Keep Colwood Green Coalition Meeting on September 4

[Tony Fuentes]

The proposal to rezone Colwood Golf Course from open space to
industrial will be considered by the Portland City Council on
September 17th. To prepare for the hearing, the Keep Colwood Green
Coalition will be meeting 7:00pm – 8:30pm on Thursday, September 4th,
at Central Northeast Neighbors, 4415 NE 87th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
97220. The meeting is open to anyone who supports the mission of
keeping Colwood zoned as open space.

Why should anyone are about a golf course being rezoned? Because
Colwood is one of the last parts of the environmentally sensitive and
diverse Columbia Slough area that has not been lost to industrial
development and abuse. As noted by the Hearings Officer, “…the Colwood
site open space is unique, is a practically irreplaceable asset.” Our
region cannot afford to lose a single inch of open space in this
unique natural area.

The area surrounding Colwood is extremely deficient in parkland,
natural areas, and other open space. The Cully neighborhood access
rate is 2,780 people per park acre, compared with a citywide average
of 40 people per park acre. Additionally, the transition from open
space and habitat area to industrial use would have a pronounced
effect on local health. North and Northeast Portland already suffer
from the long-term effects of existing and historic industrial uses in
the area. New air and water pollution sources in this are would have a
pronounced impact on the health of local residents as well as local
wildlife.

What should happen to Colwood? How about a new regional park?
Seriously. Creating a Colwood Regional Park would dramatically enhance
the livability of the Portland area. Funding sources for a Colwood
park include Metro’s Natural Areas Bond and the Portland City’s parks
system development charges. It is important to note that both of these
funding sources may only be used for park and open space acquisition.
Use of these funds would not affect the funding of other pressing
needs in Portland or the region.

What could a Colwood Regional Park be? With 140 acres, the better
question is “What do YOU want it to be?” A canoe launch and
interpretive trails like at Smith and Bybee lake, a learning farm like
on Sauvie Island, new bike and pedestrian access to the Columbia
Slough trail, more play fields and playground space, a state of the
art driving range. These are just some of the possible amenities for a
Colwood Regional Park. But the door closes to everything that Colwood
could be, if it is rezoned to industrial.

More information at http://keepcolwoodgreen.com