Portland parking disappears in green-living push

One of many bio-filters replacing parking spots within Portland city limits.

One of many bio-filters replacing parking spots within Portland city limits.

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Story Created: Oct 20, 2009 at 10:15 AM MST

Story Updated: Oct 20, 2009 at 10:15 AM MST

By Dan Tilkin KATU News and KATU.com Staff

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PORTLAND, Ore. - Hundreds of parking spaces are disappearing across the City of Portland. However, city officials say it's not an anti-car movement. Instead, they say it's about being eco-friendly.

"We're going to be juggling, putting cars back and forth in the driveway," said Darryl Obeirne, who lives on a street planned for parking-spot elimination.

Obeirne of Southeast 29th Avenue will be losing three parking spots on his side of the street, and more on the other.

A bio-swale filter being prepped for plants in Southeast Portland. His neighborhood and another will be losing nearly 8 percent of all its parking spaces - 84 spaces in all. The spaces will be converted into what is known as "bio-swale filters" as part of the city's Green Streets program.

Linc Mann at Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services explains: "The roots take up the water, and the water goes in the plants through the leafs and fronds; it evaporates, and during that process it filters out some of the impurities.

When it soaks into the soil, microbes in the soil also absorb some of the impurities. By the time it gets into the water table, it's basically treated."

Portland officials estimate there are 700 eco-drains across the city.

Some were built privately. Many don't take up any parking spaces at all.

Bryan Crawford will get two city biofilters in front of his house. He's also going to put them on his own property to handle roof runoff.

"I think it's going to be fantastic," Crawford told KATU.

Each one of these costs thousands of dollars, but the city said in the long run they actually will save money. For bigger projects done this way, costs are cut 40 percent versus building old-fashioned storm drains.

"I'm kind of torn because it is good," said Obeirne.

And the city is building more everyday. To find out which neighborhoods are already on the Green Streets project list, go here.

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