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A group of minority contractors, business people, and Northeast Portland stakeholders is calling for a revival of a Trader Joe's development on MLK.

(The Oregonian)

A group of business owners, neighborhood groups and Northeast Portland stakeholders is formally calling for the resurrection of a Trader Joe's grocery store project.

Oregon's National Association of Minority Contractors affiliate started a campaign this week to revive the $8 million Trader Joe's development on a long vacant lot in Northeast Portland.

A petition letter, sent to city officials Monday and signed by nearly 40 people, includes the approval of African-American leaders of The Urban League of Portland, Black United Fund, Black Chamber of Commerce, Black Parent Initiative and other community groups.

The letter also calls for a "substantial increase" in affordable housing resources in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.



"It is time to stop acting as if our only option for investment in North/N.E. Portland is to choose between a commitment to economic development that will create jobs for minority and local small business or the generation of truly affordable housing that helps preserve the historical legacy of its neighborhoods," the letter reads.

"We stand united in our belief that we can do both."

The petition letter is also signed by business owners of Vanport Square, the hub of minority small businesses which city officials said stood to gain by the addition of an adjacent Trader Joe's-anchored development.

Earlier this month, Trader Joe's announced it would not locate a store in Northeast Portland, citing "negative reactions" from the community. Trader Joe's was expected to be the anchor tenant of the project on long vacant land owned by the Portland Development Commission. In November, the PDC's board approved a deal to sell the nearly 2-acre parcel to California-based Majestic Realty Co. for roughly $500,000.

The online petition, also posted on Monday, had more than 370 supporters by noon on Tuesday. The president of Oregon's NAMC Board of Directors is Andrew Colas, head of the construction company tapped by Majestic Realty to serve as general contractor for the now-defunct project.

NAMC's letter is a departure from the criticism and demands made by Portland African American Leadership Forum in December. That group demanded affordable housing on the disputed property, at the corner of Northeast Alberta Street and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. PDC sold the land for roughly $2.4 million less than its appraised value. PAALF said the project was further evidence of PDC's contributions to gentrification and displacement of minorities from inner North and Northeast Portland.



The NAMC letter, sent to Mayor Charlie Hales, PDC Executive Director Patrick Quinton, Commissioner Dan Saltzman and the Housing Bureau, said the Trader Joe's plan had "fourteen years of documented public process" and widespread support behind it.

The group also says the site is not suitable for mixed-use development and the land "will remain vacant" for another 10-15 years if a developer is "forced" to build a multi-story structure with ground floor retail.

The letter also sets a 30-day clock for a response from city officials which would include the a plan for "substantial increase" in affordable housing in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.

"We also believe that a substantive investment in the creation of a vibrant business district on N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., with African American and other minority businesses as its foundation should be at the core of any significant economic investment in the neighborhood," the letter reads.

Calls to Trader Joe's and City Hall weren't immediately returned. Hales' spokesman confirmed the mayor's office received the letter Tuesday afternoon.

Here's the full letter:

-- Andrew Theen