Video potent in home lot size debate

The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland and several of its builders carried no high hopes into the June 18 hearing before the Portland City Council.They were going up against a potentially damaging proposal to increase the minimum size allowed for home lots.And the HBAMP had gone some...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Daily journal of commerce (Portland, Or. : 1987) Or. : 1987), 2003-08, p.1
Main Author: Hughey, Ray
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Augustine, Chris
Cities
Councils
Homeowners
Kovatch, Ty
Leonard, Randy
Neighborhoods
Ross, Kelly
Site planning
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland and several of its builders carried no high hopes into the June 18 hearing before the Portland City Council.They were going up against a potentially damaging proposal to increase the minimum size allowed for home lots.And the HBAMP had gone some time without winning an issue this important before City Council, let alone one carrying the unanimous approval of the City Planning Commission.What hopes they did harbor were wrapped up in a 10- minute video presentation prepared for the hearing. The video shown near the end of the four-hour hearing proved an effective tool.It contained no mind-numbing charts, graphs and statistics to support their case. Instead, it simply showed proud new homeowners talking about their new homes.Its simple eloquence made the case. The City Council voted 3-2 to leave minimum lot sizes as they were.The HBAMP credits much of that success to the effectiveness of the video, which City Commissioner Randy Leonard called "compelling.""We were surprised that we got the vote," said Kelly Ross, HBAMP vice president for government affairs. "We were very worried going in. (The video) did exactly what we wanted. It showed people excited about the houses they were in."The minimum lot size had become an emotional issue in several older Portland neighborhoods.
ISSN:0896-8012