There are several times during the week for participation, and the general public is invited to attend two open houses. All events will take place at 1900 SW 4^th Avenue, Room 7A (7^th floor).

• Open House #1: Tuesday, June 11, 5 – 7 p.m., Informal review and Q&A
• Open House #2: Friday, June 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Formal presentation at 12 p.m.

To attend for a longer time and help develop ideas for the West End, Downtown and South Downtown areas, consider coming on Monday, June 10. There will be an opening presentation and three breakout sessions to choose from:

• Opening Presentation: 8:30 – 10:15 a.m., Review Goose Hollow, Pearl District, Old Town/Chinatown, South Waterfront concepts
• Breakout Session A: 10:15 am – 12:15 p.m., Concept development for Downtown, South Downtown and West End
• Breakout Session B: 1:15 – 2:45 p.m., Concept development for smaller areas within Downtown, South Downtown and West End
• Breakout Session C: 3 – 4:30 p.m., (Same as Session B)

Project staff will be working with other agencies, City bureaus and the West Quadrant Stakeholder Advisory Committee the rest of the week. The general public is also invited to attend Report Back and Q&A sessions at the end of the day on Wednesday, June 12 (4 – 5 p.m.) and Thursday, June 13 (4:45 – 5:15 p.m.). A week-long charrette schedule with all event details is also available for review.

But what the heck is a charrette?

A charrette is an intense period of design or planning activity. Often used to bring together multiple stakeholders during one timeframe, a successful charrette will generate many ideas and promote joint ownership of solutions.

Roughly at mid point in the process, the West Quadrant Plan team is holding the charrette to synthesize the research and ideas gathered so far with stakeholders and the public in order to move into the next phase of the planning process ― concept planning. The West Quadrant Plan will ultimately guide growth, development and investments in the western part of Portland’s Central City.

For questions or comments regarding the West Quadrant Charrette or the planning process please contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

Photos courtesy of Bruce Forester and Sally Painter.

Tell us what you think by filling out the West Quadrant Issues and Opportunities Survey, available online through May 10, 2013. Share your ideas and preferences for these West Quadrant areas, and give us your input on topics such as housing, transportation and neighborhood services.

The survey and West Quadrant Reader, a short newspaper-like document outlining issues, opportunities and ideas for Portland’s West Quadrant, are part of the first phase of the West Quadrant planning process. The survey is a starting point for the public conversation about the West Quadrant, and your responses will help the project team outline directions for the West Quadrant Plan.

For more information, please contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

SE Quadrant Plan

The SE Quadrant Plan area includes the Central Eastside District of the Central City, as well as two study areas: the Powell Triangle and South Banfield Portal. These study areas have been included within the plan boundary because of the potential for proposals in the plan to affect those areas and to address identified land use and zoning issues.

The Central Eastside has a long history as a manufacturing and warehousing district. Now home to more than 16,000 jobs, the Central Eastside is one of Portland’s major employment centers. Much of the area is designated as an “industrial sanctuary,” which is intended to preserve the area for industrial uses and restrict other uses. The area’s central location, inexpensive rents and eclectic urban atmosphere have made it increasingly popular among entrepreneurs and creative professionals — resulting in a growing demand for creative workspace, retail and other service amenities. While the area continues to be dominated by traditional industrial businesses, they increasingly operate alongside a mix of smaller “incubator” businesses, creative enterprises and retail storefronts. The Central Eastside is bordered by the Willamette River on the west, where the Eastbank Esplanade (a major civic space and regional attraction) draws people to and through the district. Defining the future character of the Central Eastside and developing strategies to balance the needs of traditional and new uses within the district will be a major component of the SE Quadrant planning effort.

Other topics to be addressed in the planning effort include:

• Capitalizing on major transportation investments (new streetcar and light rail alignments serving the district).
• Transportation issues such as freight access, safe pedestrian and bike routes to the river, and parking.
• Improving the vitality of the Grand Avenue Historic District and other areas planned for mixed use development.
• Improving access to the river and addressing the need for improved fish and wildlife habitat.

Inner SE Station Area Planning

Station area planning will focus on the four close-in southeast light rail station areas at OMSI, Clinton, Rhine and Holgate, all of which are highly influenced by industrial and employment uses. The OMSI and Clinton station areas are located within the SE Quadrant Plan boundary, so the work on those stations will be integrated with that broader planning effort. A Brooklyn Station Areas Plan will be developed for recommendations at the Rhine and Holgate stations.

The station area planning effort is funded through a Construction Excise Tax (CET) grant from Metro to explore a new approach to station area planning – employment transit-oriented development (ETOD). Typically, station area planning processes have focused on developing housing and retail near light rail stations — an approach that may not be appropriate in these predominantly industrial station areas. Instead, this process will seek to create a new model that focuses on increasing the density of employment uses near the light rail stations in a way that will encourage investment in the area and boost transit ridership. The Inner SE Station Area Planning process will examine alternatives for the future character of the four stations and develop land use, urban design, economic development and transportation strategies to support the preferred direction.

Portland’s Industrial Sanctuary

Much of the land within the SE Quadrant Plan and Inner SE Station Areas is designated “Industrial Sanctuary” by Portland’s Comprehensive Plan. This policy was put in place in the 1980s to protect industrial uses and districts from encroachment by other land uses. The City is currently updating its Comprehensive Plan and has identified a projected shortfall of industrial land supply by 2035. There is a 60-acre shortfall in the Central City industrial areas, including the Central Eastside. Methods to address this shortfall and accommodate projected job growth will be a key objective of this planning effort. The SE Quadrant and Inner SE Station Area Planning process will examine how the nature of industrial activities has changed within the Central Eastside and other close-in industrial areas. It will also explore ways to update zoning and other tools to accommodate a higher density of employment uses and jobs in the area.

Planning Process

The Southeast Quadrant and Inner Southeast Station Area Planning process will result in two products:

1. SE Quadrant Plan will address the Central Eastside area of the Central City, including the OMSI and Clinton light rail station areas; and
2. Brooklyn Station Areas Plan will address the Rhine and Holgate light rail station areas.

The public process will begin in the summer of 2013, focusing on the four light rail station areas: OMSI, Clinton, Rhine and Holgate. A series of working group meetings and other public events will be organized to get community input on the future character of the station areas. Ideas for the OMSI and Clinton station areas will inform the larger SE Quadrant Plan that will kick off in the fall of 2013. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) will be formed to guide development of the SE Quadrant Plan.

Ideas for the Rhine and Holgate stations will be used to develop a Brooklyn Station Areas Plan. A station area working group will continue in an advisory role as that plan develops.

Project Timeline

Thursday, May 2, 2013

4:00 – 6:30 pm

1900 SW 4^th Avenue, Room 7A

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) is developing the West Quadrant Plan, which will guide long-range land use planning for the Central City on the west side of the Willamette River. Please join us for a work session to learn about the planning process and provide input on:

• Issues that should be addressed
• Opportunities and ideas for the future

This work session will cover all the areas within the Downtown Neighborhood Association boundary. During the event, attendees will split into small groups and discuss specific areas including the Downtown retail core and waterfront, the West End, PSU, South Auditorium and RiverPlace. Staff will use the feedback to prioritize issues that should be addressed moving forward in the planning process.

For more information about the West Quadrant Plan or this event, contact Elisa Hamblin at: (503)823-9714 or at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

A meeting agenda can be found online.