Share this article! Oregon ahead of federal law Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson says Oregon had a head start on the recently passed federal bill, thanks to the state’s health-care efforts that were already under way. Oregon had already begun expanding health care to 80,000 more children, for example, so the federal health-care reform will continue … Read more
Oregon ahead of federal law
Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson says Oregon had a head start on the recently passed federal bill, thanks to the state’s health-care efforts that were already under way.
Oregon had already begun expanding health care to 80,000 more children, for example, so the federal health-care reform will continue to build on that.
The same state legislation also ensured that under the Oregon Health Plan, 25,000 low-income adults would continue to get coverage, and as many as 35,000 more will be added by 2011.
The federal legislation will expand eligibility for this coverage even more under Medicaid, the joint federal-state program of health insurance for low-income people.
Read the full story at the Statesman Journal.
Coliseum plans brew
Portland Mayor Sam Adams says renegotiating the Memorial Coliseum’s operating agreement can wait until after the City Council chooses a redevelopment plan.
The Portland Trail Blazers, among the finalists whose plans are being considered, currently holds the operating agreement. But developer Doug Obletz, another finalist, says the agreement needs to be changed for his proposal to proceed.
According to a letter released by the mayor’s office, Adams says all of the proposals require the agreement to be modified, including the one submitted by the Blazers because it adds a new use — a community athletic facility.
Because of that, Adams says the council can wait to renegotiate the agreement until after it picks the final proposal.
Read the full story at the Portland Tribune.
Burnside plans scale back
The four-acre Burnside Bridgehead area at the east end of the Burnside Bridge has seen many failed development plans over the years.
But the latest plans call for a much smaller approach than the more ambitious past efforts.
“The goal is to get an early project on the site complementary to what is there now and to provide a catalyst,” says Geraldine Moyle, project manager for the commission. The site sits at the northern end of the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area, and ideally a project should provide space for new jobs and generate property tax revenue for the larger renewal zone.
While the development agency once hoped to clear and sell all four blocks to a single developer, a newer strategy percolating through public planning channels takes a smaller-is-better approach.
Read the full story at OregonLive.com.
LEED appeal slips
92% of design and construction professionals in 2009 said they still support green building, according to a national survey.
But support for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification dropped 16% from 2007, likely caused by the cost of meeting LEED standards.
“I was surprised to see LEED continuing to slip,” [survey author Bryan Jackson of Allen Matkins] said. “But in this economy, a lot of people say it costs money to get certified. And if they think they built to the level of LEED, they’re not going to spend money and effort for a seal of approval from the U.S. Green Building Council.”
Portland architect Clark Brockman of SERA Architects said the decline in national support of certification could be the result of tight economic conditions and a lack of information about the actual costs of building to LEED standards. He also said the Northwest is generally more supportive than the rest of the country.
Read the full story at the Daily Journal of Commerce.
Downturn hurts OMSI
In 2008, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry had expansion and development plans worth $500 million.
But falling revenues and cuts caused by the recession have put the plans on hold.
“When the economy turned, it slowed down our planning and we focused on the core operations of the museum,” [OMSI President Nancy Stueber] said recently, adding that customer service and the quality of exhibits are priorities now.
Still, Stueber believes that raising money will be easier once the economy improves. She thinks the planned addition of light rail and streetcar stops near the site in the next few years will aid OMSI’s development. And, she said, the expansion remains part of OMSI’s long-range plans.
Read the full story at OregonLive.com.
