February 22, 2004
City Surrenders On Pioneer Courthouse
Feds Threatened Condemnation In The Name Of Parking
Of course, Jack got to this already while I had distracted myself with history. Yesterday's Oregonian reported the unfortunate news:
In the end, after the historic preservation officials, congressmen and city transportation authorities had their say, the building's landlord, the U.S. General Services Administration, employed federal law to silence the last challenge.
Portland's transportation office had denied permits for a proposed driveway because of a city law that prohibits new access for parking garages across MAX light-rail lines. On Friday, Commissioner Jim Francesconi's office -- one of the $16.72 million project's most vocal opponents -- announced it would reluctantly give up the fight. The city will approve the permits, said Michael Harrison, an assistant to Francesconi.
Having evicted the post office and bullied the City with threats of condemnation, the GSA will now move forward with seismic upgrades and providing underground parking for Federal judges.
Says Jack in the post linked above:
And so the courthouse renovators have won every battle. The historic Pioneer Post Office is no more, and the other tenants of the building have also been moved out for good. When the renovation is completed, that entire, wonderful building, cushier than ever, will be the sole province of just four federal appeals judges. The public will have little reason to go inside it again.
Says one of Jack's readers at the same item: "It would make more sense to move the appeals court into the lavish Hatfield Courthouse a few blocks down, which was built with the equivalent of one floor per judge, and move some offices out of Hatfield into Pioneer."
No, that would make far too much sense. To do that would be to recognize that we heathen locals have a deeper connection to the building that's been in their midst for over one hundred years -- a keener sense of its historical presence in the life of Portland -- than do the judges who've worked there for a mere fraction of that time.
While I wish along with Jack that the City could have found a way to keep up the fight, it's clear that the GSA's condemnation threat was the checkmate.
Had the City taken that fight to court, it inevitably would have lost, and we would have become bogged down in an argument over whether or not the City had wasted taxpayer money by doing so.
For whatever reason, the GSA thought it best not only to bully the City of Portland, but to be entirely uncreative in addressing the asserted issue of parking security for Federal judges. In the end, that forced the City into a lose-lose situation. At least the office of Commissioner Francesconi fought the project for as long as they could.
Comments (2)
Tiffany Lee Brown on 23 Feb 2004
oh man. this is really depressing. but i guess a new building & some bitchin' parking spaces will look mmore appropriate there -- better access to the SKATING RINK.
egads.
Gary Marschke on 23 Feb 2004
Two thoughts came to mind:
1- Maybe they should move the whole Federal Court operation underground, since the government tactics on their behalf would make such a move wholly appropriate.
2- Who are these judges anyway? Maybe we should post their pictures next to Officer McCollister's.