Authorize the renaming of SW Jackson St between SW Fifth Ave and SW Park Ave to SW Rose Hill St

The City of Portland ordains.Section 1. The Council finds:SW Jackson Street is named after former U.S. President Andrew Jackson who signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 leading to the displacement and deaths of thousands of Native Americans. Since Portland State University's (PSU) Native American Student and Community Center (NASCC) opened in 2003 on SW Jackson Street, the university and the surrounding community have been educating people about the current street name and determined to replace the street name Jackson following Indigenous and traditional protocols. In 2021, the SW Jackson Street Renaming Committee was formed. In 2022, a community driven process was launched to identify a new name for SW Jackson Street. The process resulted in the selection of SW Rose Hill Street in honor of itway1 Rose Hill who was a Culture Keeper, PSU Alumna, former PSU Native American Student Services Coordinator, and the driving force behind the establishment of PSU's NASCC. In 2022, PSU first approached the City about renaming SW Jackson Street. At that time, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) had already instituted a moratorium on processing street renaming applications due to resource constraints. On October 30, 2024, former PBOT Commissioner-In-Charge Mingus Mapps introduced Resolution 37682 that declared support to rename the proposed segment of SW Jackson Street to SW Rose Hill Street and directed PBOT to make an exception to the Bureau's street renaming moratorium policy by processing PSU's application. Following Council's unanimous approval of Resolution 37682, PBOT assigned dedicated staff to process PSU's application in accordance with City Code Chapter 17.93 Renaming City Streets. On July 11, 2025, PSU submitted part one of their application (Exhibit A) to PBOT related to criteria as outlined in Code Sections 17.93.010 and 17.93.020. PSU's proposal does not adhere to Code Subsection 17.93.010 A.3. because itway Rose Hill has not been deceased for five years nor does it adhere to Code Subsection 17.93.020 C. because only a portion of SW Jackson Street is to be renamed and not the entire length of SW Jackson Street in Portland city limits. To assist with his evaluation of the application, the Acting City Traffic Engineer asked that PSU submit rationale for waiving these two code subsections. Ultimately, Council action was required to waive the two code subsections in question and to allow PSU's application to proceed. On February 4, 2026, Council passed Ordinance 192142 waiving Code Subsections 17.93.010 A.3. and 17.93.020 C. Ordinance 192142 also modified the requirements under Code Subsection 17.93.060 A. which dictates that the existing street name sign and proposed new street name sign both be posted and maintained for five years. Council approved PSU's proposal to shorten this dual street name sign posting requirement to six months in response to concerns from Native community members about the harmful effect of posting SW Jackson Street and SW Rose Hill Street signs together. PSU's proposal was supported by City public safety and emergency service bureaus, and the U.S. Postal Service. On June 12, 2026, PSU submitted the second and final part of their application to the Acting City Traffic Engineer (Exhibit B). As outlined in Code Section 17.93.030, PSU was required to gather at least 2,500 signatures from legal Portland residents in support of the street renaming, to make a good faith effort to obtain a letter of concurrence from the honoree's family, and to submit additional supporting information. PSU's application included 2,937 signatures they gathered from community members in support of the SW Jackson Street renaming proposal. Of these, 2,546 were from Portland residents. PSU's application also included itway Rose Hill's biography, a letter of concurrence from itway Rose Hill's niece, and letters of support from the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the Portland Metro Chamber and the Native American Youth and Family Center. As outlined in Code Subsection 17.93.040 C., the SW Jackson Street Historian Panel met on July 18, 2026, to discuss their review of PSU's application and to deliberate on its recommendation to the Portland Planning Commission. Historian panelists include Eliza Canty-Jones, Brent Georgeson, and Kittie Kong. On July 29, 2026, the SW Jackson Street Historian Panel sent a letter to the Planning Commission recommending approval of the street renaming (Exhibit C). On July 16, 2026, City staff mailed 513 postcards to legal owners and occupants of property on or abutting SW Jackson Street, from SW Fifth and SW Park avenues, to notify them of the Planning Commission public hearing and to seek their input on the street renaming through an online survey. Recipients had a 30-day period to submit their feedback. On September 8, 2026, the Portland Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on the SW Jackson Street renaming application as outlined in City Code Section 17.93.040. At the hearing, the Commission considered PSU's complete application, the Historian Panel's recommendation, tabulated owner and occupant survey responses, public testimony, and budget impact statement prepared by PBOT. On September 22, 2026, the Portland Planning Commission voted to approve its letter recommending that Council approve renaming SW Jackson Street, between SW Fifth and SW Park avenues, to SW Rose Hill Street (Exhibit D).NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:SW Jackson Street, between SW Fifth and SW Park avenues, shall be renamed as SW Rose Hill Street.In accordance with Code Subsection 17.93.060 B., the City shall notify owners and occupants of all property abutting the street being named, as well as affected public agencies, the general public, emergency service organizations, and the U.S. Postal Service of the name change through public notice, inter-office correspondence, or other appropriate means within 30 days after approval of this ordinance.In accordance with Ordinance 192142, PBOT shall install new street signs showing the new street name alongside the existing street name signs and shall maintain both sets of signs for a period of six months.1itway: In tribal custom, the word itway is placed before the name of someone who has passed. This is a sign of respect when speaking about them. This is why we refer to Rose Hill as itway Rose Hill.