Regarding schools:
Chapman enrollment increased 15-20% this year over last and will probably exceed capacity soon. They have already added a 4th Kindergarten Class and these kids will be with the school for 5 more years. They already have mobile home-like portables for overflow. Who knows what the next few years will bring, but I would imagine it's more kids.
It may be just as expensive to place a new school in leased space in the Pearl as increase capacity at Chapman.
They are still discussing what to do with Lincoln. I had been living in Portland for 15 year but had never set foot in Lincoln HS until two years ago. I was shocked at the facilities. Very depressing on the inside. I don't even think they have a working cafeteria any more because it's been co-opted as space for other activities. The facilities were designed to hold like 1200 students, and they hold 1400 now.
There are several plans for Lincoln on the table. (
http://lincoln.pps.k12.or.us/files/6-12-08%20LTDC%20Report.pdf) But if I were a betting man, I would guess that Lincoln will start over with a new ("high rise") building somewhere else on the campus -- probably on the far west side. They'd move the ball field east, and make the remainder of the campus mixed use. It would make sense to place a 2-3 story parking garage under the whole campus and use this for shared parking for the HS, commercial buildings on the campus, and perhaps for the expanded PGE park if they get MLS there.
And speaking as a resident of Goose Hollow, Lincoln seems like an island and not at all connected to the neighborhood. Hopefully whatever plan they follow for Lincoln, it'll feel more of the neighborhood rather than just in the neighborhood.
That said, all of this is expensive. Wasn't there a report recently that stated we're looking at $2 billion in expenses to rebuild the outdated schools in Portland? And despite peoples feelings about elitism and "the rich kids HS", judging by need and facilities alone it looks like Lincoln needs a lot of help, and soon.