RESOLUTION No. 36328

Declare desire of the City Council to partner with the Portland Public Schools and other public and private stakeholders in an evaluation of the future of the headquarters site at the Blanchard Education Service Center and nearby properties and declare support for partnerships to better provide central support services, improve the financial picture of the school district, encourage economic development in the area and promote the use of local produce in food prepared for students (Resolution)

WHEREAS, the health of the City of Portland is directly tied to the quality of the Portland Public Schools (PPS); and

WHEREAS, our public schools face significant financial challenges; and

WHEREAS, the City of Portland has a fundamental interest in the financial and operational well-being of our public schools; and

WHEREAS, PPS has recently completed a Feasibility Study for the Relocation of Central Support Services (Blanchard Feasibility Study), focused on those services currently housed at Blanchard; and

WHEREAS, the Blanchard Feasibility Study recommends that PPS pursue maintenance service partnerships with the City of Portland and/or other public partners; and

WHEREAS, the City of Portland performs maintenance services on City-owned facilities that are quite similar to those provided by PPS; and

WHEREAS, the City Council supports finding more effective and efficient means to provide local government services through partnerships; and

WHEREAS, City Council supports an evaluation of a more decentralized approach to maintenance services; and

WHEREAS, the Blanchard Feasibility Study concludes that the current configuration is not particularly efficient for administrative office use, and that these central administrative services should be “unbundled” from the other central services currently located within the BESC; and

WHEREAS, the City Council is ready to assist PPS in finding a new home for its central administrative services; and

WHEREAS, the Blanchard Feasibility Study concludes that neither the PPS central kitchen and food services functions, nor the warehouse and distribution functions, need to be part of a central administrative services facility; and

WHEREAS, the City Council strongly supports efforts to improve the quality of nutrition for students, and believes that such efforts will strengthen enrollment in public schools, and, by extension, improve the overall health of the City of Portland; and

WHEREAS, Portland is well-situated to develop partnerships with local farmers, food purveyors and

distributors, farmers’ markets, and the Food Bank in an effort to build a stronger distribution network for locally-grown produce and other food products; and

WHEREAS, the Blanchard Feasibility Study concludes that the sale of Blanchard would fail to yield enough revenue to fund the relocation of the central support services currently housed at Blanchard; and

WHEREAS, with the assistance of the City of Portland, the redevelopment of the Blanchard site, consistent with a larger vision for the surrounding area, could yield significant revenue for PPS via the PPS Real Estate Trust; and

WHEREAS, the area surrounding the eastern edge of the Broadway Bridge includes several key public and private facilities, including the Rose Garden, Memorial Coliseum, the Convention Center, the Blanchard Education Service Center (Blanchard), the Water Bureau’s Interstate Facility, the BGS Kirby Garage, the Portland Department of Transportation’s Maintenance Yards, as well as several undeveloped or underdeveloped privately-owned parcels; and

WHEREAS, this part of the city boasts terrific mass transit services, close proximity to downtown, and strong connections to the Willamette River; and

WHEREAS, Lloyd District leaders have developed strategies for improving the economic health of their district, including a potential Portland Streetcar route, a Convention Center Hotel, and an entertainment district; and

WHEREAS, given the independent ideas developed for this key part of the Central City—including the Lloyd District Development Strategy, the Lower Albina Plan, and evaluations of development proposals for the Rose Quarter and Memorial Coliseum—an opportunity exists to coordinate along the edges of the areas covered by these strategies and catalyze activity; and

WHEREAS, the City Council supports new approaches to integrating its planning, transportation and urban renewal functions; and

WHEREAS, the City Council believes that coordinating the visions for these segments of the Interstate Urban Renewal Area and the Convention Center Urban Renewal Area could result in a dramatic improvement to the urban fabric and the economic potential of the area, thereby generating new investment, tax revenues, jobs and housing opportunities;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,

That the Portland City Council wishes to partner with the Portland Public Schools and other public and private stakeholders in an evaluation of the future of the PPS headquarters site at the Blanchard Education Service Center and adjacent properties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council requests that the Bureau of Planning take the lead and work closely with the public, PPS, the Portland Development Commission, other relevant city agencies and private stakeholders in an effort to assess development opportunity, and prepare a development strategy and urban design vision, for public and private land in the area east of the Broadway Bridge encompassing Blanchard, the Rose Quarter, the Convention Center, the nearby Water Bureau and PDOT facilities, and the

nearby waterfront; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that within 45 days the City Council directs the Bureau of Planning to submit for Council approval an implementation plan for its development strategy and urban design vision, including proposed phases, costs, and a timeline for completion; the plan should also include an outline of other bureau responsibilities, needed resources, and expected outcomes, in particular the prospective contributions of PDC in identifying and responding to potential partnerships and unexpected opportunities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council, in conjunction with the Portland Development Commission, plans to evaluate the proposed Convention Center Hotel apart from this effort, and prior to its completion, and therefore directs staff to incorporate the Council’s decisions on the hotel into the development strategy contemplated in this resolution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council directs the Bureau of General Services (BGS) to work with PPS to evaluate the feasibility of partnering with the Portland Public Schools in the provision of maintenance services to PPS facilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council directs BGS to conduct a survey of city-owned facilities, to evaluate their potential to serve as integrated satellite maintenance centers for city maintenance operations and authorizes BGS to collaboratively develop a Request for Proposals for assistance in the evaluation of integrated satellite maintenance centers through cooperative funding with affected bureaus, or to seek budget adjustments if needed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council requests that the Portland Development Commission partner with PPS and relevant city agencies in an effort to assist PPS in finding a home for its central administrative functions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council instructs PDC, the Bureau of Planning, and other appropriate city agencies to pursue a collaborative effort with the PPS Real Estate Trust to optimize the performance of the real estate assets of PPS that may be associated with the implementation of this effort; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council expresses its willingness, in an effort to promote better school nutrition, to evaluate city participation in constructing a new food services facility, and a new warehouse/distribution facility for the Portland Public Schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council states its interest in a new approach to school nutrition, centered on locally-grown produce where practical, and asks the Office of Sustainable Development, the Food Policy Council, and the Portland Development Commission to provide assistance to PPS in its evaluation of this new approach; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council requests that the Office of the Commissioner of Public Works, in concert with the Bureau Innovation Project in the Mayor’s Office, be responsible for overall coordination of the various public agencies involved in this effort, and requests that the Commissioner of Public Works and the Mayor’s Office provide regular progress reports—on not less than a quarterly basis—on these activities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council expects that each of these efforts will be undertaken in close consultation with private property owners in the area as well as other key stakeholders and interested citizens, and through labor-management partnerships; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council encourages interested citizens to be actively engaged in this evaluation, so that the City of Portland benefits from the experience, creativity, and intelligence of its citizens.

Adopted by the Council:   July 13, 2005  GARY BLACKMER

Auditor of the City of Portland

Prepared by:              By /S/ Colleen Phillips

Rich Rodgers                   Deputy

Assistant to Commissioner Sten

July 7^th, 2005

BACKING SHEET INFORMATION

AGENDA NO. 760-2005

ORDINANCE/RESOLUTION/COUNCIL DOCUMENT NO. 36328