Next for trendy Pearl: public school program
Posted by Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian February 22, 2009 22:17PM
Ankrom Moisan ArchitectsThe first floor of a planned family housing complex in the Pearl District could contain an elementary public school program. The 138-unit building is scheduled to open in 2011 at Northwest 13th Avenue and Raleigh Street. School district officials say planning for the space would likely begin next year.
First came the condo towers, then more art galleries, restaurants and boutiques. Young urbanites followed -- and the joke was they brought more pets to the Pearl than kids.
But now the affluent district is getting domesticated. It's experiencing a veritable baby boom: Nearly three times as many kids were born in the Pearl in 2007 than in 2000.
So, it seems a natural progression that the neighborhood long seen as a place for hip singles and empty-nesters is poised to get its first public elementary school program.
Portland Public Schools plans to lease space in the Pearl for a satellite school in a local developer's family-focused affordable housing complex. The school board will vote on the proposal tonight.
The 138-unit building at Northwest 13th Avenue and Raleigh Street -- scheduled to open in 2011 -- would have mostly two- and three-bedroom apartments with the school program on the first floor, probably with a few early grades to start.
"Right now there's not even a day-care or play-care place in a 10-block radius, not even a community center," said resident Anjali Rathore, who has a 4-year-old son. "It would be a dream to walk my son to school in the early years."
Rathore has lived with her husband in the Pearl since 2003. When she first came, she didn't see many children at all. The couple then moved to Washington, D.C., for several months before returning to Portland in 2004 when Rathore learned she was pregnant.
"We come back, and there are as many kids as dogs," she said. "Somehow, something had happened."
The school district hopes to hold onto young families and draw more of them to the central city with the leased space, said chief operating officer Cathy Mincberg. Portland Public Schools has lost nearly 8,000 students over the past decade, partly because of rising home prices in the city.
At the same time, the city also wants to recruit and retain economically diverse families. Portland's zoning encourages developers to build bigger apartments in North Pearl and add family-friendly amenities such as community rooms and rooftop gardens.
"We're hearing from the community that they don't want to be a San Francisco or Seattle with low capture rates in the core or no school-age kids at all in the core," Mincberg said.
In 1990 and 2000, the Pearl District had the fewest babies born compared with other close-in neighborhoods, Multnomah County figures show. But the numbers have inched upward from 16 births in 2000 to 47 births in 2007.
The closest public elementary school is Chapman, more than a mile away from the heart of the Pearl. Chapman's territory covers the second-largest physical area of any elementary school in Portland and already serves a fast-growing population in its immediate vicinity around Northwest 23rd Avenue.
If numbers continue to grow in both areas, Chapman could quickly become overcrowded, school officials have said. One answer is the satellite school in the Pearl.
Ed McNamara, the new building's developer, didn't design any three-bedroom apartments in his first Pearl District building, near Northwest 11th Avenue and Northrup Street, because he feared the cost might be too high or people wouldn't be interested.
"Then I started to see kid-friendly businesses pop up there," he said. "There were forums and some measurable data. My goal was really family-affordable housing. There aren't many opportunities to rent three-bedroom apartments for $900 a month. I think we can bring families back into central Portland."
A "game changer"
The satellite school is an "absolute game changer" for families in the Pearl, said Nancy Davis, mother of a kindergarten student. She moved to the Pearl in 2001 because she and her husband wanted to live in the city, close to theaters, libraries and museums.
"There are plenty of private schools, but many parents I know want a neighborhood public school," Davis said. "Right now, that's not perceived as walkable."
Davis and a fellow mom created Central Portland Families as a way to provide more opportunities for families living and working in the central city. They hold sleepovers in banks, tour the local ice cream shop, explore the neighborhood fire station.
In only 14 months, the group has grown from 13 families to more than 200. Most live in lofts, one- and two-bedroom residences in and around downtown, where there's little space for dedicated playrooms and no yards for swing sets and riding tricycles.
Supporters point to the group's growth as an indicator of the area's potential.
Enrollment figures sought
Still, at a recent school board committee meeting, Rebecca Levison, president of the district's teachers union, said she wasn't convinced the area has enough kids to justify the satellite school.
"Out there, I've seen a lot of kids," she said. "Stroller groups, moms groups and play groups are exciting, but those aren't hard facts. To have some hard enrollment facts would be helpful."
The school district doesn't have enrollment forecasts yet for the neighborhood and won't begin planning the satellite program until 2010, but demographers at Portland State University recently estimated about 250 kids live in Pearl neighborhoods.
School board members believe the leased school space is a cautious but exciting first step.
"We're not at a point where we can do a field of dreams where we build a whole school and hope people come," said school board member David Wynde. "What appeals to me is that this is a lease. We'll be able to see what happens, see if there is a need for the space before we make a permanent financial commitment."
-- Kimberly Melton;
[email protected]
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/next_for_trendy_pearl_public_s.html
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