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April, 2025- Vol. 119, No. 8 Scroll down to read this issue! Memories of THE BEE's first 100 years! In 2006, THE BEE celebrated its centennial of serving Southeast Portland! A special four-page retrospective of Inner Southeast Portland's century, written by Eileen Fitzsimons, and drawn from the pages of THE BEE over the previous 100 years, appeared in our September, 2006, issue. Click here to read the special centenary retrospective!
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This is the middle of the two-block long property, here looking across Milwaukie Avenue westward on S.E. Harold Street – about where the center of the new high-rise will be. The railing at the back of the parking lot is to keep people from going over the edge and falling into Oaks Bottom. (Photo by Eric Norberg)
7-story apartment house planned for edge of Oaks Bottom Bluff
By ERIC NORBERG Editor, THE BEE
It was only a year or so ago that the owners of the two-block long commercial complex of low-profile business buildings and parking lots on S.E. Milwaukie Avenue, between Insley and Ellis, requested that the City of Portland rezone their property for high density residential development – which could have meant a ten-story-high apartment house teetering on the edge of the bluff above the Oaks Bottom wildlife area.
The neighborhood association involved, SMILE, opposed a structure that large on the edge of the cliff – not for any particular aesthetic reasons, but because the edge of the Oaks Bottom Bluff is recognized by the State of Oregon as subject to the risk of landslides.
It was also recognized that way by the City of Portland, too, until pretty recently; a little over a decade ago, a two-story home two blocks south of the property was being undermined by erosion in heavy rain, and ultimately had to be moved much closer towards the street to the east because of that.
In fact, anyone driving on Sellwood Boulevard along the edge of that bluff, opposite Oaks Park, can see by the many, many repairs of the pavement the signs of the ongoing stresses at the edge of the bluff which that road constantly experiences. A short portion of the roadside path disappeared in a small landslide a few years ago and has not been replaced.
But when SMILE filed that objection to the proposed rezoning, only then did it learn that the city had already inexplicably and without explanation dropped that “landslide risk” designation along the bluff, which potentially cleared the way for the high-rise. And the city chose, at that time, in considering the zoning change (which it did grant, with variations of RM4 zoning), not to recognize the State of Oregon’s designation of the bluff as at risk of landslides.
However, in a possible concession to that designation, it did require that any such development at that particular location must have a vertical limit of seven stories, rather than the ten the new zoning would otherwise have allowed.
Consequently, Susan and Marvin La Porte, who had long operated a business on that property, have filed an application for a permit to build a “new, 7-story, 243 unit, multi-dwelling residential building at 5515 S.E. Milwaukie Avenue. The southern half of the building to be 65 feet tall, and northern half approximately 85.5 feet tall.”
The new building will be rivaled in size, in the Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhood, only by Westmoreland’s Union Manor just north of Bybee on McLoughlin Boulevard, and by the publicly-owned high-rise residential building on the corner of Tenino and S.E. 17th, diagonally across the intersection from the new CVS Pharmacy in Sellwood.
The owners of the Milwaukie Avenue property seeking the rezoning at that time contacted THE BEE to assure that any such new building would be thoroughly anchored to the ground and would not fall into the wildlife refuge, even if some of the bluff were to give way under it.
It is unclear, however, if those precautions would be enough to hold it in place in the event of the next inevitable “Force 9 plate-boundary earthquake”, which Oregon and the Northwest last experienced in January of 1700. These earthquakes have occurred at intervals going back thousands of years, and there will be another one someday. It could be tomorrow; it could be centuries away. But when it comes, what will happen to the bluff – and a heavy high-rise upon it? There’s no way to know.
The Portland Design Commission held a design advisory hearing for the preliminary design on Thursday, March 20, downtown – just after the deadline for this issue of THE BEE. We expect to report on the outcome of that hearing in our next issue.
2025’s Rose Festival Princess from Franklin High, Isa Halle, said she really did not expect to be chosen – and had her “disappointed face” ready to go. This is definitely not it! (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Franklin High’s 2025 Rose Festival Princess revealed
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
A certain sign that spring is arriving – the Portland Rose Festival (PRF) Princess announcements, at our Inner Southeast Portland high schools!
On Thursday, March 6th, in the Franklin High School (FHS) Theater, Rose Festival officials, families, and school personnel gathered to learn which of the four candidates had been selected to represent the school this year.
“Each of our four candidates is amazing,” FHS Vice Principal Amy Gervais remarked to THE BEE before the program began. “The Portland Rose Festival’s theme this year, ‘All Together Now’, is all about ‘community’ – and all of our candidates are active members of the Franklin community in ways that are really special!
“By that, I mean they are active in school activities, are caring and kind – those are Franklin’s core values – and bring joy to our school community in a way that has a positive influence here at Franklin High,” Gervais commended. “Each and every one of them would make a good ambassador for our school!”
As the program began, the FHS Princess candidates Isa Halle, Brianna Quiroz Alvarez, Emily Shea, and Ailinah Van were introduced.
After those present from the Rose Festival itself were introduced, and told about this year’s upcoming events; then came the much-awaited announcement: “This year’s Franklin High School Portland Rose Festival Princess is ... Isa Halle!”
Remaining on the stage afterwards to speak to reporters, Princess Isa Halle said he hadn’t expected to win – she’d started feeling her “disappointed face” come on, “but now I feel wonderful. But I think everyone else in the court deserves to win; it’s really sad that not all four of us could represent our school.”
Turning to THE BEE, Princess Isa said she truly looks forward to representing “Lightning spirit”. “I do cheer, so I’m pretty passionate about Franklin; I’m a very big fan of our school. I want most people to know about my school and how great a community it is.”
She’s a Franklin High Junior. After graduating in the Class of 2026, Princess Isa plans to attend a four-year college majoring in international relations, and with a minor in French. Her plans will be aided by the $3,500 scholarship she will receive from The Randall Group.
We’ll report on this year’s Princess ceremony at Cleveland High in the next issue; their Princess was to be named just after our deadline for this issue of THE BEE. Keep up with all of the Portland Rose Festival activities by visiting the official website – http://www.rosefestival.org
As seen from behind the crime-scene tape two blocks away, the crashed motorcycle lay on the ground while an officer’s documentation instrument stood on its tripod near the fatal crash, as the heavy rain continued. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Man killed by a motorcycle while crossing Powell in heavy rain
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
Windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the rain pounding down in the storm that swept into the Foster-Powell neighborhood of Southeast Portland on Sunday evening, March 9th. It was hard to see the road.
Perhaps because of the low visibility, a man – later identified as 86-year-old Roger R. Lee, of Portland – was struck by a passing motorcycle as he tried to cross S.E. Powell Boulevard in the middle of the block just east of 67th Avenue, emerging from the frontage road parking area on the south side of the highway.
It happened at about 9:08 p.m. that evening, and arriving East Precinct officers came across Lee lying in the road. He died from his injuries shortly afterward.
Officers found the motorcycle rider and the wrecked bike a half-block east, also in the middle of Powell. Its driver was also badly hurt, and was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital – where the rider’s injuries were determined to be severe, but not life-threatening.
Portland Police Major Crash Team arrived to probe the crash – parking their mobile investigation unit in front of the Powell Seafood Restaurant, and closing down Powell Boulevard between S.E. 66th and 70th Avenues.
“The investigation suggests Lee was crossing Powell when he was struck and killed by a motorcycle traveling eastbound; the motorcyclist did not show any signs of impairment,” a Portland Police spokesperson later reported.
If you can provide any further information about this fatal accident, please send an email to – crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, and mark it to the attention of the Traffic Investigations Unit, referring to Case No. 25-061811.
Clearly-enthusiastic students and families of St. Agatha Catholic School lined up on the campus, holding aloft the banner heralding their annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade – joined (on the far right) by the St. Agatha’s pastor, Father Luan Tran. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
Adding a traditional and festive note to the St. Agatha Catholic Church and School St. Patrick’s Day Parade was bagpiper Sophie Miller – a graduate of the school. (Photo by David F. Ashton)
St. Patrick’s Day again draws big crowd to St. Agatha’s in Sellwood
By DAVID F. ASHTON For THE BEE
On March 15, two days before the actual holiday, St. Agatha Catholic School held its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in Sellwood.
Despite its being a cold and rainy day, the enthusiastic group who’d gathered for the parade stepped off at noon, kept safe by Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division motorcycle officers. The route took them south from their Sellwood campus on S.E. 15th Avenue to Tacoma Street, then west to 13th Avenue, where it turned north and marched close to a mile north into Westmoreland before heading east on Bybee Boulevard – turning south on Milwaukie Avenue, and returning to the school.
“A special feature for our St. Patrick’s Day Parade was having bagpiper Sophie Miller, a graduate of our school, piping as it began,” pointed out Danielle Ruhnke – whom, along with Molly Wilhelm, co-chaired this year’s celebration.
The Kim's Taekwon-Do group again marched in the parade, and later demonstrated their martial-arts skills. “Also this year, we involved the ‘Dance with Joy Studio’ here in our neighborhood, in an effort to bridge between our school and the greater community,” Ruhnke commented.
After the parade returned to the campus, the Carnival began – and enthusiastic kids poured into the school’s gymnasium, tickets in hand, to play games and win prizes.
“This is a community event, and we do our best to really encourage everyone to come and celebrate with us,” grinned Ruhnke.
A variety of food trucks vended hot and cold beverages, baked on-the-spot pizzas, genuine “Pronto Pup” corn dogs, Asian foods, and gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches.
“For our Festival’s entertainment, we brought back the popular Irish group, the ‘Katie Jane Band’, and hosted three Irish dance groups later in the afternoon,” Ruhnke told THE BEE.
Some 65 volunteers helped with the logistics of setting up and operating this year’s St. Patrick’s celebration in Sellwood – from setting up the tent, to bringing in the carnival games, and hosting the activities. “We also have a lot of middle school students who volunteer to run all the carnival games,” she said.
“You can’t help but be happy at our St. Patrick’s Day celebration; it brings a lot of laughs and good energy to our school – which is fun to see.”
If you missed all the fun this year, take this quick tour of St. Patricks at Saint Agatha’s in Sellwood with this exclusive and brief BEE VIDEO....
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