Businesses increase assault on river plan

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Business leaders, appearing at a public hearing regarding tighter regulation of Willamette River development, escalated their assault on the city's latest environmental proposals.

The hearing about the most recent proposal regarding business activity along the Willamette's northernmost banks drew about 200 people to Portland City Hall Wednesday night. The Portland City Council gave a formal first reading to the plan, which businesses have deemed restrictive, environmentalists say doesn't go far enough and has left city staffers, who are shaping the plan, struggling to find compromises.

Primarily, audience members opposing the plan's current version want the city to spend more time shaping proposals. In particular, they fear that "mitigating," or atoning for riverfront development, would cost them untold millions.

Supporters urged the city to implement any changes as soon as possible. Doing so would help protect the north river's banks and its nearby properties.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz agreed, noting that the council could make changes to the plan down the road.

Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland, said opponents are stonewalling the process in hopes of delaying new rules.

"We've disagreed with components on this, but we support it overall," Sallinger said. "And we've compromised as far as we can. If we compromise any further, it doesn't become a comprehensive plan, it becomes a degradation plan."

The council is expected to mull River Plan amendments, suggested by plan opponents and proponents, over the next several weeks. The council also plans to review the plan's technical components throughout the year and could make changes up until Jan. 1.

The amendments, shaped by Mayor Sam Adams, aim to protect the river's banks and meet state and regional goals while protecting businesses' ability to grow.

Among other options, businesses must atone for any riverfront development by paying a portion of their development costs, currently pegged at 1.5 percent or 2 percent, into a fund that protects other riverfront properties. The money would be paid in lieu of going through a full regulatory process.

The plan's final version will likely contain a "greenway trail" that would run along both the river's east and west banks.

Of the 35 people who testified at the nearly four-hour meeting, 24 criticized the plan. Nearly all of the opponents represented either businesses along the Willamette's north banks or unions that supply workers to them.

Businesses also want the final plan to not force them to duplicate other regulatory processes, such as those imposed by the state or federal government. City officials say their most recent plan would actually speed up the regulatory review process.

Adams has worked with a river plan stakeholders' group consisting of business interests, environmental activists and city staffers for the last eight months. The group began meeting immediately after Portland's planning commission approved an iteration of the river plan.

The groups agreed to lessen the role the city would play in overseeing the amount of land "banked" into designated environmentally protected areas, revised environmental zoning near the University of Portland and clarified some of the contamination land requirements.

The north reach Willamette plan is the first of three Willamette redevelopment initiatives.

Businesses say the area generates an $871 million economic impact and maintains 23,657 jobs each year. The Portland Development Commission estimates the job number at 38,000. Unions testifying at the hearing said the jobs provide average wages of $45,000.

But environmentalists say the stretch of the river has already suffered heavy damage from industry through the years. Portland officials believe protecting the waterfront land would add to the city's reputation as environmentally friendly.

Erin Flynn, Portland Development Commission urban development director, said the city's economic development arm supports the river plan.

"But we support it in a way that supports the tradition of firms in the north reach, and we emphasize how critical those sectors are to the Portland economy," she said.