Site Address: 822 NE Emerson Street

Date of site approval: November 2000

Acreage: .08

Zoning: Residential

Description

The site is owned by the Oregon Sustainable Agricuture Land Trust (OSALT) and is now a community garden.   The Portland Brownfield Program conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment to find out if any past uses of the site would be cause for concern.  No past uses associated with contamination were identified.

Though further assessment was not necessary, the King Neighborhood Association performed soil testing since the site will be used to grow food plants.  Lead and arsenic levels were found to be above state standards for residential use.  These soils were removed from the garden portion of the site, and levels have been monitored to ensure safety.

Groundwork Portland hosted a series of community design forums to plan the site, and a groundbreaking was held in summer 2010.  The site is continues to evolve as a community garden.