City Council adopts East Portland Action Plan

The Portland City Council met on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at Multnomah County Midland Library and adopted the East Portland Action Plan by resolution (#36682).

Copies of the document are also available at the following locations:

• Portland Bureau of Planning, 1900 SW 4th Avenue, 7th Floor
• East Portland Neighborhood Office, 1017 NE 117th Avenue

Implementation Update

The East Portland Action Plan Implementation Group, a subset of the East Portland Action Plan Committee, met in Fall 2008 to narrow down the action list into several "ready-to-go" priority actions to fund with a East Portland Action Plan special budget appropriation.  The proposed actions include: 

1. Providing “storefront improvement” matching grants for businesses on SE Division Street east of 122^nd Avenue;

2. Hiring a community “advocate” to implement East Portland projects and pursue grants;

3. Creating “safer routes to school” by improving pedestrian crossings at key locations on busy arterial streets;

4. Initiating the planning for future improvements on SE Powell Boulevard;

5. Funding studies to create “Gateway Green,” a regional green space opportunity;

6. Initiating a Portland Plan pilot study to consider ways to improve land uses, access and connections, and development design along SE 122^ndAvenue south of Division Street; and

7. Creating an East Portland Action Plan grant fund to allow area organizations and groups to propose and initiate projects from the Action Plan.

Funding for other future actions will be determined in coming years based on agency and community priorities and available budget.

Project Summary

In 2007, the Portland City Council approved funding to develop and begin implementation of the East Portland Action Plan. This focused, short-term effort is sponsored by the City of Portland in partnership with Multnomah County. It is designed to build on information gathered in the East Portland Review study and look strategically at short-term opportunities to improve livability, as well as long-term strategies to address some of the challenges facing East Portland. The action plan will be conducted by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning in 2007-08 with guidance from community leaders serving on an East Portland Action Plan Committee.

East Portland Action Plan Committee

Mayor Tom Potter, State Representative Jeff Merkley, and Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler convened the East Portland Action Plan Committee to provide guidance for the effort. The committee included a mix of elected officials, agency representatives, and community members working together on problem-solving and improvement strategies in East Portland.

Eighteen community-based committee members representing neighborhood and business interests were appointed in November 2007 as a result of a recruitment in September and October 2007.

The committee met monthly from December 2007 to July 2008, with subcommittees that met more frequently.  The final meeting of the East Portland Action Plan Committee was held July 24, 2008. 

• East Portland Action Plan Committee and Technical Group List

• East Portland Action Plan Timeline

Anticipated Outcomes

Some of the anticipated outcomes of the East Portland Action Plan include: confirmation of high priority livability issues in East Portland; agreement on principles to inform long-term work plans and budgets for the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and other relevant public agencies; direction to guide short-term action(s) that can be accomplished within the year; and identification of long-term actions to be implemented through respective agency work plans.

Examples of some of the issues and potential actions include:

• Schools, Families, Housing: Develop a partnership and specific strategies with school districts serving East Portland to address school facilities issues.

• Community Safety: Develop partnerships to intensify the city's public safety and social services responses.

• Community Organizing:Develop and fund methods to improve public participation, and broaden the base of community involvement in East Portland.

• Transportation Needs: Refine transportation priorities for East Portland, and explore budget proposals necessary to fund them.

• Land Use Planning: Explore and implement land use code changes to address infill development issues and lay the groundwork for longer range planning.

• Business Enhancement: Identify strategies for improving the business climate in East Portland, focusing on specific strategies for different areas.

Background

East Portland is a changing community. Once a semi-rural and suburban part of unincorporated Multnomah County, East Portland is evolving into a higher density, more urban community. This is due to a combination of factors including real estate market forces, land use policies, and other regional trends. Many East Portland neighborhoods have experienced development and change over the past several years. Some areas have experienced significant population growth and new development, as well demographic shifts, and an increase in racial and ethnic diversity. In some areas poverty is increasing, and there is an increasing concern about community safety issues in many places.

East Portland Issues

The City of Portland is completing the East Portland Review, an overview of development, change and livability issues affecting Portland’s eastern neighborhoods. The study has identified several key issues, including the following:

• New housing in East Portland serves a variety of income levels, but some residents feel that the size, design, and orientation of new buildings don’t fit with the existing neighborhoods.

• School enrollment in East Portland has significantly increased in most of the area’s school districts. In some districts, enrollment increases exceed the district’s capacity to fund and construct needed facilities.

• East Portland residents and business people are increasingly concerned about public safety and often associate safety issues with the demographic shifts and increased population.

• As East Portland urbanizes, lack of infrastructure becomes a significant issue. New development incrementally improves streets and sidewalks, but the network is incomplete, and existing often substandard, facilities are overly burdened.

• East Portland’s growth has resulted in demographic shifts. As both poverty and diversity increase, the need for of social support services also becomes apparent. Old social networks are stressed and new networks take a while to build.