Midtown Portland From Hard Edge to a Seamless Transition

John Dornoff 12/9/14

The city of Portland, Oregon is well known for its many neighborhoods and its downtown

districts such as the retail core, the Portland State University district, the arts district and its

newest addition the Pearl District. While not as well-known as some of other mentioned districts,

the Midtown district has never the less played an important part of Portland history and is

currently home to such well known landmarks as the Nordstrom Store, the central library, the

new City Target, and the food cart pod.

History

The Park Blocks:

The concept of the Park blocks first developed back in 1852 when Daniel Lownsdale designated

11 blocks of his plat on the western edge of town to the city for park space and in 1885 the city’s

first Parks Keeper was appointed and what we know call the South Park blocks was formed.

Eventually, before the Lownsdale’s died, the stretch had turned into 24 blocks. However, after

the death of the Lownsdale’s the city’s claim to the land become embroiled in a battle with the

heir’s to the estate and eventually the city lost several of the blocks that were then developed on.

The North Block blocks were deeded to the city in 1865 by Captain John H. Cook and were

subsequently added to the park roster in 1869. Many plans developed starting in the 1860’s that

included the concept of 25 blocks of continues parks, but because of the land lost to the heirs of

the Lownsdale’s that vision has never happened.

Figure 1: South Parks blocks on right courtesy of Trip Advisor and North Park Blocks on left courtesy of

Pearl Help

While the Park Blocks are continuous both north and south of the Midtown district, Midtown

suffers the most from the loss of land. There have been attempts to continue the blocks, including

Director’s Park that was recently developed, but in the last few years one new building has been

built on one of the blocks and another is currently under construction. To further complicate

matters several of the buildings that were previously built on the blocks are now considered

historical.

How the current context came to be:

There are several events that can explain the current condition of the Midtown blocks over the

last 50 years. The biggest event to affect the area was the focus on the automobile that started in

the 1920’s and really boomed in the 1950’s. As population left the city for the suburbs politicians

and business leaders made the decision to focus development on making it easier to access the

city by car. This involved getting to and through the city by car quick and painless.

To accomplish this goal Portland, like most cities during this time, made the decision to turn

most of the downtown streets into one way streets. While most of the east-west streets through

downtown Portland are two lane, it did not have the detrimental effect on the Urban Environment

that turning the north-south streets into one-ways did because they were wider at three lanes

which did move traffic faster through the core, at the cost of life on the street.

In addition, many buildings during this time were considered outdated or not being used to their

full extent and it became more economical for the buildings to be bulldozed than to use them and

at the time parking for cars was the priority for the city.

Figure 2: Meier and Frank Parking Lot, would become Pioneer Courthouse Square photo courtesy of

Vintage Portland

Portland saw the problems with this focus on the automobile sooner than most cities in the

country and slowly changed its policies to put less focus on the automobile and more on

alternatives, especially mass transit. Additionally, people in Portland decided they’d had enough

and fought the construction of the Mt. Hood Freeway. Funding for the freeway was then

transferred to allow construction of a light rail line that will travel from Portland to Gresham

which included travel into midtown. Over the last 28 years there were additional light rail lines

opened and in 2001 Midtown again saw changes with the opening of the streetcar.

Previous Plans for the area:

Over the years there have been several plans that have either looked at the Midtown blocks or

been focused directly on Midtown including:

Downtown Plan 1972

Central City Plan 1988

South Park 5 Block 1999

Midtown Block Study 2001

Portland Park Avenue Design Vision 2004

Midtown Blocks Historical Assessment 2004

West Quadrant Plan 2013

The city of Portland is currently working on a new Comprehensive Plan that will also feature a

new Central City design.

Existing Conditions

Land Use

o Most of the existing land use codes call for CXd zoning and most of the

Midtown are with RXd to the west of 11th

avenue. The CXd is high intensity

commercial zoning while the RXd is high density residential zoning. Both of

these zoning codes allow about the most intensive uses permitted in the city so

the potential for more density developments is available throughout the area.

Transportation

o Transportation is an important part of the Midtown blocks. Since 1986 SW

Morrison and Yamhill have been served by MAX Light Rail that traveled first

to Gresham, and then the Westside line was opened to Hillsboro in 1997. In

2001 the first modern streetcar line opened along SW 10th

and 11th

providing

service from NW 23rd

to Portland State University. In subsequent years the

line has been extended to the South Waterfront area and a new line opened in

2012 that added a line to the Central Eastside.

o The major north-south Streets through Midtown include 10th

, 11th

and

Broadway and to the west 12th

and 13th

. All of these streets are wide three lane

one way streets. SW 9th

and Park Avenue are narrow streets that run north-

south between Broadway and 10th

Avenues. Traveling east-west through the

area are several major streets that are primarily one way with some two lanes

including Oak, Stark, Washington, Alder, Taylor and Salmon. Morrison and

Yamhill are single lane, one-way roads with a lane dedicated to MAX light

rail tracks.

o One lane of Oak and Stark have been removed and replaced by bicycle lanes

but they are the only dedicated lanes in the area.

o Cutting diagonally through the northern edge of the district is Burnside that is

two to three lanes in each direction.

Parks

o The Midtown area is part of the Park Blocks, which stretches for many blocks

both north and south. However, the park blocks have been disrupted over the

years due to the city’s inability to purchase land many years ago. The area is

home to the new park in the neighborhood, Director’s Park, which sits across

from the Fox Tower and above the parking lot for the Fox. Another park block

that was developed over a parking lot is O’Bryant Park, that sits between the

Pittock Building block and the Union Bank building between Washington and

Stark Streets.

50 Year Vision

Today the Midtown section of Portland is often a hard edge that divides the city. This edge has

been created over the last 50 years by the transportation and land use changes that have taken

place. But, as this plan envisions, Midtown will be a very different place in 50 years.

In 2064 a person steps off a MAX train at Pioneer Courthouse Square. As they look west they

see a new Nordstrom store, not one that sticks out like the current one but one that seamlessly

blends into the surrounding neighborhood yet still beckons people to come shop in the store. As

the person walks past the Nordstrom store, that is now in line with additional small, micro

retailers along its edge, they see people walking up and down both sides of the very active street

which includes both cyclists and pedestrians and is only broken up by the passing of the frequent

MAX trains heading to both Forest Grove and Wilsonville via Beaverton.

As they arrive at the corner of Park and Morrison the person sees the contrast between the Park

Avenue West tower that is about to celebrate its 50th

anniversary and the buildings across the

street that are substantially older. The observer who is not familiar with the area would never

know that the building at the NE corner of Morrison and Park was built more than 60 years after

its neighbors.

The person now uses the many available signs to decide where to head next. They decide to head

west to SW 10th

avenue and visit the City Target that was still pretty innovative when it was put

in more than 50 years ago. When the person arrives at 10th

and Morrison he stands next to a

lovely residential tower that replaced a city parking lot some 20 years ago. The building blends

nicely with the classic character of the building the City Target is located in.

Our visitor has seen pictures of 10th

Avenue when City Target first opened but is amazed that the

street looks nothing like those pictures from decades ago. Instead of a street that is dominated by

the automobile he sees a street that is multi-modal with a totally different character than the one

seen before. 60 years prior the city was revolutionary by reinstalling a streetcar line, the first of

many, not only across the country but here in Portland as well. From this area the person can

catch a MAX train or a Streetcar and reach almost any destination in the city.

Our interpreted visitor then heads north and proceeds to Powell’s, which continues to be the

world’s largest independent book store, although it has changed over the years as the book

industry changed and other opportunities came along to enhance its existing market. The visitor

also marvels that, unlike the photos from the past, they could not tell when they transitioned from

the Midtown area to the Pearl District, although the type of shops and the street infrastructure did

indicate a change of venue.

Next up is a walk through the Park Blocks that they have heard so much about. They decide not

to travel north on the Park blocks, which now travel through all the way to the river, but start

heading south. They cross Burnside, which once again seems much different from the

automobile dominated pictures of the past.

The person walks down the pedestrian promenade that connects various sections of the park

blocks that are not dedicated to parks. To the right, at the corner of Park and Oak, is a vibrant

building with several small micro restaurants and stores. The next block is half park, half five-

story building, that the visitor understands was built as a two-story building but with the

foundation that could have five stories, and was eventually developed to that capacity. On the

next block comes O’Bryant Square that has lots of covered seating where people can eat lunches

bought in nearby restaurants. The building along the east side of the Park Avenue Promenade is

lined with small eateries to buy food.

As the visitor crosses both Washington and Alder and walks down the pedestrian promenade

they enjoy looking into the many retail stores that line the street. 50 years ago people were not

sure about the future of retailing, but here in 2064 it still exist. The age of the internet did change

the way people buy but many still enjoy coming into stores, browsing through products, and

picking out that right item. In addition, retailers changed their focus as taste changed in the new

era, but retailers have survived and have become even more innovative.

Finally, the visitor strolls up and down the Morrison and Yamhill corridors without the intrusion

of cars for the most part, enjoying walking from the vibrant waterfront all the way to Forest Park

and not even noticing that Interstate 405 was crossed in the process.

Incremental Changes

While this plan has a vision of what the midtown blocks are going to look like in the next 50

years, it is going to take a large number of incremental changes to make these things happen.

Each of these proposed changes will be an integral part of the long range vision for the area.

Each one on their own may or may not have a dramatic effect on the area, but combined they

will be the nucleus of a new dramatic Midtown. One that will no longer be a hard edge that

divides the city but make it a seamless transition from the arts and retail districts to the Pearl and

from downtown to the west. Each of these projects can be implemented on their own yet work

together to build the area.

River to the Forest

Back on September 5th

, 1986 when TriMet and Portland opened the first light rail line that is now

the Blue line to Gresham, it created a major north-south link through the downtown area that

ended in the midtown area. On September 12th

, 1998 the MAX line was extended to the west and

created a new corridor through the city. The River to the Forest takes that investment in

transportation and the corridor by taking it to the next level.

Automobiles will be banned from Morrison and Yamhill, which share the street with MAX all

the way from Naito Parkway to 18th

Avenue at the Providence Park Soccer Stadium. The only

area that will allow cars will be on Morrison from 4th

to 6th

Avenues so that automobiles may

access the Niners Hotel that has its only entrance on SW Morrison. Otherwise only pedestrians

and bicyclists will be allowed to use the streets. A dedicated cycle track will be built on each

street and the sidewalks made more pedestrian friendly with additional features such as furniture,

pedestrian scale lighting, and way finding signs.

Figure 3: Proposed layout of Yamhill and Morrison as part of the River to the Forest

As part of this plan the city would be encouraged to take over Naito Parkway from the State of

Oregon and turn it into a street that does not create a barrier between Tom McCall Riverfront

Park and the rest of the city.

The second part of this project would be designed to make Salmon Avenue from 18th

to Forest

Park more bicycle and pedestrian friendly by slowing down the traffic along the corridor. This

can include the adding of speed bumps and additional 4 way stops along the corridor. The street

already has a good start by having good sidewalks and an excellent tree cover that makes

walking the area a pleasant experience except for the traffic.

The only major issue is that TriMet, in its Southwest Transit Plan, is looking to increase bus

service in the corridor by returning the 51 route (which will be combined with existing route 39

to Lewis and Clark College) from its current peak-only hours to being a full time route (service

was cut during the recession) and reroute peak hour service for line 55 into the corridor. We

would encourage the city to work with TriMet when the time comes to make this change to

create a service that will enhance the plan, not be a hindrance.

The final part of this project would be to cap Interstate 405 between Morrison and Yamhill

Streets. Freeways have been a disrupting force in neighborhoods and Interstate 405 is no

different. It created a major barrier through the city and has divided the neighborhoods it goes

through for many years. Talk has been ongoing for years about capping the freeway as it travels

through the area, but cost is an issue and since 9/11 the Department of Homeland Security has

made it even more difficult if not impossible to do a cap. However, even under the new

guidelines a cap will work between Morrison and Yamhill but should be designed so that

additional sections could be capped in the future.

The city of Portland has two wonderful assets in Tom McCall Riverfront Park and Washington

Park, and the River to the Forest will create a beautiful corridor to connect the two and bring

them closer together.

Figure 4: Tom McCall Park on the left courtesy of the Congress for New Urbanism, View from Washington Park on the right courtesy of Yelp

It should be noted that TriMet routes 15 and 51 currently use Morrison Avenue between 11th

and

18th

Streets to travel westbound and would need to be rerouted to make this plan happen. The

ideal solution would be to make SW Salmon, west of 11th

Avenue, a two way street and route the

buses there which would allow both routes to serve SW Salmon in both directions including

Lincoln High School.

North-South Park Blocks:

The Park Blocks have been a focus of the city of Portland since the time of its founding.

Currently the Park Blocks flow from Interstate 405 on the south to NW Glisan on the north.

However, several blocks are interrupted by developments that have taken place on lots that the

city was not able to acquire.

Here is a map showing the lots where development has taken place:

Since several of the blocks now contain buildings that are considered historical or buildings that

are currently being, or have recently been, built, we do not forecast them being developed as

parks over the next 50 years which leaves several interrupted blocks all of which are in the

midtown area. . However, the map does show several parcels that are considered potential sites

where parks could be added to the existing facilities.

While those above mentioned blocks may not be developed at the present time this plan

envisions the importance of having a connection between these interrupted blocks through the

creation of a pedestrian only path that will run from SW Salmon to Burnside. This will not only

create a natural connection between the blocks but also will serve as a connection to the River to

the Forest Greenway mentioned above. The blocks between Salmon and Adler will need to be

open during early morning hours to allow for deliveries for the Nordstrom store.

While not part of the Midtown plan, when the Central Post Office site on Hoyt is developed the

Parks Blocks should be continued north and be connected up with the three parks that have been

developed in the Pearl District. Further, a connection should be facilitated between those new

blocks and the riverfront with a bridge over the railroad tracks and a subdued Naito Parkway.

Transportation Changes:

Transportation facilities can either tie a community together or create a wall. In the case of the

Midtown district many of the transportation projects over the last 50+ years have served as a

barrier between the areas not as a connection. Almost every street from SW 10th

to Interstate 405

are barriers as they are wide one lane roads that are hostile pedestrian environments by

encouraging drivers to travel faster than they should in a dense urban environment.

Meanwhile, the area has good bones when it comes to public transportation as it is served by

Streetcar, MAX and several bus lines. However, because of the above mentioned problems with

the streets the area has not benefited from the development of these transit projects but this plan

envisions several changes to take advantage of these investments.

The first major change that will entirely transform the character of the streets in the Midtown

area would be to convert SW 10th

and 11th

back into two-way streets. As envisioned by the below

diagram there would be two traffic lanes, one for each direction, a dedicated lane for the streetcar

which could be a grassy median, a one-way cycle track, and parking on the opposite side from

the streetcar. Also included would be a tree planted median that would work in combination with

the other changes to enhance the character of the street.

Figure 5: Proposed layout of SW 10th and 11th after conversion back to two way streets

The second major change would be to eliminate the MAX turnaround on the west side of 11th

between Yamhill and Morrison. This was the original turnaround for MAX trains from 1986 till

1998 when the line west was opened. It also served as a turnaround for the Yellow Line from

2004 till 2009 but otherwise is only used for emergencies. By eliminating this turnaround you

would eliminate a major void in the urban fabric. While more complicated, Trimet can use the

pocket track at the Providence Stadium stop and the crossover located on SW 18th

streets should

the need arise. As part of this project the current MAX stop between SW 10th

and 9th

should be

moved one block west in order to make better connections with the streetcar and put the stops

farther away from the existing Pioneer Courthouse Square station stop.

The third major transportation project would be to change the character of Burnside that often

works as a barrier from the Pearl District to neighborhoods to the south. Currently Burnside is

two to three lanes in each direction with extremely narrow sidewalks through the midtown area,

this creates a very uncomfortable urban environment for walkers which leads to very few people

actually walking Burnside except near the area of 10th

and 11th

where Powell’s Books is located.

The plan envisions Burnside having one lane removed with new a new cycle track and wider

sidewalks. One issue that could arise out of this proposal is that there are proposals on the table

to route streetcar lines along Burnside that will then travel up 18th

and 19th

Avenues and possibly

connect other areas of the city. Any long range plan on Burnside will have to account for that

and be developed jointly with the city and Portland Streetcar to develop a plan that will work to

create a good urban environment that takes into account active transportation uses and the

streetcar.

Finally, as a complement to creating a pedestrian only zone on Park, 9th

Avenue would be

become a shared space area where traffic will be calmed and given similar treatments to what is

found on Park and 9th

when they pass Directors Park. In addition, one lane of parking would be

eliminated and two-way traffic returned to the street.

Figure 6: Example of shared space courtesy of Knowledge Alianz

Connecting the Pearl

One important aspect of this plan is to connect the Pearl District, which has gone from a

warehouse and railroad depot area to a growing mixed use residential and retail core over the last

15 years. As mentioned in the transportation section Burnside currently creates a barrier between

the Midtown and Pearl District. By redesigning Burnside it will become a more pedestrian

friendly environment and take down that barrier that currently exists between the two.

The goal would be that as the Pearl fills up development will eventually move south and

gradually the midtown blocks will fill up with new developments that will hopefully complement

the good buildings and environment that is already there.

Historic Buildings and New Buildings:

The Midtown District is an interesting contrast between the old and the new. There are many

great historic buildings in the area including the Central Library, the Pittock Block, and several

historic buildings that border Broadway, Morrison, SW 9th

, and Washington. The area is also

home to new buildings such as the Fox Tower, Park Avenue West, and the Paramount Hotel. Yet

there are also many buildings that do not fit into the character of the area, including the Union

Back Building on Broadway between Stark and Washington, the office tower at the corner of

Washington and 10th

, the Nordstrom Store, the Century Line building that shares none of the

classic character of the Benson Hotel which sits next to it, and a small two store retail building at

the corner of SW 9th and Morrison across from Nordstrom’s.

Figure 7: Examples to be avoided, on the left the Union Bank Building that adds not activity to the street front and on the right the Century Link building that does not compliment the historic building next to it.

Design guidelines should be established that would further a set of design strategies that will

encourage:

That when existing buildings, that do not add to the active street life or whose design

does not fit into the character of neighboring structures, are remodeled that they are

persuaded to add these features and make their buildings more compatible with

surrounding structures.

That structures that are considered historic be identified, mapped, and a historic zone be

created that will not only protect these structures but also encourage any new

development that is built near them to have complementary architecture so that the new

building does not stick out like the Century Link building currently does.

Any design guidelines should also take into account the character that any given area

wants to create through this process as it moves to the future.

Affordable/Family Friendly Housing:

One of the biggest problems currently facing Portland is a shortage of both affordable and/or

family friendly housing. While there has been a large amount of new construction in many areas

of the city, most of it is tailored to either single people or childless couples. There has been

virtually no three bedroom plus apartments developed within the city despite how much

construction has taken place over the last 5 years.

The shortage of 3 plus bedroom apartments in the city has led to prices that have increased, in

some places, more than 50% over the last 3 years making family friendly housing even more

unaffordable for those with families. Also, when you consider that over 33% of Portland children

currently live in families that are below the poverty level, the need for more family friendly and

affordable housing becomes crystal clear.

One city to look at as an example of building high density, family friendly housing is Vancouver,

BC. The city has requirements that obliges builders to construct units and buildings that are

friendly to families but still stylish and works with the urban environment.

Figure 8: Photos of Family Friendly complexes in Vancouver, BC courtesy of Vancouver for Life

Character:

Character is what defines an area and makes it special. If you asked the average person on the

street today what the character of Midtown was, most would probably have a difficult time trying

to figure out what Midtown is in the first place. What defines Midtown and what makes it

special? While the goal is to eventually create a seamless city from Portland State University

through the Pearl District, each district that a person would walk through will have its own

character that defines it.

The city, the property owners, residents, and business owners need to come together and decide

what they vision the character of midtown to be. As mentioned above, this vision of character

will then be put into the design guidelines to develop what the neighborhood is. Further, this

character should be marketed as setting the area apart from the rest of the downtown area,

making it unique like the Pearl, Retail Core, Arts District and PSU.

Funding and Incentives

While funding major projects has always been difficult, today, as budgets are limited and the

ability to raise taxes is limited, funding has become even scarcer for projects such as those

envisioned. However, there are several mechanisms that can be used to fund the major

improvements envisioned in the plan.

Urban Renewal Areas:

Urban Renewal Areas (URA’s) have been a popular tool to encourage new development in an

area and provide for infrastructure improvements. The way it works is: an area is designated as

an URA then property tax allocations are frozen at current levels. As new developments go in,

the new taxes generated by the new building, either by it being new or higher density, any

additional taxes that are generated is then part of the URA to fund the infrastructure

improvements. The agencies (in the case of Portland it’s the Portland Development Commission

{PDC}) will borrow against future revenues to fund early infrastructure improvements.

All of the property in the central midtown area is part of a URA, either the River District (now

called the Pearl District) or the South Parks URA. The best way to define which part of the block

is part of which URA is looking at a map, since the URA’s zig-zag over several different blocks.

Here are links to the respective maps on the PDC website:

http://www.pdc.us/our-work/urban-renewal-areas/river-district.aspx

http://www.pdc.us/our-work/urban-renewal-areas/south-park-blocks.aspx

Currently the city of Portland is maxed out on the amount of land that can be applied to URA’s

and the use of URA’s continues to create controversy since the increased tax revenue is not

available to other sources such as schools. There have been proposals to eliminate certain URA’s

including the River District and their future is uncertain at best. Additionally, the State of

California has banned the use of URA’s.

While the Midtown District has benefited from the URA’s through the construction of the

streetcar, it is hard to say if that area has benefited from infrastructure improvements the way the

rest of the districts have.

Local Improvement Districts:

Another way to finance improvements to the area would be through Local Improvement Districts

or (LID’s). LID’s are created when local property owners vote to tax themselves in order to fund

either infrastructure improvements or other amenities to encourage more people to come to the

area.

One example of an LID is along the 5th

and 6th

street transit malls. While the infrastructure was

paid for through the construction of first the bus mall in the 1970’s and the Green Line in the last

half of the 2000’s the LIDs provide several important functions along the corridor. One is that it

funds security officers that work with the police to create a sense of safety in the corridor. The

second function it provides is for the cleaning of the area, including trash pick-up and sidewalk

cleaning.

Incentives:

The next question is how do you encourage developers to create affordable and family friendly

housing? Inclusionary zoning, which requires a developer to have a certain amount of housing

set aside that is considered affordable to those making a certain amount of income, is illegal in

the state of Oregon, which is one of only two states (the other being Texas) that makes this

practice illegal so other ways must be found to create this source of housing.

The city can use incentives such as additional FAR (floor to area ratio), tax abatements and other

enticements to encourage family friendly and affordable housing in addition to the standard

small housing currently being constructed. The city of Seattle has been very successful in

encouraging developers to include affordable housing and emulation of that program should be

looked at.

Why this plan is important

What makes a vibrant, successful and growing city? First you need places that people want to go

to, make them feel safe to be walking the streets, have jobs that are available which includes a

variety of wage levels and experience, have an environment that encourages small businesses

and good economic development.

The city is currently struggling in several areas, including the creation of jobs and the amount of

family friendly/affordable housing. Moreover, while many areas of the city are currently

booming, such as the Pearl District, other areas, including Midtown, are currently struggling with

a lack of identity and being cut off from the rest of the city through poorly designed urban

infrastructure such as streets. While neighboring areas have seen investment, the Midtown area

has been largely ignored except in a few distinct cases. Now is the time to see Midtown, not as a

cut off part of the city, but as a seamless area that connects to two growing vibrant areas through

another vibrant area with great opportunities.

We cannot change the mistakes of the past, whether it be the destruction of many historic

buildings that were replaced by parking lots, the loss of opportunities to finish the Park Blocks

due to construction of buildings, the creating of hard edges by the implementation of one way

streets, the architecturally poor buildings, or the general neglect because previous

administrations were more interested in other parts of the city for various reasons.

What we can do now is make contributions to a better future. One where all of the downtown

area has become vibrant and is its owned defined area. What will define the Midtown blocks?

Well, currently it is defined by the contrast of old and new, between the classic buildings such as

the Central Library and other historic buildings in the district, and the new buildings that include

the Fox Tower and the new Park Avenue West Tower.

The Midtown blocks is an area with great bones that needs to be appreciated and developed to

their fullest and best extent, but also insure that buildings built near existing historic structures

are designed in such a way that they complement rather than detract from their neighbors. It is

also an area that is a crossroads between north/south and east/west that should be further

emphasized through good urban design.

The city government and administrations will benefit from the plan by creating a more vibrant

area that new businesses and residents will want to move into. It will further enhance the

infrastructure that has already been created through the streetcar and MAX and created even

more ridership opportunities for those systems. It will create new property tax revenues by

encouraging new development that will be higher density and create new revenue streams for the

city.

Business owners will benefit because the changes in the built environment will encourage even

more people to come to the area, opening up opportunities for new shops, restaurants and other

services to serve the growing population.

Residents will benefit by having a larger selection of housing than is currently offered. While

many are currently priced out of areas such as the Pearl, increased housing stock will make

existing buildings more affordable as it will encourage buildings to keep up with new demand,

especially as Portland’s population continues to expand. Additionally, by encouraging the

development of a bigger variety of housing it will allow more people to age in their own

neighborhood.

When they first start out they will want one of the studios or one bedroom apartments that are so

common now. When they get married or have a partner they will want to have a bigger place and

with the bigger variety of housing options they will be able to stay in their neighborhood or

within close proximity. If they decide to have children, and if they have several, there will be

new housing options that will not require them to give up the freedom of living in the urban

environment. Once the children have moved on they will have the opportunity to downsize to

either one of the smaller apartments they once occupied or even into a condo that looks out over

the river, or the many other options that will be created in the community.

Developers will benefit because it will create new opportunities for new developments and new

prospects for those looking to create something that stands apart from the rest. By creating

opportunities for a variety of developments the developer benefits by having more opportunities,

for a great return on investment.

The city as a whole will benefit because by creating a Midtown that is vibrant, it benefits not

only the people who move into the community but those that live in other areas of the city, as it

gives them new places to shop, eat and be entertained. They will benefit from the investments

already made to existing infrastructure and be able to come to the city and leave the car at home.

Most of all, the city will benefit from making better use of the investments in transportation,

parks and infrastructure than the city has already made over the last 160 years and creates a

better community that is not cut off from its neighbors but an integral part of a vibrant city that

people want to live in and visit.

Other References:

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/137474

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=674

http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/portland_park_blocks/#.VISvHzGjOG4