Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 Months ago Mayor Vera Katz promised Portlanders that the public would be more involved in her plan to bring Triple-A baseball to Civic Stadium. Now, thanks to her planning bureau, the stadium's closest neighbors may be unaware of a significant change that would actually give them less say in the ballpark's future. Here's the background: Civic Stadium is located on a piece of city land zoned for open space. Its current uses are not permitted under that zoning but were grandfathered in. Because of that zoning, however, the proposed renovation of the stadium would require that the project get a special permit. Neighbors are working with the city on a "good neighbor agreement" to ensure that the revamped stadium does not subject them to traffic and noise nightmares. In those negotiations, the power to block the stadium's permit is neighbors' sole leverage. Now the city is proposing to eliminate the most significant stage of public involvement in the project by simply redefining the zone that Civic Stadium lies in, allowing renovation to proceed without a special permit. Clearly, the stadium's neighbors would be interested in this change. The planning bureau, however, doesn't seem eager to publicize its intentions. Consider: * Though the proposal is driven mainly by the Civic Stadium project, the notice mailed to the public is titled "Amendments to the Central City Plan for Uses in the Open Space Zone." The vaguely worded one-page summary doesn't contain a single mention of Civic Stadium. * The sole public notice was mailed to property owners on Dec. 23--perhaps the week people are least likely to read the fine print of any mass mailing. * The change would be concluded in record time, starting with an open house today (4:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, Jan. 12, at 1900 SW 4th Ave., second floor) and concluding with a council meeting Feb. 9. Chief planner Susan Hartnett, who signed off on the public notice, says there was no intent to conceal the project's significance. But she should have been more sensitive to the neighbors' concerns, particularly given the mayor's assurances. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published January 12, 1999