Second St NW Opening? Questions on Bike Parking at a Proposed Shelter: Hearing Notices

The City's published a couple more Hearing Notices that are a little interesting. There may be more to say once the Staff Reports are out.

One of the notices provides indirect evidence that a segment of Second Street NW that had been closed off may be opened.

The proposal appears to change address
from Edgewater to Second St.

The project for 901 Edgewater St NW is part of the former Oregon Fruit complex, I believe. The plan appears to show a new address for "chang[ing] an existing warehouse building to a self-service storage facility" with a shift from an Edgewater St to a Second Street address.

This segment of Second Street has been closed off with a chain link fence, and it's hard to see how it could be addressed off Second Street without opening Second Street.

This is also a gap in any connection along Second Street to the Union Street Bridge, and was something that should have been incorporated in a Rails-to-Trails conversion. The street concept is now for a street with cars, and the connection across Wallace remains uncertain, with the former proposed underpass very expensive. But even with modest car traffic, this could be a key bikeway with a direct connection to the bridge.

All in all something to watch! This will be at the Hearings Officer on May 13th. There is no in-person public comment, and comments must be made in writing. See the notice for more detail.

Is this enough bike parking for a shelter?

The other Notice is for "a proposed non-profit women’s shelter serving 40 individuals" at 1910 Front St NE.

The main thing here is to ask whether for a shelter the ratio of car parking stalls to bike parking stalls is correct. The plan as published in the Notice shows a potential mismatch.

This will also be at the Hearings Officer on the 13th.

Addendum, May 7th

The Staff Report is out for the storage units, and the news on Second Street is: Not Quite Yet.

Second Street will be opened, but not yet

The project will be required to be consistent with opening and improving Second Street, but since it is a "continuation" of an existing development, and a kind of swap in use, and not a "new" development, few changes to Second Street are required at the moment:

The land use within the building existed prior to June 13, 2018 and is continued development within the ESMU [the Edgewater Mixed Use zone] according to SRC 535.005(c). At this time, the applicant is proposing a change of use and construction of self-service storage units within the building, but is proposing no changes to the exterior of the building that would trigger compliance with the development standards or design review standards or guidelines of SRC Chapter 535. Any future proposed changes to the exterior of the building would be evaluated according to applicable standards and guidelines. The proposed nonconforming use of self-service storage is a substitution for the existing nonconforming use. Future changes of use within the building at 650 2nd Street NW must conform to the uses allowed in the ESMU zone or would be subject to the nonconforming use provisions of SRC Chapter 270.

Parts of the existing building "encroach" on the right-of-way for Second Street, and those will need to be scraped off. The buildings also encroach on vision clearance at driveways, and the driveways will need to be reconfigured to improve sightlines.

Interestingly, no bike parking is required for a storage unit complex.

The Staff Report on the shelter is also out, and bike parking is required there. Staff recommends as a condition of approval providing

a total of ten bicycle parking spaces. Of the ten spaces, five shall be covered or indoor.