Hi Sunnyside and welcome to March! We made it through the heart of winter and spring is on the horizon. Personal YAY!
In February we had a special off-cycle General Meeting to hear from our local state representative Rob Nosse. First, I would like to thank Rep. Nosse for taking time out of his busy short session legislative schedule to meet with us. I’m so glad that we were able to hear his thoughts on such important issues as reforming Measure 110, the governor’s housing plan, the chronic underfunding of Oregon schools and his own bill to improve arts funding. By the time you read this, we will know where the legislature landed on these issues. Rep. Nosse was inclined to support some form of re-criminalization of drug possession, while continuing a focus on getting people into treatment as an alternative to the criminal justice system. He also seemed in favor of the general outlines of the housing package, noting that Portland’s urban growth boundary would most likely not be affected. Instead, the boundaries around suburban and exurban locales such as Gresham and Sandy could expand to support housing development.
Also in February, we welcomed the newest member of the SNA leadership team! Nathan Broden has joined us as our liaison to the Sunnyside Environmental School (SES) PTSA. He teaches gardening at SES and is a Sunnyside resident. Thanks for taking the time to contribute even more to the community, Nathan!
In March, we will be hearing about an endorsement request from Inner Eastside for All which is seeking a change in the zoning of inner eastside neighborhoods, including Sunnyside, to enable increased denser development inside neighborhood borders. You can read more about this effort below. Please join us for this discussion. Bring your questions and help the SNA Board decide if this is an effort that we should support.
One final note, our annual Board elections are coming up in May! Do you think you might want to join the Board to help shape city policies, manage projects for the neighborhood and meet a lot of awesome people? Please join us! If you have questions or think you might be interested, you can reach out to us at [email protected] or directly to me at [email protected].