Monday, November 24, 2008

Nothing to see at NE 47th & Sumner


View Larger Map

This, believe it or not, is yet another ultra-obscure city park, this time on NE Sumner St. one house in from the corner with 47th Avenue. It looks exactly like an empty vacant lot. I suppose it actually is an empty vacant lot, just one where the grass is occasionally mowed with your tax dollars. The place does show up on the city's Park Services Zone Map, and you can find it on both PortlandMaps and Metro's GIS system if you really care to. But beyond that, there's no info about it anywhere on the interwebs, not that I've been able to find.

ne sumner & 47th

So I really don't know what the rationale is behind the place. The only thing I can figure is that they're hanging on to it for possible future expansion, either when ever-scarce park funds become available, or when the adjoining properties go on the market, or a well-connected developer puts up a condo tower across the street. If any of that ever happens, and they do something truly fabulous with this place, you can look at the photos here as the "before", and be astonished.

I like to think I'm performing a valuable public service here, but it's a real stretch sometimes.

Updated 12-27-22: In 2011 this lot was transformed into the Sumner St. Community Garden, which to me counts as doing something truly fabulous with the place. So yes, these really are the "before" photos.

ne sumner & 47th

No comments :