Appoint members to the Development Review Advisory Committee for terms to expire May 11, 2024

As Mayor and Commissioner of Finance & Administration, I request Council confirmation of the following appointments to the Development Review Advisory Committee. Appointment Membership Category 1st Full Term Bobby Daniels (replacing Jennifer Marsicek) Design Professionals May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Libby Deal (replacing Claire Carder) Neighborhood Coalition Land Use Committees May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Steffeni Gray (replacing Alex Boetzel) Environmental Conservation & Green Building May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 William (Steve) Lee (vacant position) Land Use Planning Professionals May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Samuel Miller (vacant position) Small Businesses May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Eric Paine (vacant position) Low-Income Housing Developers May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Maurice Rahming (vacant position) Minority Construction Contractors & Development Professionals May 12, 2021 - May 11, 2024 Bobby Daniels is a Project Manager at Wenaha Group with more than 20 years of experience in design and construction. Bobby develops affordable housing and other projects for Native American communities. Libby Deal is a Board Member and Land Use Chair for the King Neighborhood Association. Libby is passionate about civic engagement and wants to enable others to become more involved in their communities. Steffeni Gray h as an a rchitecture degree and an interest in the interface between the natural and built environments. Steffeni is the Vice President of Operations for All Hands Raised, worked previously at the Association for Portland Progress, and is a board member at the Urban Greenspaces Institute. William (Steve) Lee has a master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning and extensive experience as a mediator and policy advisor. Lee is currently the Affirmative Action Manager for Oregon Governor Kate Brown. Samuel Miller has owned small businesses and is on the Board of Directors for the N/NE Business Association, working with Prosper Portland to assist the BIPOC community. Eric Paine is the CEO and co-founder of Community Development Partners, working with BIPOC groups to develop affordable housing communities. Maurice Rahming is the President of O’Neill Construction Group and mentors women and minorities in the construction industry. Rahming is a member of the National Association of Minority Contractors Hall of Fame. Statement from Bobby Daniels: The DRAC represents an opportunity for meaningful change for the City. My interest goes beyond cursory involvement with this committee, but I truly feel it is my responsibility as a lifelong African American resident of the City of Portland with a 20+ year career invested in design and construction, to provide an underrepresented perspective. I have been privy to some of the inner workings of the Bureau of Developmental Services and I am personally aware of the many challenges faced by professionals and owners attempting to navigate what can be an extremely frustrating system. I intend to be vocal in finding holistic, collaborative solutions that hold both sides, City and Developers, accountable. It's an honor to be selected and to serve. Statement from Libby Deal: As a third generation Portlander, I have a deep connection to and strong love for the city. I have been lucky to live and work in different parts of the city and have witnessed its continued metamorphosis. NE Portland has been home for the last five years, and my family loves the diversity and the resilient spirit of our neighborhood. We are newcomers to NE, but have gotten to know our neighbors well and cherish the sense of community. Through this community, I became active in the King Neighborhood Association and then the NE Coalition Land Use and Transportation Committee. I initially was surprised by my own interest in land use issues because I am an RN with a public health and international development background, not a professional in the building or land use industry. Though my father was a homebuilder, I didn’t know much about land use or urban development. My nursing work in one of the downtown hospitals and my neighborhood involvement opened my eyes to the powerful impact the built environment has on the health and wellbeing of the community. I have learned more about land use through engagement with local and state government, and have educated myself about the economics, policy, politics, and history (including Oregon’s racist housing policies that even affected my own ancestors). I’m motivated to get further involved because as a citizen, nurse, and mother I am troubled by the houselessness and the displacement of minority and low-income families in Portland. I want to see Portland implement smart policies and regulations that emphasize built environments where diverse communities and families can thrive. Statement from Steffeni Gray: The Bureau of Development Services (BDS) provides a critical function for Portland citizens including providing oversight for the implementation of building and development regulations. The Development Review Advisory Committee (DRAC) plays a vital citizen engagement and accountability role by advising BDS on their budget and the impact that development regulations and policies have on all Portland residents. From my experience on the Portland Parks Board, I have seen the value of having citizen volunteers bring their respective experiences and insights to advise a City bureau on their policies, regulations, and budget. I am interested in serving on the DRAC for several reasons. First and foremost, I believe I can bring a filter of equitable development to the process. Equitable development is one area where government can begin thinking of how to make structural changes to address the history of inequities by implementing development regulations and policies that meet the needs of all Portland residents; not just a few residents who have access to the development/regulatory decisionmakers. I want to use my lived experience as a self-identified Chicana/Native person to ensure that decisions always consider those who have traditionally been left out of this process. I believe in and practice inclusive community engagement. The DRAC provides an opportunity to ensure that there are diverse community voices advising on the implementation of development regulations and policies. I welcome hearing from others serving on DRAC to listen and learn about all community perspectives related to development regulations and policies and welcome volunteering my time to help make Portland a great city for all residents. As an architect by training, the intersectionality between the built environment and nature is a passion of mine. Urban design considers how the design will shape the community’s physical and aesthetic environment and the integration of nature into all aspects of urban design is an essential element in ensuring environmental conservation and reducing the carbon footprint by developing green buildings. I look forward to bringing this filter to the DRAC decision-making process. Statement from William (Steve) Lee: Planning school taught me the power of land use planning and zoning to shape the health, well-being, and prosperity of a race, community, or jurisdiction. They are also rooted in racial inequity and social injustice. It is not by accident, but zoning that Portland is a city full of racially and economically exclusive enclaves. Zoning and development policies and building codes profoundly impact housing choice, availability, segregation, and affordability. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, land use and zoning policies can perpetuate racial and economic segregation and generational wealth disparities. How can development review eliminate housing disparities? City codes and regulations are confusing and navigating the city bureaucracy is expensive and time-consuming. It is difficult to demolish or build most things. Where is the customer bill of rights in the development review process? The city's retail sector is in flux. Before the pandemic, rents for big and small were climbing. During the pandemic, retail revenues fell while our city has lost much of its vibrancy and many of the retail options. How does development review reflect a commitment to community revitalization? A strong development review process can address these and other issues and help the city to achieve the highest and best use of its built environment. I believe in service. From transportation to comprehensive planning, public contracting to environmental cleanup, and workforce development to animal control I have built an entire career on making cities work better for all people. I am a renter on the Central Eastside and travel through all of the city's "quadrants" on all transportation modes, except for scooters and skateboards. I shop in neighborhoods, play with my dog in our parks, and support our cultural institutions in every way possible. My lived experience is as an African American whose grandparents were displaced from their home to make room for the Memorial Coliseum and parents who helped me live, work, learn, and stay safe in a place where very few people look like me. I know Portland. I know Portlanders are resourceful problem solvers. As a member of the Development Review Advisory Committee, I offer my skills and experience to the city. Statement from Samuel Miller: Working in the BIPOC community for many years now it is incumbent of me that I prepare myself to assist in ALL aspects of governance surrounding economic development in our city. For far too long this community has had no clear representation in many areas and I feel that moving forward we (civic leadership) needs to engage in these rooms...for several reasons: Education is essential in the BIPOC community as we navigate through these “waters” that have separated our community from equal opportunity in development and infrastructure. The process for acquiring approval with development has been long and arduous and very costly for everyone interested in development and streamlining these processes will serve everyone involved. In development timely solutions result in dollars saved and that means cost will be greatly reduced and projects will be more expeditiously completed. This serves builders, users, community, and city interests as well. The Soul District Business Association has assisted minority developers walk through the process of trying to become a part of the developmental infrastructure in Portland for many years and have struggled with solutions in part because of the opaque nature of these solutions and, because of the lack of education within that population. Working with this group of professionals in this industry will help our community group with our long term mission which is to allow people within the interstate boundaries of N/NE Portland to be able to become more educated and capable of competing for these commercial opportunities. We are emerging from a series of racially charged incidents in our country and understanding that social justice is fleeting unless it’s followed by economic justice. I am looking forward to the conversation that has inclusion for all Portlanders regardless of their color or racial identity. Not rhetoric but practice. Statement from Eric Paine: I am interested in contributing my insight and experience to DRAC in order to help improve the City's systems for reviewing and ultimately permitting development projects. As a mission driven affordable housing organization that is dedicated to creating and operating affordable housing that serves our low income families and having a focus on working with BIPOC led organizations and their constituents we want to do everything within our power to deliver the critically needed housing as efficiently as possible. Many of our residents lack stability and every unnecessary delay in the development process is another day that they may be living in conditions that are not conducive to a high quality of life. When the development review and permitting process takes months longer than it could or ought to, we're delaying the delivery of these housing units. We're hopeful that by bringing our experience and lens to the table at DRAC we can help make a positive impact. Statement from Maurice Rahming: I am interested in working on this committee. As a BIPOC small business owner for 23 years in the construction arena, we are frequently affected by development decisions. I understand the barriers and challenges small businesses go through intersecting with development review. I look forward to collaborating with the committee to come up with a solution-based approach to increase utilization of BIPOC small businesses.