Dharma Rain Zen Center - Stratetic Planning

New Property at Siskiyou Square

 

May 2, 2013

We got some good news from Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services this week. We have been planning a walkway that would connect 82nd Ave with Rocky Butte that would be open to our neighbors. A lovely route would take it through Russell Pond, a patch of land near the SE corner of our property. There were concerns about the route during heavy rain, but on a recent tour of the property representatives from BES and DRZC realized that a slightly different route would avoid the problems. BES, which owns Russell Pond, has agreed to take on the task of working with the neighbors in that area to advance the project. We have applied for a grant that would cover 1/3 of the cost, and our portion can be met by volunteer labor, so your help on the land can bring in needed funding. We will focus on a portion of this project from May 24-June 1, including work Saturdays May 25 and June 1. We'll be there 10am-4pm.

We’re getting into the serious work of value engineering the Sodo and working to see how much we can phase some of the infrastructure work to lower costs and spread them out over time.

 

April 25, 2013

The big news this week is that the Land Use decision is now final and has been recorded with the county. Hooray! We're now getting down to brass tacks on the engineering design work on the Sodo and the logistics on the two temporary buildings we want to move onto the property.

We also received a small grant for creating pollinator habitat — we like bees!

Here’s a fun fact: we are looking for donations of old cardboard, enough to cover one full acre! We will use it to cover invasive grass and weeds, then bury that with dirt and mulch to prepare the land for native planting.

Finally, at the last work day Gyokuko and Kyogen blessed over 100 O-Fuda, prayer plaques that hold the spirit of place, as gifts for donors to the Capital Campaign. The calligraphy says “Great Round Mirror Wisdom.”

 

April 17, 2013

The big news this week is that we received the decision from the Land Use Hearings Officer. The hearing went very well, and we got approval for everything we wanted. There is a waiting period until April 19 for any appeals that may be filed. Because we had unanimous support from the local neighborhood associations an appeal is highly unlikely. We can start the building permit process on the 19th. The great thing about this parcel is that our use is allowed outright, so we will not have to go through conditional use hearings. Developers have tried for many years to put housing on this property, but because it is in an employment zone, none were able to do so. We managed to get approval for 30 housing units because it is an accessory use of the temple complex.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony scheduled for Saturday, June 8, is coming together. Native Elder Rod McAfee will do a land blessing to start, and Portland Taiko will perform to close. We lining up some speakers, including Tony DeFalco, well-known for his effort to convert a nearby landfill into Cully Park. Also speaking is Petra Callin, principle of Madison High School. We are cooperating on a number of projects with them involving the new property.

 

April 4, 2013

Schematic design is complete and we have received the first round of cost estimating and are proceeding with value-engineering to keep to the budget.

We have received over $100,000 in grants targeted for site assessment.

 

March 1, 2013

Just wanted to send out a reminder about Dharma Rain’s work party this Saturday, March 2, anytime between ~10am and 4pm. Lunch is provided. We provide gloves and tools (but if you have a hedge trimmer, it's useful). Wear boots, as parts of the site are pretty boggy. See the latest dates for work parties.

The weather projects at 60 degrees and should stay dry until evening. So far we’ve been exceedingly lucky with largely dry and sunny weather for our last three work parties. We’ve also been feeling very fortunate to meet some of our new neighbors who have been showing up to help out, check out the site, and see who we are.

We’ll focus on removing blackberries on Saturday, but there will be a variety of tasks, including things for children (those who have come have had a great time so far). Our intent is to finish up the brush clearing that has to happen this year so that we're not removing brush during the nesting season that is critical for many bird species. Siskiyou Square is on a major “flyway” between the Rocky Butte/Gateway Green/Grotto, and Madison High/Rose City Golf Course/Glenhaven Park habitat complexes, so it attracts more than its share of birds and other animals who use it as a connecting link. After Saturday, our volunteer work parties will focus on other aspects of site preparation like removing fencing and establishing the garden until October when the nesting season is over. (Future work parties are scheduled for April 20th, May 25th, and June 1st).

In other news, our land use hearing is March 20th, and we’re getting ready for construction beginning this summer. The plan is to do much of the Siskiyou street improvements, a portion of the on-site infrastructure (grading, utilities, at least a gravel road in). We’ll also erect a workshop, set a portable office building, begin construction on the Sodo, or meditation hall, and start the garden and orchard on the south end of the site.

Finally, please save the date, as you’re invited to a groundbreaking ceremony planned for June 8th, at 3 pm, on-site. It will be an entertaining event, and there will be an optional tour of the site afterwards where you can walk “through” future buildings and hear about the plans and progress towards environmental restoration, habitat creation and community involvement.

 

January 17, 2013

There will be a work party day this coming Saturday, January 19, from around 10am-4pm. Lunch provided; come for all day or any part of the day. We’ll have tools and gloves, but if you have your own favorites, please feel free to bring them. If you are driving, please park at Glenhaven park, and walk down Siskiyou to 85th where the gate is. If you have a pickup truck and are willing to contribute use of that for all or part of the day, we would be most appreciative. Contact us, if so.

We are working to restore much of the land to healthy, native, habitat areas. We’ve had a few work parties already, and have cleared accumulated debris, taken down hazard trees, installed a gate and removed some invasive plants. This time we’ll mostly be clearing blackberries in the ravine, moving some fencing, and continuing on other tasks we started last time.

Here are pictures from last work practice day. And here are photos from the ceremony we did introducing ourselves to the land. If you can't make this one, mark your calendar for the next one on February 23.

 

January 15, 2013

We submitted two grant applications this week, both for restoring the ravine to native habitat. We are partnering with Madison High School, OSU’s Ecological Engineering Student Society, Backyard Habitat Certification Program, and the Center for a Sustainable Today on these.

 

January 2013

The City of Portland Brownfield Program is featuring the Siskiyou project in their quarterly publication. There’s a nice write-up and it also shows our landscape plan.

 

December 27, 2012

We are submitting a grant to create the Siskiyou Square Pathway, which is designed to be a low volume, multi-use pathway running from NE 82nd Ave on the west through Dharma Rain’s new site to an access point on the eastern end of the property. It will provide a wildlife corridor connecting the Roseway Golf Course, Madison High School, and Glenhaven Park habitat complex to the west, with Rocky Butte, Gateway Green, and the Grotto gardens to the east. It also will provide east-west, and hopefully north-south connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. We are partnering with several community organizations on this effort, including the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Center for a Sustainable Today.

Our letter of interest was accepted by Metro and we’ve been invited to submit a full application for their Nature in the Neighborhoods Capital Grant. The pathway will increase neighborhood connectivity, safety and access to native open space areas.

 

November 24, 2012

On Saturday, November 24 (Thanksgiving weekend), we will have our first work practice day out at the new property, fixing fences, clearing trash and maybe brush, and other work as needed and possible. It begins at 10am, includes a lunch provided, with a ceremony after lunch, and wraps up about 4pm. Come for all or part of the day. Bring work clothes, boots and gloves, and prepare to get muddy and join the fun. Park at Glenhaven Park across 82nd Ave., and come down Siskiyou to find us.

 

November 1, 2012

The down payment and other payments have been made, papers signed, and all recorded as of November 1, 2012. We are now the proud owners of a vacant lot! More updates coming soon.

 

October 21, 2012

The Siskiyou project was one of the main topics at the fall Sangha Forum. See a report on the Forum and also take a look at the drawings of site plans and building plans presented in their current drafts.

 

September 28, 2012

On Thursday, September 27, members of Dharma Rain Zen Center and residents from four neighborhoods near the Siskiyou property sat down to discuss issues impacting connectivity in the area. After a brief description of the plan for the property, the participants brought forth questions and comments regarding the relationship between the new temple grounds and the surrounding areas. Of particular interest were the composition and layout of public pathways on the property, whether these public throughways would be open to bicycles or restricted to pedestrians, parking availaiblity and parking impact, connectivity and rehabilitation of the ravine at the east edge of the property, and the timing for phases of construction and occupancy.

 

September 20, 2012

For those involved in the Householder Refuge project, here are the notes from our September Meeting. Thanks to all who attended. The next meetings are the third Sunday of each month: October 21 (Site plan and Financing) and November 18 (Unit Plans). We won’t meet in December. NOTE: These meeting minutes and information about the HHR project are now on their own page.

This site has a nice tool for estimating the relative costs of buying versus renting a home in the Portland market:

 

September 18, 2012

A small focus group discussion on the ecology of the Siskiyou Square property was held on the evening of September 13, attended by people from Dharma Rain, the neighborhood, and various city and non-profit organizations. After a brief description of the history of the property and an overview of the site plan by Kakumyo Lowe-Charde, the discussion covered landscaping, wildlife habitat, groundwater, pathways through the site, methane risks, and the possiblity of educational signage.

There is a second focus group scheduled for Thursday, September 27th. The topic will be neighborhood connectivity.

 

August 30, 2012

The description of the Householder Refuge project has been revised. Here are three more documents about the ongoing planning for the Householder Refuge project. For future updates on the HHR project, please see the HHR page.

 

August 16, 2012

  • The traffic study is done, examining the current use and proposed impact on all the nearby intersections and streets. It looks good and won’t require transportation system improvements beyond widening Siskiyou. We benefit from our current pattern of use, and our documented history of extensive bus, pedestrian, and bicycle use to attend events at the temple.
  • Our design team is getting its roles and responsibilities dialed in, figuring out how our architects, landscape architect, planner, civil, traffic, structural, geotechnical, and environmental engineers, and our builder and some select subcontractors will be working together, with the city, with us, and with DEQ.
  • We’ll be hosting a booth at the Midsummer’s Green Neighbohood Festival, showcasing our proposed use of the land and highlighting its ecological aspects. August 18th, 10-5 at NE Sumner and 72nd if you want to drop by. More info.

 

August 3, 2012. The Oregonian published a positive article about the purchase. If the link no longer works, read the pdf.

 

July 15, 2012. Dharma Rain is proceeding with the purchase. The board conducted a thorough due diligence process before voting to proceed, and a summary of due diligence findings is now available. As representatives of the sangha, the board would like the property purchase and transition process to be as clear and transparent as possible. If you have suggestions or comments about how you would like to hear about property developments, please contact the Center.

Board chair Kyri Kengan Trieman says: thanks on behalf of the Board to all of the sangha members and supporters who invested their time and expertise during the due diligence period. We saw sangha support manifested in the ideas, concerns, suggestions, research, as well as the hard work of meeting attendance, endless follow-up of details, people working within their areas of considerable expertise as well as people willing to explore new areas. The direct support furthered the vision and the concerns raised made it stronger; both were profoundly helpful. We could not have gotten to this point otherwise, and that was a factor in the decision to go ahead.

 

June 14, 2012. The Board of Directors of Dharma Rain has decided to purchase a 14-acre parcel of land at NE 82nd & Siskiyou. This lot would allow us to build a single campus that could accommodate all of our current programs, and also allow us to continue to grow. After our offer was accepted by the seller the Board conducted three months of due diligence activities to determine whether the property will work for us. The vote to purchase means that the sale will proceed, with closing on the new property to occur in July. There will be a gradual transition plan from our current to our new property in the coming years — more details to come. Project manager is Kakumyo Lowe-Charde [kakumyo at dharma-rain.org].

 

Read an April (2012) article that appeared in the Daily Journal of Commerce about the project.

 

top