Corvallisness
Due to recent events, our way of life in Corvallis is going to shift. The changes may be virtually imperceptible or it may rock the town's essential nature. Either way, some of these changes are inevitable, some are deplorable, some likely won't matter to the majority of those who live here.
I personally will mourn two losses that our town is facing. The first is the demise of the Avalon Cinema, best li'l theater that ever was. It didn't even really get a chance to be a theater pub; it was sort of like turning 21 and finding out you already have liver cirrhosis.
I will admit my own culpability; I work evenings, and haven't made it to the Avalon (or Darkside) in quite a long while. But the cause is multifactorial. The town went from five movie screens to 21 in a rather short time and, sadly, people seem to actually prefer checking out the latest Adam Sandler movie in stadium seats with overpriced, chemically-flavored popcorn than watching Pan's Labyrinth with takeout.
The Avalon will have one last great fling with the public by showing Rocky Horror Picture Show on June 30th. I have to work, again. But I do plan on making more of an effort to patronize the Darkside, because I don't want it to suffer the same fate.
The other great loss will be the beautiful stretch of land between Witham Hill Drive and Harrison Boulevard. This popular hiking area will be developed in typical ugly fashion by Legend Homes. Just what Corvallis needs... 220 more overpriced McMansions on teeny lots, just as the vacancy rate starts climbing, yet affordable housing. Two acres of wetlands will be destroyed and the oak savannah warped into postage stamp sod lawns. What a shame.
Some good things are happening, as well. There has been a spate of new restaurants opening up. New ventures in existing buildings are always good. Food variety is also good. I haven't had the opportunity to try Cloud 9 yet, and the new Tokyo Grill won't be open for a while, but Baguettes Vietnamese Sandwiches is amazing. Two shrimp salad rolls for $3.95 with a delicious mint peanut sauce. *drool*
The flower baskets are up downtown and I've just learned that Pink Martini will be playing at Da Vinci Days this year. We've been waiting for them to come back and play a local venue in Portland or Eugene for under $50 per person, only to find out that we can see them for the $15 it costs for a weekend pass at the festival. Awesome! Of course, I'm also supposed to move that weekend, but I'll probably need the break from packing and cleaning by the time the show starts.
The farmers' market still kicks serious fanny. We're all hooked on cherries and snap peas at the moment.
And finally, for now, if you missed Crime Watch this week, it's rather priceless. That suspicious philospher? I live with him. He just graduated from OSU with an actual degree in philosophy and he really is working on a book. He finds it peaceful and relaxing to write in the woods. I find it absurd that the police felt it necessary to question him in a public area at 2:30 in the afternoon, simply for sitting in his car, but that's just one more thing about Corvallis that doesn't really change -- there's not enough for the poor police officers to do. But hey, suspicious philosopher is a fantastic designation for business cards and such.
I personally will mourn two losses that our town is facing. The first is the demise of the Avalon Cinema, best li'l theater that ever was. It didn't even really get a chance to be a theater pub; it was sort of like turning 21 and finding out you already have liver cirrhosis.
I will admit my own culpability; I work evenings, and haven't made it to the Avalon (or Darkside) in quite a long while. But the cause is multifactorial. The town went from five movie screens to 21 in a rather short time and, sadly, people seem to actually prefer checking out the latest Adam Sandler movie in stadium seats with overpriced, chemically-flavored popcorn than watching Pan's Labyrinth with takeout.
The Avalon will have one last great fling with the public by showing Rocky Horror Picture Show on June 30th. I have to work, again. But I do plan on making more of an effort to patronize the Darkside, because I don't want it to suffer the same fate.
The other great loss will be the beautiful stretch of land between Witham Hill Drive and Harrison Boulevard. This popular hiking area will be developed in typical ugly fashion by Legend Homes. Just what Corvallis needs... 220 more overpriced McMansions on teeny lots, just as the vacancy rate starts climbing, yet affordable housing. Two acres of wetlands will be destroyed and the oak savannah warped into postage stamp sod lawns. What a shame.
Some good things are happening, as well. There has been a spate of new restaurants opening up. New ventures in existing buildings are always good. Food variety is also good. I haven't had the opportunity to try Cloud 9 yet, and the new Tokyo Grill won't be open for a while, but Baguettes Vietnamese Sandwiches is amazing. Two shrimp salad rolls for $3.95 with a delicious mint peanut sauce. *drool*
The flower baskets are up downtown and I've just learned that Pink Martini will be playing at Da Vinci Days this year. We've been waiting for them to come back and play a local venue in Portland or Eugene for under $50 per person, only to find out that we can see them for the $15 it costs for a weekend pass at the festival. Awesome! Of course, I'm also supposed to move that weekend, but I'll probably need the break from packing and cleaning by the time the show starts.
The farmers' market still kicks serious fanny. We're all hooked on cherries and snap peas at the moment.
And finally, for now, if you missed Crime Watch this week, it's rather priceless. That suspicious philospher? I live with him. He just graduated from OSU with an actual degree in philosophy and he really is working on a book. He finds it peaceful and relaxing to write in the woods. I find it absurd that the police felt it necessary to question him in a public area at 2:30 in the afternoon, simply for sitting in his car, but that's just one more thing about Corvallis that doesn't really change -- there's not enough for the poor police officers to do. But hey, suspicious philosopher is a fantastic designation for business cards and such.
posted by Corvallist at
9:33 PM
13 Comments:
Were the cops responding to a complaint or were they just happening by and decided he deserved to be questioned?
I am so saddened by the housing development. I really don't understand it.
By
Anonymous, at 7:52 AM
Suspicious Philospher! That's going to make me smile all day.
I'm very unhappy about the Witham Hill Drive development. We lived in some apartments over there and it's a wonderful place for walks. I hate to see it torn up.
By
Anonymous, at 8:09 AM
Yes, those 2 losses are... a loss.
I spoke in favor of the appeal AGAINST the Legend Homes Sprawl Plan. I even interjected a jab at the Developers, just feet away (it was on TV). The appeal process, btw. is not done.
www.keepwithamwild.net
I too plan to step up my patronage to the Darkside- my problem is that I hate going to the movies. I like to be able to pause the film, rewind if necessary and eventually fall asleep with about a half hour remaining.
And Baguettes, what a great place! The owners seem really nice too.
What do you think about the chain store strip mall shooting up on 9th? Like we need a TJ MAxx, Fam. Footware and a Michaels.
One thing is for sure- the Corvallis City Council needs some fresh blood, some non-old-white-men who will rubber stamp all this development. Have you considered running?
Next July is the election. I am keeping my eyes open and seeking folks who care about our town and sustainability. We can talk about green living all we want but as long as stiff old honky business men interpret what that means, our town will suffer the consequences.
By
crallspace, at 8:21 AM
Anon, someone did call and report a "suspicious vehicle." So yeah, they had to check it out. But they found him with a pen and a notebook, not heroin and a syringe. The warrant check seemed over the top. ;)
Dan, I am actually in favor of the T J Maxx development on 9th Street. Not the particular stores themselves, but small businesses keep dying on 9th Street. I'd rather see the small local businesses keep the downtown thriving and keep the box stores and chains on 9th Street. It's filling in an ugly gap that would otherwise have probably seen a lot of turnover.
Thanks for the council suggestion. I've considered it for about 5 minutes before remembering that I don't have time to write blog posts, let alone serve the city properly. ;)
By
Corvallist, at 12:25 PM
The Avalon probably would have been okay if Paul hadn't added the Darkside, but then hindsite is 20/20. He may not have know about Carmike-from-hell coming to town.
By
Christopher Farrell, at 12:48 PM
I think they have a policy if running everyone they come into contact with. It's on of those CALEA standards if you ever go to a city council meeting you will know what I'm talking about.
Someone probably called because they thought this guy was acting weird. Corvallis people are like that. Police responded like they should to any call and found he was doing nothing wrong. Not sure why it made it into the Gazette-Times. The crime watch used to be entertaining to read when they reported everything. Now they only report on stupid things.
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Anonymous, at 3:07 PM
Witham Hill has been part of the long-term development plan for ages. Just what is it that people object to? Should the land owner be forced to maintain a de-facto park? If the city proposed buying up the land for park space, would a tax measure pass to pay for it?
The part that puzzles me most is that many of the people squawking loudest will also complain about the lack of affordable housing in Corvallis. Assuming that even minimal growth is bound to happen despite a mediocre local economy, how can Corvallans reject nearly every development proposal then act surprised at rising housing costs? In an environment of growing demand, you can’t restrict supply and not expect prices to rise.
I’ve attended the last few Housing and Community Development Commission meetings. There’s an interesting paradox at work in Corvallis. Property values and quality of life in Corvallis are partly due to high standards for things like sidewalks, set-backs, green space, and infrastructure. Yet there are occasionally proposals to waive certain standards in the interest of low cost housing. The punch-line; do low-income buyers deserve lesser standards? Should we establish a city-subsidized slum to promote affordable housing?
The things that separate Corvallis from Albany are frequently the very things that make Corvallis an expensive place to live. Should we compromise those standards? It’s difficult to strike a balance between preserving the quality-of-life factors, versus keeping things affordable. I think our city council does a reasonably good job of finding the middle ground. This strikes some observers as arch-conservative white-guy government?
So, I’m not too outraged over development on land that has long been slated for development. Corvallis and Oregon have plenty of regulatory hoops to preserve wetlands, promote green space, and protect us from unsightly urban sprawl.
Now enough about houses built amongst the poison oak wilderness, let’s talk about the very real threat to the American way of life from philosophers! If we don’t fight them in the woods, we’ll have to fight them at home. If we don’t maintain constant vigilance against all forms of subversive thoughtfulness, where will we be? The terrorists win if we suddenly falter in our resolve. Introspection opens the floodgates of self-doubt and hesitation. Let’s leave that nonsense for Europeans and liberals.
By
Michael Smith, at 8:32 PM
Mr. Smith, you are a crack up. Fighting the philosophers! That got me laughing good.
You folks in Corvallis, please don't let it become an Albany. I live here now. You don't want to live here. I do come back to Corvallis to shop.
Believe it or not, for the things I buy, shopping is cheaper there. Cat food/human food--way cheaper at Winco. Three-way feline vaccinations--much cheaper at Densons than at Coastal Farms or Wilco. Wood pellet fuel---Cherry Tree, although after their remodel, their prices are climbing.
And of course for real parks, I return. There are none, really, in Albany, unless you like duck shit filled ponds artifically stocked with trout that soon die, because the ponds are hot and not even natural habitat for trout.
Crime, drugs, concrete, roaring cars---plentiful supply in Albany, plus lots of stores, that at least half the citizens here, maybe more, can't afford to buy anything in. Like me. I return to Corvallis to buy what I need because it's cheaper.
Keep Corvallis beautiful. You never know what you've got, until you're forced to move to Albany.
By
Anonymous, at 6:45 PM
Michael Smith, as one of the "squawkers" about Witham Oaks Development, I must remind you that Legend has no plans of building affordable housing.
They deceieved voters with their "save the trees" ad.
They are going to threaten native tree species while bringing in non-native plants. They are going to build on a wetland.
They are being further dishonest by saying "they don't know" how much the houses will cost. They've violated other codes that were brought up during the public hearing. They don't give a shit about green building.
Need I go on, or does the "free market get to decide" once again? I would love to stay and buy a house here but with more and more McMansions popping up, that idea becomes more distant. Witham Oaks will look like another Willamette Landing- ugly, pukey cookie cutter homes with no personality. I won't even begin to rant about what kind of yuppie bastards will be moving in!
By
Anonymous, at 9:56 PM
Oh Willamette Landing. I just have to say something about that. Was that built on a wetland? Because, I used to walk a lot, back in the days (seems so long ago) that I lived in Corvallis. Actually I only moved a few months ago. Anyhow, I would see overflowing ditches and water issues up close to 99W, down near there, and got told by some people who lived around there that they never had that trouble before they built Willamette Landing and filled in the swampy land out there.
Same thing over on Clover Ridge in Albany. Big development went in and they filled in the wetlands and gave the county some land someplace else, in exchange for you know whatever, filling in wetlands. now long time homeowners in the area are having flooding problems when there is a lot of rain. Why, because there's no place for the water to go, in the paved over development built atop wetlands that got filled in.
Watch out!
Well, I wonder if the new home owners who move in out there will like the smell of cow manure, especially when it's sprayed on the fields out there as fertilizer, across 53rd from the new development area. Wind often blows in the direction of where that development will be. Watch out OSU dairy and beef barns. Might be some complaining headed your way, too, after the new kids on the block in their brand new stick houses get a whiff of the evening wind at certain times each year. If you've lived out that way, you know what I"m saying.
By
Anonymous, at 5:31 PM
That's one upside I see to Witham Oaks. the yuppies will have a nice cowpie treat to smell for a good portion of the year.
By
crallspace, at 8:38 AM
I hate Pink Martini.
By
Christopher Farrell, at 12:05 PM
Unless we stop it, the Witham Oaks housing development will destroy the last remaining wetland left on Witham Hill. The extension of Circle Boulevard would obliterate 2 acres outright, and the remaining 17 acres would be subjected to continual runoff from about 40 acres of suburban development (i.e. motor vehicles and ChemLawns).
For much more detail, see the public testimony in oppostion to the DSL permit.
If that link is broken, then visit Keep Witham Wild and look for the wetlands page.
Be sure to view the maps that show the astonishing amount of wetland already destroyed in Corvallis.
And yes, Mr. Smith, areas that contain significant and rare natural resources should become "de facto parks," as you called it. Long-term plans are no excuse for continuing stupidity, and there is nothing "balanced" about Legend Homes.
We've already destroyed 99.9 percent of the oak savanna that once existed in the Willamette Valley. I think that's aleady too much.
By
knappster, at 12:34 AM
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