When I first read about an idea for street improvements in today's Oregonian, I was skeptical. Here's the idea in short: complex and expensive street repairs are desperately needed in SW Portland. Instead of having the city pay, why not create a special tax district for nearby neighborhoods to fund the improvements? Even if the neighborhoods do not directly abut the project?

Improvement districts are not a new idea, but a halo zone around the specific area of repairs is new enough for Portland. The idea, floated by City Commissioner Sam Adams, has people talking. From the Oregonian article:

Whatever it takes, it's time to get some sidewalks, said Mary Ann Fitzgerald, transportation committee chair for Southwest Neighborhoods Inc., the neighborhood coalition.

"People are afraid to walk the streets in Southwest Portland," she said. "We want people to be able to walk to the bus stop or the store or the school. I have to drive somewhere just to walk my dog. It's too dangerous."

She said residents who've attended neighborhood meetings view the halo concept as a way to get the projects underway.

Gotcha. The improvements are desperately needed for safety and community. In order to get the project off the ground, the nearby neighborhoods could consider a halo tax district as an option. I do worry, however, about tying these improvements to a willingness to pay for them out of a new tax base. What if people like taxes even less than they like safety improvements? Sure, we're in a progressive city and people understand the need for certain taxes for the public good, but this is a specific location and tax base. And, anyway, isn't the city supposed to take care of stuff like this?

Fortunately, process and discussion will allow the nearby residents and potential taxpayers to weigh the pros and cons. Again, from the Oregonian:

Intrigued by Adams' proposal, the neighborhood coalition teamed up with the Portland Department of Transportation and selected the three streets to see what could be done, how much it might cost and if property owners in the affected areas would be willing to open their wallets.

Now, don't get me wrong. If these neighborhoods and individuals want to spend to improve, then I imagine they'll be more than welcome. Indeed, under a system like this I can envision a scenario where wealthy districts can help pay for their improvements, while the city focuses on improving those districts that cannot afford to subsidize transportation upgrades and repairs.

But the devil's also in the details. If there's an urgently-needed safety upgrade, I hope the city would step in and orchestrate any efforts. If there's a cosmetic desire to upgrade the streets, then that could be where a neighborhood would quarterback its own repairs. There will need to be much discussion, as the article alludes to:

"Some may say they want full city sidewalks." ... "Others might just want the street widened. They'll decide what's good enough. Before we start talking about money, and who's going to get assessed, we want to get out there and see what's realistic."

There will be many meetings and brainstorming sessions as this moves forward. I, for one, am interested in seeing where it goes. It could set an interesting precedent if it works. What are your thoughts on repairs/improvements done in this manner?