🌱New Housing Development Rules + Nike Owner Wants To Buy Trailblazers

Happy trails, neighbors! We're starting this weekend with National Trails Day. So lace up those boots and pack your gear, while I fill you in on what's going on today.

First, today's weather:

On and off rain for most of the day and a high of 65.

Here are the top five stories in Portland today:

1. In an effort to address the housing shortage that is prevalent in Portland, the Portland City Council unanimously approved a number of new development rules designed to increase housing density and lower the cost of housing. These new rules are part of the city’s Residential Infill Project, which allows new units to be built on lots originally zoned for one home. The new rules permit more types of housing, and set new, more flexible rules for how homes can be configured and how large they can be. (OregonLive)
2. Nurses at two Portland-area hospitals voted to strike against Providence, the state’s largest health system, the union said in a news release Thursday night. Nurses at Providence Milwaukie Hospital and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City voted nearly unanimously to authorize strikes. They join nurses at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. (KATU)
3. Money for Measure 110 addiction services Gasca finally arrived. After nearly six months of delays, funds are closer to reaching addiction services providers in Oregon. The council overseeing Measure 110′s rollout finished approving grant applications on Thursday and grantees should have their money by the end of the summer. State auditors have identified a number of issues with the program and had a list of recommendations for the council. Some of those issues are an inefficient grant evaluation process and insufficient grant management practices. (OPB)
4. Elderly residents of the Allen Fremont Plaza Apartments, an affordable inner Northeast Portland housing complex are suing over “unsafe, unsanitary conditions.” The building is owned by the nonprofit Reach Community Development. Among the issues that residents are complaining about are that the non-profit failed to maintain common area bathrooms and failed to provide adequate security in the building. (Willamette Week)
5. The founder of Nike and the partial owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, have submitted a bid to buy the Portland Trail Blazers, multiple media outlets reported, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the offer. ESPN's NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Knight's inclusion in the proposed ownership group indicates the group's plan to keep the Blazers in Portland, though he noted talks were ongoing about the team's future. (Portland Patch)

Today in Portland:

• The 14th annual Playground Phenomenon Park Party is happening today underneath the St. John's bridge in Cathedral Park. This is a multi-generational gathering of the Portland dance music community to celebrate this wonderful culture and all the beautiful people it brings together. The event is always 100% free and volunteer-run. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• You are invited to a casual gala at Alberta House. Come celebrate new leadership, a new plan, and a major rebrand at Historic Alberta House (formerly known as Cerimon House). Performance, storytelling, conversation, community, food and drinks. Hosted by new Artistic Director Vin Shambry and Creative Director Matthew Kerrigan, they invite you to help breathe new life into this historic building. 3 - 6 p.m.
• Not sure it's going to be the weather for it, but you're invited to a picnic. Alison Heryer will host her work “Picnic” in the courtyard at Oregon Contemporary to foster meaningful connections in our socially awkward post-pandemic context. People may BYO picnic (food only), pre-purchase picnic baskets for two from Oregon Contemporary, or purchase à la carte snacks and beverages onsite at the Café. Noon to 8 p.m.
• I know that I told you about my favorite comic book store Friday, but Cosmic Monkey Comics on NE Sandy is also a great place. And today they're having a book signing! Jen Vaughn and Scott Peterson will be on hand to sign copies of their book “Took A Ghost Story.” Noon to 2 p.m.
• Did you know that the Lincoln Street United Methodist Church has monthly jazz concerts? Well, now you do. This afternoon's concert will feature the Hunglish Quartet. Join vocalist Zsofia Tardy, guitarist Attila Csikos,, Craig Snazelle on bass and Kurt Deutscher on drums for an afternoon of Hungarian jazz. This free concert has been funded by a grant from the City of Portland Events Action Table. The music starts at 4 p.m.

From my notebook:

• With summer quickly approaching, more events are going to occur and more crowds are going to gather, which may be an issue if you're trying to get around town. So, there are a few things you may want to be aware of. Tonight, the CareOregon Starlight Parade and the 5K Starlight Run will wind through downtown Portland, closing streets to vehicle traffic. TriMet, which recommends you use public transit to travel to watch the parade, may have delays on some routes during the 5K run and parade. Then, starting June 8 we're going to see the annual event that is Fleet Week. The first ship arrives around 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 and the last ship will leave around 10 a.m. on Monday, June 13. While the ships are coming and going, bridge lifts are expected to impact traffic on the Broadway, Steel and Morrison bridges. (The Oregonian)
• The zero waste movement in Portland has a new place to shop. The Realm Refillery, which claims to be Portland’s first package-free grocery store, opened May 20. In addition to an impressive array of bulk bins, with staples such as grains, beans and flour, there are also fill jars with maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, or vegan Worcestershire sauce. While not totally package-free, the few items that are packaged come in compostable or reusable packaging. Customers scoop dry goods into free compostable paper bags, or pay a $2 deposit for a glass jar that gets returned to the store, sanitized, and reused. (Portland Monthly)
• The Architectual Heritage Center presents this video of an intergenerational conversation at a legendary hair salon with members of Portland’s black community about race, neighborhood history, and change. Oh, how I miss the Portland of 20 years ago! (YouTube)
• Could Portland be getting another sports team? The WNBA is looking to expand soon, and the league could be looking to return to Portland. According to The Athletic, the league wants to add two teams by 2024 to create a 14-team league. Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco and Toronto were all listed as potential expansion spots. (Blazers Edge)
• Forget Jewish space lasers, the Oregon Zoo has bear lasers! The Oregon Zoo worked with biologists and researchers to test a state-of-the-art laser technology by scanning the zoo’s polar bears. According to the zoo, researchers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service tested the technology on polar bears Nora and Amelia Gray to provide a safe, non-invasive way to monitor similar bears in the wild. (KOIN)
• We always knew that we had great hiking around Portland, but now a website called Lawn Starter has ranked us at No. 1. LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Hiking to mark National Trails Day. It looked at 13 hiker-friendly factors, ranging from hiking access and quality to trail difficulty to natural hazards index. Portland nailed the top spot, followed closely by Tucson, AZ and Phoenix, AZ. (Lawn Starter)

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It may be a rainy weekend, but it's the weekend nonetheless. Go hiking, have a picnic or catch the Starlight Parade tonight; this is Portland, where there's a hundred different ways to have fun. I'll be back next week, with more news of Puddle Town.

— Dominic Anaya

About me: Doctor, educator and now a writer/artist, I'm just chillin' in Portland, OR with my wife, our ferrets, our chickens and our goats.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Portland Daily? Contact me at portland@patch.com