Portland Development Commission and grocery stores
The Portland Development Commission is Portland's urban renewal agency. On November 13, 2013, the PDC Board of Commissioners is meeting at PDC headquarters to vote on this item:
Action Item: Authorizing a Disposition and Development Agreement to Convey 1.79 Acres of Real Property in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area to Majestic Realty Company for $502,160Â
The property in question is a block of land at NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and NE Alberta. According to PDC Report 13-46, this property is valued at $2.87 million:
An appraisal commissioned in December 2012 set the "As-Is Market Value" of the Property at $2,870,000
PDC plans to sell the property to a private development company by the name of 'Majestic Realty Company'. According to Report 13-46, the proposed sale price is:
This price is $2.3 million less than the property's appraised value. PDC Report 13-46 explains:
To accommodate the neighborhoodâs deep, longstanding desire to locate a full-service grocery on the site, and to respond to the Cityâs grocery store RFI that identified the need for a grocery in this specific neighborhood, PDC is proposing to subsidize the land sale and sell the Property for $502,160.Â
PDC asserts that the land sale subsidy is justified because the neighborhood needs a grocery store.
In Resolution 7033, PDC asserts that the neighborhood is underserved:
in 2011, the City identified the area surrounding the Property as underserved by any full service grocery store, offering fresh produce and healthy foods
Two questions come to mind:
Is it true that this neighborhood is "underserved by any full service grocery store"?
Is it difficult for residents in the neighborhood to obtain fresh produce?
I visited Northeast Portland today (11/12/13) to see what options are available for grocery shopping. I found fresh produce at three grocery stores in the neighborhood.
Safeway operates a grocery store at 5920 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd. This store is located 0.5 miles north of the property that PDC is trying to sell. The store has a large produce section.
New Seasons operates a grocery store at 3445 N Williams Ave. This store is located 1 mile from the property that PDC is trying to sell. New Seasons offers a large selection of produce and fruit.
The Alberta Co-op Grocery is open seven days a week at 1500 NE Alberta St. This store is located 0.6 miles from the property that PDC is trying to sell. The co-op sells fresh produce and fresh fruit.
PDC has tried to make the case that the $2.3 million subsidy is justified because the neighborhood is underserved by grocery stores. This is intellectually dishonest.
The PDC Board of Commissioners will vote on this proposal on Wednesday November 13, 2013.
If you find PDC's proposal objectionable, please voice your opinion to Mayor Charlie Hales.
