Portland Economic Development

[Natural]

During these transition times, the Region needs to reassess projects/Gov. functions and how they can impact the livability, image, and economy. Here are 6 suggestions that can make a difference.


James Beard PM...For those who tuned into "Top Chef PDX" a couple years prior, I strongly believe that PDX needs to cash in on the Foody/Wine/Field to Table concept that makes PDX stand out. The James Beard PM is the perfect platform to both solidify/showcase PDX as an important Culinary destination.

Zidell Properties...If my memory serves, the Zidells and City were negotiating $85 million infrastructure liabilities before the project was shelved. Imagine an amazing Boardwalk, Pier, Re-purposed Structures, Restaurants/Bars, Shops, Carts and more. This would be the Cat's meow Waterfront location that can be reached by Locals and Tourists by Mass Transit! The City needs to move forward this project ASAP( Sell the PO site) !

MLB...Timing is everything. Unfortunately, the Pandemic and other factors have stalled this audacious project. With no definite stadium location or future MLB expansion plans, this will remain on ice for the unforeseeable future. The City needs to partner with the Diamond Group and continue to aggressively lobby to make sure PDX is still at the head of the line when opportunity materializes.

Metro...Inside info from people I know @ Intel tell me a main reason that they chose not to expand in Oregon because there was no land available for expansion. There is no excuse for this blunder....Metro needs to maintain sizable Industrial land inventories for business expansion. W/O a strong economy, the Region will become irrelevant and stagnate.

Economic Development...When was the last time a large Corp. relocated it's HQ to Portland? The Region seems to be very ineffective in attracting/maintain business . Portland is very passive and assumes major Business will will locate here due to quality of living. Now, that assumption is being called out and PDX has lost it's edge. Effective economic development needs to become a City priority for the Region to culture a strong, thriving business community.

Westside Bypass...I know this is a contentious subject, but it is fact that it is needed. Our existing infastructure is inadequate and outdated and needs to be expanded to effectively transport the Regions inputs/outputs of the local economy. This is especially true for Washington Co. This should be a priority.

Cities that have signature Events, Destinations, and Business Clusters maintain a higher level of National awareness than most cities. PDX needs to establish a high profile identity, but can only be done through investment, planning, thinking outside of the box of tradition. Portland is a great city which deserves to be recognized nationally much more than it is now.

[2oh1]

When an ambulance rushes a patient to the hospital, they're expecting to be met by a team of doctors, not financial planners, advertising executives and social media gurus.

We have to stop the bleeding first.

There's a lot of good stuff on your list, but we have to stop the bleeding first.

[urbanlife]

In regards to land, Intel is currently about the size of downtown Portland and part of Goose Hollow and Pearl District. That campus is massive already.

Also the Westside Bypass will never happen, no one on the Westside is even proposing any serious proposals for that. I would love to see light rail expand on the Westside to make it easier to get around by train, but beyond expanding 217, I can't see any viable routes for any new freeways that doesn't involve carving up existing neighborhoods.

[babs]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

In regards to land, Intel is currently about the size of downtown Portland and part of Goose Hollow and Pearl District. That campus is massive already.

Also the Westside Bypass will never happen, no one on the Westside is even proposing any serious proposals for that. I would love to see light rail expand on the Westside to make it easier to get around by train, but beyond expanding 217, I can't see any viable routes for any new freeways that doesn't involve carving up existing neighborhoods.

Intel does have some room left to build some smaller fabs but they are out of space for a massive new plant similar to what is planned in Ohio. They used to own land north of 26 but sold that off for some reason about 20 years ago.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by babs

Intel does have some room left to build some smaller fabs but they are out of space for a massive new plant similar to what is planned in Ohio. They used to own land north of 26 but sold that off for some reason about 20 years ago.

Honestly it makes sense for them to build in multiple locations rather than trying to get everyone to locate to one location. I would say with the massive presence they already have on the metro, it isn't that big of a deal if they do expansions and new facilities in other states.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Honestly it makes sense for them to build in multiple locations rather than trying to get everyone to locate to one location. I would say with the massive presence they already have on the metro, it isn't that big of a deal if they do expansions and new facilities in other states.

If Intel was just building copy-exact fabs in Ohio, it wouldn't be too much of a concern. That Intel is tentatively building a new research fab at their Ohio campus should be worrisome of Oregonians. While they expanded D1X this year to the tunes of billions of dollars, D1X will only be cutting edge for a few years before requiring upgrades. If those upgrades go to Ohio, we could see the world's most advanced semi-conductor research move from the Silicon Forest.

I've written our legislative leads, local reps and governor asking them to develop a plan to aggressively go after the CHIPs act funding and solve some of the concerns about land and regulations that are preventing new builds here, but I've gotten no response.