to have minimal parking—probably 21-43 spaces for 71 units. The justification for insufficient parking is that new residents will not own cars, but the rate of car ownership for renters in Multnomah is 1.4 cars/unit. The east side of Portland is bicycle friendly with relatively flat, gridded terrain and numerous bicycle greenways. In contrast, SW Portland is hilly, has disconnected streets and no bicycle greenways, and is not well-served by mass transit at off-peak times. There is no grocery store in the neighborhood. The reality is that residents will own cars and need somewhere to park them.

If you live in the area, if you have ever visited Multnomah Village, or if you value historic main streets and you want to preserve a "village in the heart of Portland," please support this petition and spread the word. Tell the Portland City Council not to ruin functioning neighborhoods by allowing developments that are out of character, too tall, and have insufficient parking. The City should limit development in Multnomah Village to 2 or 3 stories, and mandate at least 1 parking space per rental unit.