>Piedmont Neighborhood Association Land Use Co-Chair Brian Borrello has responded to Thresea Marchetti of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI)…
You state: “I have received a liquor license application for a change in ownership at an existing Market in the Piedmont neighborhood area. Civic Food Mart located at729 N Rosa Parks Way has applied to maintain the Off Premises sales license which allows the sale of beer/wine/cider to go in sealed containers.”
There seems to be a difference between “maintaining” existing restrictions and “lifting” them as recommended by the OLCC state employee.Could you please clarify this distinction?
What are the limitations currently in place, and what are being proposed?
The owners of this establishment have tried every few years to have the restrictions lifted, and we have consistently had numerous people testify against, and the restrictions subsequently have been ruled to remain in place. These restrictions are not onerous- the limitation of fortified wines and liquors’ sales/ no extended hours of operation/etc were advocated for, and we even made concessions so as not to adversely affect their business. The impact of alcohol related disturbances and crime in proximity (within 150ft) to a children’s playground, community center, swimming pool, and public parkshould not be overlooked so a business owner can maximize his profits. I think the message is and has been clear to OLCC, and to the owners, of the citizenry’s position,so why is this even being considered yet again by this state regulatory agency?
Piedmont NA will offer fierce opposition to lifting these restrictions.
Please advise as to when the OLCC hearing will be held, so we can notify all concerned community members and prepare testimony.
Thanks
Brian Borrello
Land Use Co-chair
Piedmont NA
Piedmont Neighborhood Association 
>Thresea Marchetti of ONI has responded to Brian’s email…Hi Brian, I completely understand your concerns. To answer your clarification question; although they are maintaining a license that is currently in effect (Off Premise Sales), the OLCC is required to revisit the basis for which restrictions were placed on the license every time there is a new owner. I am sorry that was misleading to you.I spoke with Roseanne Cotton, the investigator for this license. After running the crime statistics for this location, she feels that there may be no legal basis for continuing the restrictions currently in place. Although this location was once considered a “problem area”, the statistics indicate that those concerns may no longer exist. I am in contact with the Portland Police Bureau to obtain more detailed information. For instance, although crime has decreased in this area, it may continue to stand out in comparison to neighboring Portland areas. Crime statistics everywhere indicate an overall decrease, which may still show that this area poses a greater threat in comparison. I am also in touch with other city agencies who have not been able to provide any documented instances of concern.That said, we are not without recourse. In speaking with Roseanne, the current applicant seems willing to voluntarily enter into most of these restrictions (ie: the hours of operation, prohibition of sale of fortified wine), although they are less likely to want to restrict their sales to cans only and no glass.Your opposition has been sent to the OLCC and carries a lot of weight as the investigation continues. I would also like any additional information you may have that has not been reported officially.The preliminary investigative report is still in its infancy, and will not be ready for review until the March Commission Meeting at the earliest. Tentative dates for this review are March 12th or 13th. I will know more in a week or so and I will keep you notified.Thanks for your input,Theresa MarchettiOffice of Neighborhood Involvement1221 SW 4th AvePortland, OR 97204503-823-4064
>Hello,I support Brian Borrello’s stance on this issue. Keeping the restrictions as they are should have more to do with the park and school yard acorssthe street than the crime rates. Perhaps the crime rates have gone down in and around this store because of the restristion placed on this store?We have compromised much with the store, and we will not allow any room for the same problems to return if we lift the remaining restrictions. Quality of life for me and my neighbors is as important as profit for one person or a government agency.Shaun Sullens
>My response may not be as sophisticated as some here, but I must say, after living in this neighborhood for over 35 years, I have seen a lot of things. I can tell you that when the corner store in question had longer hours and sold a larger variety of alcohol items, there were many more problems in and around the park as well as the neighboring streets. We got to the point where we were not comfortable near those areas. The trash problem was far worse on the streets and in the park. There were many wine bottles on the parking strips and broken in the streets.It is such a relief to have it as it is now that I cannot even fathom going back to those times again. We must stand firm!M. Moore
>Having only lived in this area for a few years I am shocked anyone would even consider a license for this venue. Everyday there is so much garbage from this store littering the lawns and streets and I cannot tell you how many beer cans I pick up on a daily basis from my front yard living on N. Portland Blvd. In addition, maybe someone should watch Jack, the elderly man who lives one block away from the store who on a daily basis has to bend over to clean his yard of all the debris from this store, including beer cans and chicken bones and the black bags they put the stuff in. Sure, let’s invite yet more problems to an area that we are trying to keep clean of trash and crime. A very concerned resident! Susan
>I’ve lived in this neighborhood for nearly 13 years. The amount of trash and broken glass on the streets and in Peninsula Park is less and less shocking and I have reluctantly accepted it as a recognizable component of North Portland’s vibrant community.On Sunday, I spent some quality time sweeping up broken glass all over the street at Rosa Parks Way and Mississippi. It was glass from a 40oz off-brand malt liquor container (Notice that it’s almost ALWAYS malt liquor.) You could still read the label even though tire and shoe-puncturing glass was spread all over the entry to the street.I am usually a defender of glass containers over plastic for beverages, but after living in North Portland since 1994 I have identified patterns of behavior indicating that we -as a community- simply cannot handle the responsibility of having glass, let alone malt liquor products. I am sorry to say that either the glass must be banned or the deposit for any bottle must increase to $10.00 per glass bottle.To be clear, the rampant irresponsibility that is crime, vandalism, gang-bangery, and littering (a crime) does not stem from so-called gentrification but from a choice: At some point one must decide to “Return for deposit or drunkenly smash glass into the street.” Free will and all…I’m a native Portlander. Nobody had to teach me that it s wrong to litter. I just knew it was wrong because it’s ugly.Regarding crime stats: They go up and down. Bookmark your area at http://portlandmaps.com/ and keep an eye on the Crime Mapper tab.