As of July 1st we say good-buy, and a giant THANK YOU to our local Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) Southeast District Liaison, Marty Stockton! Starting in 2006 as a planner for the City of Portland at the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) and then in 2009 at BPS, she built relationships with community members all over the city before finally settling into her role in Southeast. As the Southeast District Liaison for the last five and a half years, Marty has truly exceeded her commitment to “…work with Southeast Portland communities to navigate both the preservation and redevelopment efforts in the process of creating vibrant neighborhoods.” She has served as a technical advisor and resource to Southeast Portland neighbors, organizations, businesses, institutions, and SE Uplift for the last five and a half years. She has helped us all navigate the 2035 Comprehensive Planning process and everything that has come after it – which, as most of our Land Use volunteers will attest to, has been a lot!
Her commitment to the SE Uplift Coalition, neighborhoods, communities, and individuals runs deep and will remain strong even as she transitions into her new role as the Transportation Planning Coordinator. She will remain in the BPS, but her position is funded through the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), with the intent to improve communication and integration between land use and transportation. However, all is not lost, potential projects we all might see Marty working on in the next year or so include additional work on corridors (e.g., 82nd Avenue, Division, etc.), parking management policy, local area plans, and even electric car charging station code updates. Until then thank you Marty and you will be missed.
See additional testimonials and well wished from community members below.
Testimonial from Brentwood-Darlington Board Member and Land Use Volunteer: “From the day Marty Stockton became BPS’s Liaison for Southeast Portland, she never stopped fighting for the welfare of our great neighborhood, Brentwood-Darlington. Marty was the mentor, driver, and guiding light for “Brentwood-Darlington: Say Our Name!” — a neighborhood assessment and action plan prepared in 2017 by graduate students in PSU’s Urban & Regional Planning (MURP) program.
After the City of Portland declined to adopt the “Say Our Name!” plan, Marty collaborated with PBOT to apply for a Transportation & Growth Management (TGM) grant to carry out a new round of comprehensive planning in the Brentwood-Darlington, Mt. Scott-Arleta, and West Lents area. If the Department of Land Conservation & Development awards the TGM grant, Marty would likely be the project manager. The goal? Adoption by the City of Portland as a land use and transportation plan.
When tirelessly working on the “82nd Avenue Study: Understanding Barriers to Development,” Marty abandoned her car and walked 82nd Avenue on foot. In support of Brentwood-Darlington, she explored the southern reaches of 82nd Avenue down to the last mobile-home park and proposed zoning changes (now formally adopted) that allow for new, beneficial development along our eastern boundary.
Marty has always been available to answer questions, explain arcane regulations, offer suggestions, provide encouragement and support. Thank you, Marty, for every conversation and every email. We are excited for you in your new role, and we are so grateful that you’ll still be in our world.”
Testimonial from SE Uplift staff: Marty has supported SE Uplift and me over the last 3 years in my role as Neighborhood Planning Program Manager. She has been a connecter of people and professionals, a resource for land use information and complex questions, and a brainstormer of ideas and topics for our LUTC meetings. What I admire most about Marty is her deep commitment to the community as well as her innate ability to distill and communicate complex information in a way that is clear and understandable. She has a deep knowledge of the Southeast area and is very intentional and thoughtful in what and how she shares information with the community – never pushing an agenda or brushing over concerns and questions. I will miss working with her and wish her the best in her new role.
Testimonial from South Tabor Board Member and Land Use Volunteer: “Last year, late in our neighborhood association’s appeal of a land use decision I came across a couple sections of the zoning code that appeared to conflict. I had no idea whether this was trivial or a big deal, but I trusted that Marty would help me make sense of it. She got back to me right away, brought in a colleague, and gave the advice I needed in time to meet a tight public comment deadline.
Whether a land use appeal or the Code Reconciliation Project or the 82nd Avenue Study — any time her work affected South Tabor, Marty offered a heads up, answered our calls, showed up at meetings, and gave our questions and concerns her full attention. I’m going to miss her as our liaison, but happy for her new role!”
Testimonial from Long-Standing Neighborhood Advocate: “Marty was a regular presence at SEUL LU meetings, always with a printed list of all current city projects. She also came to neighborhood meetings, with the same thoroughness and helpful answers. Marty was invaluable during the Comprehensive Plan process, keeping SEUL Land Use as well as SE neighborhoods informed about all the ongoing processes, projects, and initiatives of the Plan. She spent a lot of time, including one-on-one meetings, explaining things like the Code Reconciliation project, the Map Refinement project, and the Central City Plan. Marty knows all of SE Portland, and the locations of each zone, and in many case the buildings, and what was in play in each of these proposals, and how to testify before Planning and Sustainability Commission as well as City Council. Marty made up custom maps for each audience: A Southeast area Refinement Project map for SEUL LU, a Richmond only map for an RNA meeting. She was thorough to a fault, mentioning each and every proposed change, to fairly describe the process to her audience. Marty patiently explained projects to each resident who asked a question, and answered any and all questions, even when questions were in fact comments. Marty will be missed by me, for the depth of knowledge of the city and of Southeast Portland, and knowledge of each and every project the city might be planning, and the past projects as well.”