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Testimony Guide

Signing Up

The link to sign up for written or verbal testimony is here on the Council Clerk’s website: https://www.portland.gov/council-clerk/testimony-registration?doc_id=60438

Make sure to indicate in your testimony signup that you are testifying in support of the applicant.

If you are testifying verbally: signup is the same for virtual and in-person testimony. To testify in person, just sign up and then show up at City Hall in time for the meeting. You will receive a link in your email that you can use if you’re testifying virtually.

If you are testifying in writing: you will just submit your testimony on the Council Clerk website, and then you’re done! You can either write your testimony in a text box on the site or upload a PDF document if you drafted your testimony in a word processor.

In person, verbal testimony is important, but all testimony is valuable. Please choose the option that works best for your schedule and your comfort – just make sure your voice is heard! If you are testifying verbally please also submit written testimony for the appeal.

Testifying Verbally

Normal City Council testimony is 3 minutes, but it is often shortened to 2 minutes for busy hearings. We recommend preparing for 2 minutes of testimony.

When you testify, the Council Clerk will call groups of testifiers up three at a time. If testifying in person, you can make your way up to the Council dais when called. Choose a chair and speak into the microphone when it’s your time to speak. If testifying virtually, just un-mute yourself when you are called to speak.

Start your testimony by saying “Thank you President Dunphy, Vice President Clark, and members of the council. For the record, my name is:” and then state your name. Then, state clearly that “I am testifying in support of the applicants for the Lloyd Center Master Plan”.

We recommend you read your testimony at least once before you testify, and time yourself. Especially if you haven’t testified before, it’s hard to know how long it will take to read and it’s good to practice saying it aloud. You can read from a script, or give yourself bullet points to reference while speaking – whatever’s most comfortable for you. Most people choose to read from their phone but a handwritten or printed script also works.

Your Testimony

When testifying, it’s great to be able to speak to how an issue affects you personally:

  • How has your experience with Lloyd Center changed over time?
  • How have Portland’s housing shortage or transit cuts affected you?
  • What would it mean to you to have a more vibrant downtown, or a more active Lloyd District?
  • Have you benefitted from the Portland Clean Energy Fund through its support for energy efficiency in affordable homes, tree planting, or e-bike rebates?

Some issues we care about that you might consider talking about in your testimony:

  • The redevelopment supports affordable housing: new buildings in the redevelopment will include affordable homes because of Portland’s Inclusionary Housing program that requires affordable homes in new developments. Some of the new property tax income from the redevelopment will also be spent on affordable housing because of the Lloyd-Holladay Tax Increment Finance district.
  • The redevelopment supports transit: Lloyd Center has some of the best MAX service of anywhere in the city of Portland. Building dense homes near those MAX stops and bus stops will make it easy for residents of those homes to ride transit instead of driving. This is a lifeline for TriMet, who has struggled with low ridership since the COVID pandemic.
  • The redevelopment supports small businesses in downtown and the Lloyd District: in both areas, businesses are struggling because there aren’t many residents who live in those neighborhoods. Lloyd Center redevelopment residents will have easy commutes to downtown, and can shop at struggling businesses near their homes.
  • The redevelopment is a top climate priority: transportation is the source of 44% of emissions in Multnomah County. The copious free parking at Lloyd Center today encourages wasteful driving trips and discourages transit and biking trips. Building homes on sites like the Lloyd Center is the most impactful climate investment the city of Portland can possibly make.
    • Opponents of the redevelopment want to spend Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) money to stop the redevelopment, which would be a huge misuse of those funds. Portland should not defund climate programs to block housing development. Instead, we need to protect PCEF funds so we can continue to spend them on bus lanes, tree planting, energy efficiency programs, and free e-bikes for Portlanders.

Finally, we want to make sure everyone is aware that there is no other plan. There is one Lloyd Center Master plan, and City Council can choose on Wednesday if they want to approve or deny it. If opponents of the redevelopment are successful, they will put the entire project in danger and the most likely outcome is that the mall closes with no plans for redevelopment at all.

Sample Written Testimony

We encourage you to draft your own testimony, but here is a sample you can use as a reference or submit directly if you aren’t able to write your own.

Thank you President Dunphy, Vice President Clark, and members of the Council. My name is [Your Name], and I am writing in support of the Lloyd Center Master Plan applicants.

The proposed redevelopment represents over a billion dollars of private investment in Portland. It would bring 5,000 new homes, a 2.3-acre public park, shops, restaurants, and a 4,250-seat music venue to one of the most transit-connected sites in the city. Construction alone will create thousands of jobs, and the finished neighborhood will generate new tax revenue and bring customers to local businesses in the Lloyd District and downtown that have struggled since the pandemic.

The plan also includes affordable housing through Portland's Inclusionary Housing program, and new property tax revenue from the development will fund additional affordable homes through the Lloyd-Holladay Tax Increment Finance district. With three MAX lines at its doorstep, the site is well-positioned to give residents easy access to jobs and services across the city. Transportation accounts for 44% of emissions in Multnomah County, so putting homes near transit here will also help Portland meet its climate goals. Allowing the redevelopment to go forward will protected Portland Clean Energy Fund dollars so they can continue going toward programs like tree planting, energy efficiency, and e-bike rebates for Portlanders.

Lloyd Center has been in decline for over a decade. Nordstrom, Sears, and Macy's have all closed, leaving 1.2 million square feet of mostly vacant retail. No renovation will bring the department stores back, and the site is not serving our community in its current state.

There is no alternative plan. If this Master Plan is denied, the most likely outcome is that the mall sits vacant. I urge City Council to approve the Lloyd Center Master Plan.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Submit your written testimony here.