To the Editor:

I love Portland and am proud to call it my home. One of the things I love most about our city is its neighborhoods. They are interesting, unique and present diverse housing and living opportunities for all Portlanders. I have always felt that our neighborhoods are what make Portland, Portland.

I am fortunate to have lived in Eastmoreland for 40 years. I love the tree-lined streets, I love the charm of its older homes, I love our parks and schools, and above all, I love my neighbors. The rancor that has festered in Eastmoreland since the proposal to become a Historic District has been very distressing to me and many of my neighbors. There has been misinformation presented that creates a no-win situation for everyone involved.

I recently gathered with a few of my neighbors that share my concerns, and we decided to form our own grassroots group in support of Eastmoreland’s application to become a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. We don’t want to tell our neighbors what they can and can’t do to their homes. We don’t want them to incur more costs to make the changes they desire to their residence. But, we feel the City of Portland has pushed us to a point where we have no other options. We don’t trust the City and residential developers to be in charge of creating the direction that we and future homeowners will have to live with forever.

The name of our group is HEART. It stands for Historic Eastmoreland Achieving Results Together. We are being extremely thoughtful about our purpose, how we present ourselves, and what we wish to accomplish. We have no affiliation with, nor are we sanctioned by the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Association Board. We do not want to do battle with our fellow neighbors, we simply want to share ACCURATE information regarding Historic District designation with Eastmoreland residents.

Mission Statement: To work with neighbors to preserve and protect the historic character of Eastmoreland today and for future generations.

Statement of Purpose: Established in 1909, Eastmoreland is one of Portland’s oldest residential neighborhoods. It is filled with historic homes and beautiful tree-lined streets. The neighborhood is family oriented with two elementary schools, parks, and single-family residences.

We are an independent group of neighbors that want to take part in shaping the future of our neighborhood. We have no affiliation and are not sanctioned by the ENA Board. We want to foster unity and are deeply committed to informing and representing our neighbors that support the proposed Historic District fairly and accurately. We believe that a low-density, single-family neighborhood is important and essential to the quality of life for residents of Eastmoreland today and in the future.

For over five years, neighborhood activists have attempted to work with City of Portland staff to propose local zoning and building guidelines that would protect our neighborhood from demolition and lot splitting, only to be denied. The only tool that is left to neighbors for the legal protection of the features that historically define our neighborhood is a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

We are pleased to introduce ourselves to the community and hope many of you who support a Historic District for Eastmoreland will choose to join us.

Please “Like” and “Follow” our Facebook Page and join our Facebook Group

Respectfully submitted, Beth Warner Eastmoreland Neighbor