Why The LNA Must Be Stronger Than Ever

This is the original unedited article I wrote for the January 2024 Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association (LNA) newsletter in Portland, OR. The editor removed much of its substance for the final publication and print, so I asked that my altered work not be published. The first time I posted about Multnomah gerrymandering on LinkedIn, it received over 12,400 views. I am the current At-Large Representative of the LNA Board of Directors. - Ru Budhi

A walk through Laurelhurst provides a snapshot of how the rising American middle class must have lived in the early 20th century. Straddling the NE and SE boundaries of Portland, with a 27- acre city park in its SW corner, most of the homes in this charming neighborhood are sized to accommodate an average family, with room in the driveway for a vehicle or two. Seven of the eight original sandstone Welcome Arches still demarcate part of the leafy community’s borders, and they were designed with no gates perhaps to say that this urban greenspace of unique homes is for everyone to enjoy. While early advertisements emphasized the “high class residence park,” residents today are prouder of the area’s egalitarian vision of the community. Whether tenant or homeowner, all residents are automatically members of the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association (LNA) and are welcome to serve on the board. And as we the people continue to strive for a more perfect union, Laurelhurst too continues to evolve. To slow some potential negative aspects of rapid growth, in March of 2019, the National Parks Service listed Laurelhurst in the National Register of Historic Places. A goal of this designation is preventing developers from demolishing distinctive smaller homes and replacing them with larger architecturally ambiguous infills marketed to the upper middle-class, and to a smaller extent, to multifamily investors. Today, the LNA seeks to preserve livability and safety by hosting platforms for civic involvement, participating in charitable fundraisers, and sponsoring fun programs such as picnics, holiday parties, and other events for those interested. The LNA remains vigilant in preserving the positive aspects of Laurelhurst, and because the recent redistricting of Multnomah County may pose a threat to the neighborhood’s charm and character, the LNA must become stronger than ever.

In August 2023, the Independent District Commission unanimously adopted a plan that groups Laurelhurst into District 3, the smallest but most populous of the 4 new city districts. Dividing the community further, the neighborhood is split into two voter precincts: homes west of Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. are in voter precinct 4207 in Congressional District 1, while those on the east are in precinct 4208 in Congressional District 3. Congressional districts should not be confused with the 4 newly created city districts. The New York Times wrote in October 2023 that “Republicans have been more successful than Democrats since 2010 at gerrymandering congressional districts to their advantage.” In Portland, where Democrats rule, progressive voters are more successful than moderate ones at gerrymandering to their advantage. Last June, the districting commission released three potential 4-district maps titled Alder, Cedar, and Maple. The Maple map groups Laurelhurst with Eastmoreland, which are enclaves with similar voting demographics in terms of median household income, and because both lack significant inventory of market rate multifamily units. Eastmoreland, for instance, only has 3 properties with 19 total units and zero units being constructed according to CoStar, an analytics company. Likewise, Laurelhurst only has one multifamily property with 18 units, and none being constructed. Both neighborhoods are surrounded by communities with more prevalent multifamily housing. Since the districting commission ultimately chose a modified version of the Alder map last August, Eastmoreland will not be grouped with Laurelhurst but rather with sections west of the Willamette River into District 4. This leaves Laurelhurst as the lone community of almost no multifamily housing among the 19 neighborhoods that comprise District 3. A Washington Post study published in October 2018 revealed that renters are more liberal than homeowners, so Laurelhurst’s more moderate interests may be at risk under the new district map.

Analyzing District 3 multifamily properties that contain at least 5 units, we see that Laurelhurst has the fewest number of apartment units, with none to be added likely because of the neighborhood’s expensive land and new historical designation. In contrast, bordering Kerns, Sunnyside, Mt. Tabor and North Tabor may seem like Laurelhurst in terms of home types and values, but these areas are more populated by tenants. Even Kerns, which is often seen as an extension of the neighborhood because it contains the famous Laurelhurst Theatre, has 131 properties with a total of 3,168 units, and 490 additional units under construction. Sunnyside has 115 proper5es with a total of 1,576 units, North Tabor has 65 properties with 1,150 units, while Mt. Tabor has 58 properties with 971 units. Other similar looking but nonadjacent neighborhoods are Hosford-Abernethy with 73 properties and 930 units, and Richmond with 96 properties and 2,024 units, plus 8 more units awaiting delivery. Of the neighborhoods resembling Laurelhurst, Buckman has the greatest number of properties at 254, with a current total of 4,847 units and 435 more on the way. Less like Laurelhurst are Creston-Kenilworth with 122 properties and a total of 1932 units plus 206 more under construction, Montavilla with 89 properties and 1,190 units, Madison South with 25 properties and 985 units, Brooklyn with 60 properties and 927 units plus 121 more being built, and Rose City Park with 45 properties containing a total of 793 units. Among the most dissimilar neighborhoods are South Tabor with 39 properties and 655 units, Mt. Scott-Arleta with 32 units and 472 units, Brentwood-Darlington with 34 properties and 471 units, Woodstock with 25 properties and 372 units plus 194 under construction, Foster-Powell with 42 properties and 325 units, and finally Roseway with 14 properties and a total of 145 units. Politically, Laurelhurst is an island of moderates in a sea of more liberal voters.

The 3 new commissioners of District 3 arising from the 2024 election will represent 167,642 voters, 4,878 of whom live in Laurelhurst according to the 2020 census (approximately 3% of District 3 voters). There are 22,974 total apartment units in District 3, with almost 100% of them outside the neighborhood, showing that Laurelhurst continues to enjoy the greatest individual neighborhood percentage of single-family houses in District 3. Even without factoring in low- income units such as those of the Anna Mann House and the upcoming Hollywood HUB Housing, one can expect District 3 voters to reject the anti-infill protection of Laurelhurst’s 2019 historic designation. Whether one favors this change or not is a subject of a different debate. This article only seeks to say that the 2019 national historic designation can only preserve the early 20th century characteristics of the neighborhood if neighbors continue to want it, since tenant advocates will likely control District 3 in 2024. The LNA, therefore, must position itself to be more politically aware if it wants to preserve the livability and safety of the neighborhood for the next century.