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Currently in the Concordia neighborhood in NE Portland, one of the grand cedar trees, which is an integral part of the neighborhood forest canopy, is being cut down and replaced with a skinny house. Infill advocates argue that the practice is environmentally friendly in that more people live closer to the city center and are able to commute using the mass transit systems already in place. On the other hand, cutting down a 100-year old healthy tree, over sixty feet in height and eleven feet in circumference, does not seem like an environmental friendly act. This is a protective forest canopy providing protection from the heat of the sun, from wind and noise. It is absorbing pollutants and hosting the local wildlife. If we weigh the assets of a towering tree against those of a single family home, which one should we recognize as more valuable to our neighborhoods? Additionally, this home is allowed to be placed a mere 10 feet from the property line, where all other homes on the block are on average 25 feet back on the property. Not only will this home not fit in aesthetically with the other homes on the block, but its placement will stick out 15 feet further than all of the other homes.

This is not an isolated incident and many, many trees have come down and will be coming down to make room for infill housing. Is this a good thing for Portland? Thirty years from now, will we look at our neighborhoods and be happy that many of our large trees were cut down to make room for skinny homes? Do these homes contribute in a positive way to our neighborhoods or not?

People have also said that taking down a tree in Portland to make room for infill housing means that a tree outside the city is saved. Is this really true? With the development happening in the Gorge, it doesn?t appear that way. The city is behind these skinny homes and fast tracks the permit process for developing them. And in many neighborhoods, there is absolutely no protection for these grand trees that contribute in many ways to the livability of the neighborhood.

A group of residents from the Concordia neighborhood met with Ty Kovatch, Chief of Staff for Commissioner Randy Leonard, and have also spoken with Kathleen Stokes from Land Use Services. Both Ty and Kathleen say that their hands are tied because there are no laws that protect the trees ? basically property owners? rights trump everything else. How about we have a discussion on ?Think Out Loud? with city officials and concerned residents? This is an important issue that is having a tremendous impact on the livability of our city. Additionally, Ty Kovatch told the Concordia residents that the city?s effort to curb urban sprawl actually makes Portland less livable. With the population of Portland on the rise, what can we do to create more balance in the future between curbing urban sprawl and protecting the livability of our neighborhoods? Check out http://www.karott.com/savethetree/ to read how neighbors in Concordia are fighting back.

posted 5 years ago
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