Here is the letter I sent to the Mayor of Portland:

Dear Mayor Potter,

The City of Milwaukie, after hearing from many residents from Milwaukie and Portland, has several concerns regarding the proposed construction of a Wal-Mart store at Southeast Tacoma Street and McLoughlin Boulevard. The facility would be built on the border between our two cities adjacent to neighborhoods and streets we hold in common. This particular site has been identified as a future light rail station and park and ride to serve the transit needs of both our cities. We have all invested time and money in working with our citizens to gain local support for these transit projects. In addition, we have been studying and planning for the expansion of industrial uses in the area adjacent to the proposed Wal-Mart site. These plans will be jeopardized by this proposed project.

The City of Milwaukie has been working very hard to rebuild its downtown and protect and enhance our taxpayer investments in this community. As part of revitilization efforts in our city, we are researching the opportunities of attracting a full-service grocery store in our downtown along with mixed commercial, small business and residential developments. A Wal-Mart superstore sited just a mile from our downtown at Tacoma Street and McLoughlin Boulevard will have serious consequences toward those efforts. If businesses must compete with Wal-Mart, they'll choose to locate elsewhere.

The City of Portland and the City of Milwaukie have recently completed a collaborative multi-year and multi-million dollar reconstruction of Johnson Creek Boulevard. A significant portion of Wal-Mart shoppers would travel the Boulevard and other neighborhood streets adding to the already overburdened capacity of those residential roads. In particular, the Ardenwald and Sellwood Neighborhoods would experience first-hand the negative impacts of increased traffic volumes, diminished neighborhood livability, reduced property values, and displaced local businesses.

The City of Milwaukie is open for business, even big-box business, when they are remotely located from our downtown. Our goal for our City is to create a thriving and lively downtown core for our community through the establishment of smaller, locally owned and operated businesses.

Thank you, Mayor Potter, for your prompt attention to this matter. We are ready and willing to work with you to address this threat to neighborhood livability and small business development in our communities. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jim Bernard
Mayor