Infamous Asa alcoves finally caged
Bike parking stalls created ongoing livability problems
The bicycle parking alcoves at Asa Flats + Lofts, 1200 NW Marshall St., were finally enclosed on May 30 after years of inertia involving the city of Portland and the building’s Chicago-based management company.
The alcoves have been long-known to attract squatters, garbage and drug activity, but the city ordered earlier fencing removed because it blocked 14 bike parking stalls, leading to fines and substantial permitting costs that STYL Residential found “too cost prohibitive” last December.
“For reasons that I don’t understand (likely to do with profitability),” wrote Tracy Nistler of Portland Permitting and Development, “the Asa seems to not want to act in any way to fix the problems on their perimeter. So frustrating for the entire neighborhood.”
“In light of the homeless crisis and its impact on ground-floor retail,” Pearl District Neighborhood Association Shelter Oversight Committee Chair Linda Witt wrote in April 2024, “it seemed a bit tone-deaf for the city to single-mindedly punish businesses that took initiatives (and spent their own money) to successfully reduce the impact of the lingering homeless crisis on their residential tenants and their retail businesses.”
Finally! My staff, Jimmy Radosta in particular, worked with the City bureau to finally get this done and waive fees. Thanks to Linda Witt and other Pearl District neighbors for keeping up the pressure.
The alcove decisions have been made by public officials who can be described as "the anointed". These individuals are endowed with "wisdom" and "generosity" they claim are fair and just. The anointed suffer no consequences for the societal failure that follows. (For me, these acts are described by the economic philosophies of Thomas Sowell, a great historic observer of human behavior.)