Draft presented

The draft version of Portland’s Downtown Economic Development Plan was presented Monday.

The redevelopment commission hopes to start the process of putting it in place next month.

CWC Latitudes’ Ed Curtin, a consultant who works with Portland Redevelopment Commission, presented the draft version of the plan to about a dozen in attendance Monday at John Jay Center for Learning.

“The current plan is about 14 years old or so,” Curtin said. “And with some of the things the redevelopment commission was contemplating doing, it made sense to update the plan to be able to include those things. So that’s what we’ve been working on for about the last six months or so.”

The plan — it is available at portlanddowntownplan.com — lays out key issues/weaknesses that need to be addressed in Portland. Those include vacant/dilapidated buildings, need for more walkability/bikeability, barriers to entry for small business and a lack of housing options.

It also sets out goals such as beautifying the city, creating an environment that encourages small business and increasing housing options

“Downtown Portland is the heart of the City and a hub of uses, activities, recreation, education, art and culture that bring people together to live, work, shop and play,” the plan’s vision statement reads. “There is a strong sense of place because of its charm, historical architecture, eclectic murals, activated streets and its multigenerational spaces providing opportunities to support a diversifying population, thriving businesses, forward thinkers and visionary leaders.”

The plan breaks down into two phases:

Phase 1 – Programming, utilizing existing spaces, establishing or revising ordinances and regulations to support long-term goals and eliminate barriers to new development

Phase 2 — Physical projects and capital investments to improve quality of life.

The first phase could include projects such as streetscape improvements, public art, planters, marketing, the addition of on-street dining and other lower-cost improvements to draw residents and visitors to the downtown area. Also suggested in the plan are ordinance updates to help remove barriers to downtown development and to develop rules for absentee/inactive building owners.

The second phase could include projects such as creating a downtown park at the site of the Bailey Building, which is currently being torn down, and making improvements along Main, Water, Harrison, Ship and Votaw streets to make them more attractive for walking and biking.

Curtin fielded just a handful of questions about the plan Monday, including from redevelopment commission member Joe Johnston regarding how bike lanes would be implemented. Curtin responded that the goal is to utilize the existing right-of-way.

Darlesia Lee expressed concern about potential vandalism after improvements are made and suggested that the plan should include details about building upkeep. Curtin said that is one of the goals of revising ordinances and potentially adding language to specifically address buildings that are vacant.

Curtin noted that the effort is designed to put the city’s redevelopment commission in a position to effectively address Portland’s needs.

“If it’s not in the plan, the redevelopment commission really can’t spend money on it,” he said. “So we wanted to try and make sure we have an up-to-date plan …”

Design and planning firm Rundell Ernstberger Associates led the redevelopment commission in the process of developing the plan. The process included looking at existing plans and reviewing public policy to identify areas that might need to be updated. This summer, representatives from the firm visited the city to talk with residents and business owners and survey the condition and use of downtown buildings.

Rundell Ernstberger Associates hosted a series of focus groups and a public open house in September and has been working on the draft plan since then.

Curtin noted that anyone who would like to make comments on the draft version of the plan should do so by Thursday. (He is available at [email protected] and Cynthia Bowen of REA can be reached at [email protected].)

Portland Redevelopment Commission plans to address the plan at its Dec. 8 meeting. It would then go to Portland Plan Commission and Portland City Council for approval. There would then be a final public hearing prior to the redevelopment commission voting on final approval.