​Welcome Neighbors!

Welcome to Sullivan’s Gulch. We're the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association (SGNA).  We plan activities and events, such as block parties and trash clean ups.  We support neighborhood businesses and also comment on government policies that affect “the Gulch”.  

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Upcoming SGNA Activities

SGNA November Board Meeting
Monday, November 20,  7:00 pm - Zoom only
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6370592691?pwd=UTg4YWRoOWVrS3E5VFNHemZobGdXQT09

Meeting ID: 637 059 2691
Passcode: 198923


Annual City Leaf Pickup
Friday,  December 1st,  6 am-3 pm
NO ON STREET PARKING
Your car WILL be towed.  No excuses.
More info here.

Sullivan's Gulch Mural
Looking for a New Home 

The Sullivan's Gulch mural, which used to be on the back wall of the Broadway Grill on 17th needs a new home.

The mural,  painted almost 20 years ago by PHAME  Academy students at Grace Episcopal Church, honors the the gulch in it's natural state, with a water fall and wildlife, as well as the native heritage of the area.

It's painted on six 4x8 panels (16' w X 12' h).

Ideas for a new home to display it area welcome - even better if you make the initial inquiry.  Contact us using the Sign Up For Gulchnet link below.

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Annual ​SGNA Yard Sale
​Was Fun for All 

July 8, 2023 was a sunny Saturday as many Gulchers cleaned out their closets, basements and garages at the annual SGNA Yard Sale. This year over 30 homes participated thanks to the helpful map prepared by so Susan Bickerstaff.  See it here.
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Gulch O Rama

Our annual neighborhood block party returned on September 10, 2022 after several years of a Covid time out. It was an alley party this year, simplifying the planning and execution.  Thanks for the organizing done by Esther Saulle-Simek and Marisa Perez and volunteers Sara Osheroff, Donald Issacson, Betse Thielman, Lynne Coward.  

As these pictures, taken by Keith Iding, attest a good time was had by all, and by those of all ages.

Crime in Sullivan's Gulch 

 Here's a summary of police crime statistics for Sullivan's Gulch as of June, 2022.

You can easily search other neighborhoods and time periods on the Police Bureau website. Select the neighborhood you want from the map or search box and then narrow the time frame if you want.  There's a short description of what each category of offense is if you hover your cursor over the numeric total for that item.

1903 Panoramic Photo
of Northeast Portland

The panoramic photograph above is of NE Portland in 1903.  It was taken just before the Sullivan's Gulch and Irvington were developed.  The view is east-northeast.    It's part of a bigger panorama of Portland taken by courtesy of local historian Doug Decker.

First a little orientation: 
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• Point 1 is Rocky Butte
• Point 2 is on the Alameda Ridge, with just a few structures on it — probably farms
• Point 3. This open area is farm land that was on a trajectory to be part of the broader Irvinginton development, but not yet subdivided on the ground. Doug Decker says,  it's bordered by today’s NE Thompson-Fremont between 7th and 15th.  This may have been used by the Multnomah Fair Association for various activities.

A higher resolution version of the image, without the circles, can be found here.  Smaller images of the full panorama are here.

Big Changes Ahead for
​Lloyd Center Redevelopment

​In October, Urban Renaissance Group, who is part of the Lloyd Center ownership group, presented an overview of a conceptual master plan for the 29.3 acre property to the Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association board of directors. The owners are in a preliminary feedback phase with the City of Portland’s Design Commission and expect to file a land-use request in the next few months.
 
The master plan will lay out an overall framework for the property, including transportation corridors and open space. A prominent element of the proposed plan is development of approximately five blocks of publicly accessible open space. Once the city approves a master plan, likely in late 2024, the process of planning and developing individual parcels will begin. While specific uses will not be determined for some time, the Lloyd Center team has committed to maintaining an ice rink on the property. 

The redevelopment is likely to take several years and will occur in phases. Importantly, the Lloyd Center shopping mall will remain open for the foreseeable future. 
 
There will be several opportunities for the community to comment during the land-use process.  Sullivan’s Gulch neighbors can sign up for updates by emailing futurelloyd@lloydcenter.com. 
 
News about the Lloyd Center is available at www.lloydcenter.com, and information about the redevelopment project will be posted at www.lloydcenter.com/future-vision/.

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SGNA Annual Meeting --
Speakers & Board Elections

On Oct 16th, the SGNA held the Fall General Membership meeting. This is the time we update everyone about issues affecting the Gulch and elect new Board members.

We hosted 2 guest speakers: Marta Hanson explained how the new districts and voting will be held starting next Fall.  Marta was co-chair of the Independent District Commission in 2022. Our second speakers from Urban Renaissance Group spoke on that company's plan for redeveloping Lloyd Center 

Finally, we are grateful that two neighbors volunteered to join the board as new members. See the full list of board members here: Board Members - ​​​Sullivan’s Gulch Neighborhood Association (sullivansgulch.org)

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Summer Play Streets
​Was Fun for All

In 2023, neighbors hosted 3 Summer Play Streets events to close off streets for play.

​Want Play Streets to return in 2024?  Use the form to reach out and get involved.

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Lots of Stuff Changed Hands
During the Annual Yard Sale

July 8, 2023 yard sales were great fun. Over 30 neighborhood locations joined small and large offerings in the Gulch. A  by-donation book table brought in help for Central City Concern, kids sold lemonade and one treat tablewas fund raising for their eighth grade D.C. trip. An entire blanket of stuffed toys invited play. QR codes to a map and address list proved helpful to shoppers. 

​A huge thanks goes to Secretary Susan Bickerstaff for setting it all up when she wasn't even in town for the event.  Thanks to all who helped make this a great day to be together. 
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We Really Cleaned Up
at the Spring Clean Up!

It took 13 rugged volunteers to fill a 20 yard dumpster to hold all the trash collected during SGNA's annual Earth Day clean up, April 22nd.

​Thanks for the volunteers + coordinators Michael Brown (pictured) and Dan Lerch-Walters for another successful event. And special thanks to Lloyd Center for allowing us to use their dumpster.

​Be on the lookout for another clean up this fall.

See Gulch History
in Pictures & Maps

In case you missed the excellent History of Sullivan's Gulch at the recent General Membership meeting here's the link.

The hour-long presentation, by neighborhood historian Doug Decker, used pictures and maps to show the early days of Sullivan’s Gulch - both the neighborhood and and place itself.

Doug has now written up the information for a 4 part series on his website AlamedaHistory.org.  He's included some new information and the old photographs and maps are available in higher resolution than on the video.  

Sullivan’s Gulch: A look back in four parts
(+ bonus)
Chapter 1: Homesteads and railroads
Chapter 2: Manufacturing comes to the Gulch
Chapter 3: Old Lloyd Golf Course + Shantytown
Chapter 4: The highway nobody wanted (coming)
Bonus: What’s a Gulch and where is it exactly?

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A North-South Bus on 20th-21ST?
​MAYBE  SOME DAY...

Trimet provides really good transit service to Sullivan’s Gulch.  It’s easy to get downtown, NW Portland, Hollywood and beyond. And we’ve got several lines that go north to Alberta, Woodlawn Concordia, as well as along 11th & 12th to Sellwood.

One area that’s hard to get to on public transportation is due south on 21st/20th Ave.  Imagine being able to take a bus to Revolution Hall, get to Cleveland High School (the neighborhood high school for Gulch students) without changing, eat at Castagna on Hawthorne or even go to a concert (or class) at Reed College?  That’s the possibility sketched out by Trimet — a new north-south bus line on 20th-21st — Line Y.

• North from the Gulch Line Y would travel on NE 21st and then up 24th-27th (in place of the existing #17, which would be re-routed to 33rd) all the way to Concordia College.
• South from the Gulch Line Y travels on 20th, jogs over to 26th past Cleveland High School, then past Reed College, swing thru Eastmoreland and on Bybee to 13th in Sellwood.  In the concept maps (below) the #70 would end in Lloyd District (as it used to).

 The proposed route is shown on the maps below.  Note that Line Y is shown as an orange line in the NE map and a light blue line in the SE map.  The route is easier to see in Trimet's long range Service Enhancement plan (click on North/Central and Southeast to see the maps in detail.  (Text continues below.)

Last year SGNA Land Use Chair, DJ Heffernan, and I met with the head of Trimet Service Planning to learn more about what it would take to make Line Y a reality.  We were told that even with all the expansion and improvements that Trimet is currently implementing it appears promising that Line Y could happen in the 5+ year time frame.  But we were cautioned that there are some competing interests for the estimated $4 million it would take to operate Line Y.  This includes the possible conversion to electric buses or making all of Trimet free!  Since Trimet is a public agency they have an open process in setting the priorities each year.  It’s guided by a Citizens Advisory Committee and, ultimately, the Trimet Board of Directors.

Given COVID-19, Trimet will certainly put this kind of service enhancement on hold, probably for several years.  If you think it’s a good idea and would like to spend time trying to move this forward, we need help contacting neighborhood associations along the route to alert them to the possibility of N-S bus service on 20th-21st and work together to rally support to move it up Trimet's priority list for future investments.  But it’s going to take regular attendance at the Citizens Advisory Committee and later Board meeting to move the project along.  We’ll post new information as we get it.  If you want to help out, get in touch with Dave or DJ directly or via the Contact box on this page.   

Source of information and maps 
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North/NE
https://trimet.org/future/northcentral.htm
https://trimet.org/future/pdf/north-central-final-map.pdf

SE
https://trimet.org/future/southeast.htm
https://trimet.org/future/pdf/southeast-final-report-map.pdf

Current bus routes map
https://trimet.org/maps/img/trimetsystem.png

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