View Single Post
  #467  
Old Posted Oct 6, 2012, 1:20 AM
MarkDaMan's Avatar
MarkDaMan MarkDaMan is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Portland
Posts: 7,508
Mayor Sam Adams kills Oregon Sustainability Center project
Published: Friday, October 05, 2012, 3:25 PM Updated: Friday, October 05, 2012, 5:25 PM
By Beth Slovic, The Oregonian

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i..._oregon_s.html

Quote:
In the end, it came down to simple math.

Friday, Mayor Sam Adams announced he was pulling the plug on his controversial Oregon Sustainability Center proposal, saying he didn't have the votes to land a deal.

"We won't be moving forward," Adams wrote in a press release.

The decision is a clear sign Adams' power is waning as his tenure comes to a close. He leaves office at the end of December after electing not to run for a second term.

For years, Adams was the ultra-green building's biggest champion. But the project hit many roadblocks. Earlier this year, for example, the Oregon Legislature blocked state bonds for the project, yanking a significant portion of its funding.

In response, Adams tried to retool the project -- shrinking its footprint and filling the funding gap with city money. Then, just last month, a private company stepped forward as a potential part-owner. Interface Engineering, however, wanted to move quickly. Meanwhile, Commissioner Nick Fish said publicly that any decision should be put off until the new mayor takes office.

In his press release, Adams said planning for the building helped several local companies hone their expertise. "Just the planning process of the OSC has created new opportunities for the city, the country and the world," he wrote.
__________________
make paradise, tear up a parking lot
Reply With Quote