Portland 2035 Comprehensive Plan

[RED_PDXer]

Originally Posted by PDXDENSITY

I bet Amanda Fritz probably didn't want the KOIN tower either. She's probably now enthusiastically in support of a view corridor for it.

Perfectly stated.

[RED_PDXer]

Originally Posted by Encolpius

So you folks are objecting to the idea of taking an inventory of the scenic resources of a city cradled between two rivers, the West Hills and the foothills of Mt Hood?

Hasn't a battle over access to these resources just been fought in the Pearl, between a developer who wants to appropriate and privatize views of Union Station, the river and Mt Hood and Edge residents who feel they're more entitled to own those views since they got there first? Doesn't it make sense, when other folks are fighting each other over something that actually belongs to you, John Q. Public, to at least bother to find out how much it's worth so you can decide whether you're interested in holding onto it?

And Union Station, Pioneer Courthouse, the various old downtown churches, and other landmarks have been part of Portland's history and identity for generations. None of these are the equivalent of a new building. Don't you think that a city that's luckily preserved architecture from the very earliest periods of its development ought to view that architecture as a unique resource?

I believe you previously complained about how confusing the zoning code was because of clearly marked height bonus areas. View corridors complicate zoning codes even more and throw predictability (the number one need from a development perspective) out the window. The result is an ambiguous zoning code in which your building may or may not affect the "scenic" nature of a particular view corridor. We're not talking about blocking views, we're talking about "affecting" views. There's no science to it.

Each of these "scenic resources" will always be visible from public streets, particularly the ones along the river. To document each one as if the river was going to be developed is just plain stupid. There are more than a dozen views listed in this inventory from the eastbank esplanade. Um.. Well, that's one view of an ever evolving city skyline. There's nothing special about it.

The City throws out a 400+ page "inventory" with so many redundant vistas that it's no wonder the public has a hard time even pretending to be interested/involved in this paperwork pushing. City staff should be focused on making these documents user friendly and providing professional vetting of what might rise to the level of protection. This document is just plain rubbish. If someone with a level head supervised this effort, we could focus on more meaningful issues worthy of public discourse.

[maccoinnich]

The Central Question: Portland's plan for 20 years of growth inches forward



A 20-year plan that could shape growth in Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District is inching its way toward approval, although some influential business leaders are concerns the proposal will transform the neighborhood.

The Planning & Sustainability Commission, the appointed group of volunteer citizens that oversee and guide city planning and development, is holding a public hearing Tuesday afternoon on the proposed Southeast Quadrant plan, part of a larger revamp of Portland's comprehensive plan.

Portland's Central Eastside is the area east of the Willamette River and is generally bordered by Interstate 84 to the north, Powell Boulevard to the south and 12th Avenue on the east.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[PDXDENSITY]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at the Oregonian.

I'm going to make comments against these industrial users laying single-use claim to thr district. There's too much transit and centrality for this not to be more mixed. These industrial users are trying to be greedy when Portland needs a mixed district with housing and offices.

[maccoinnich]

For those who want extra credit, here is the video of the almost 5 hour long Planning & Sustainability Commission meeting about the SE Quadrant plan.

• Video Link

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by PDXDENSITY

I'm going to make comments against these industrial users laying single-use claim to thr district. There's too much transit and centrality for this not to be more mixed. These industrial users are trying to be greedy when Portland needs a mixed district with housing and offices.

You are aware those industrial companies all provides jobs, and jobs that are centrally located. Not everything in the downtown Portland boundaries needs to be housing and offices.

[maccoinnich]

Portland begins wind-down work on comprehensive city plan



Portland's Planning and Sustainability Commission is looking to put the wraps on measures that could shape the city through 2035.

The Commission tentatively plans to vote on the Comprehensive Plan 2035 on July 14. It will then send that recommended draft to the Portland City Council in August.

On both ends of that time frame, a bevy of public meetings will take place to discuss the plan.

A work session takes place at the Commission's offices, at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave., 2500A, June 9 between 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

...continues at the Portland Business Journal.

[maccoinnich]

The Central Question: OMSI clears roadblock on housing in industrial district



Portland's planning commission wants to leave the door open for OMSI to build housing in the Central Eastside Industrial District, a departure from a plan approved by residents, business owners and landowners earlier this year.

The Planning & Sustainability Commission voted 5-4 Tuesday to allow housing on the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry's property in the largely industrial district — provided the nonprofit meets a rigid set of conditions drafted by city staff.

OMSI had outlined an ambitious plan for a science and learning hub in the district with the museum as its centerpiece. The plan also called for residential units to subsidize other less profitable parts of the development.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[65MAX]

I think the best news out of that article is this:

"Commissioners also voted to expand the Employment Opportunity Subarea — special zoning rules where the industrial sanctuary's protections are relaxed, allowing for a wider array of tenants — to all industrial zoned areas in the district."

That'll have far greater impact on the Central Eastside than a small cluster of housing next to OMSI.

[maccoinnich]

Portland's future: 94,000 new apartments, 17,000 new homes



Portland's post-recession apartment boom offers a telling glimpse of the city's future.

There will be apartments. Lots and lots of new apartments.

New forecasts suggest that Portland will add 123,000 new housing units between 2010 and 2035. Of those, about three-quarters – some 94,000 units – are projected as apartments or condos.

Just 17,000 new units are projected as detached, single-family homes. (Another 12,000 units are expected to be townhouses, duplexes or granny flats built behind existing homes.)

...continues at the Oregonian.

[maccoinnich]

SE Quadrant is going before the City Council on July 8th. As with the West Quadrant plan it won't be adopted as an ordinance, only a resolution instructing BPS to continue working on the Central City Plan as a whole.

[ORNative]

Does anyone recall when the 2035 plan is set for a city council decision? I thought that the full package was coming up for decision this summer.

[maccoinnich]

This is silly. The whole point of having a Stakeholders Advisory Committee is that you get the opinions of people representing a range of interests. Still, good graphic.

Code of the West



Conflicts of interest permeated the citizen body that advised the city on land-use policy in the inner Westside. This charge was levied in a 60-page complaint filed with the Portland Auditor last month.

Property owners, builders, developers, architects and others with a financial stake in development filled 24 of the 33 seats on the West Quadrant Stakeholders Advisory Committee, and they voted their interests.

All but one of the 17 members who voted to approve a plan increasing height limits and relaxing development restrictions had real or potential conflicts of interest, the complaint asserted. The authors say enactment of the West Quadrant Plan “will dramatically increase property values and create significantly more work for the related professions associated with real estate development.”

Where committee members stood on the proposed plan had a lot to do with their affiliations. Only one of the eight committee members without known conflicts voted for the plan. Five condemned the adoption of pro-height policies without consideration of countervailing evidence in a minority report to the SAC’s conclusions.

...continues at the NW Examiner.

[maccoinnich]

The Central Question: 5 things to know about Portland's vision for Central Eastside



Construction cranes, new apartments and trendy restaurants are already a fact of life in Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Portland City Council could vote on a blueprint for what the district might look like in 2035.

Where an earlier plan for the West Quadrant plan — which included downtown, South Waterfront the Pearl District and Goose Hollow — drew wide opposition from neighborhood groups opposed to height limits in some areas of the district, the Southeast Quadrant proposal has mostly garnered support from interested parties.

Long the service entrance to the city, the Central Eastside — the area east of the Willamette River and bordered by Interstate 84, 12th Avenue and Powell Boulevard — is increasingly an attractive place to live and do business because of its access to downtown.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[maccoinnich]

The Central Question: Charlie Hales says he's still weighing industrial protections in Central Eastside



Industrial business owners in Portland's Central Eastside might have found a sympathetic ear in the Portland City Council.

A 20-year plan for growth in the gritty, industrial neighborhood just east of the Willamette River went before the council on Wednesday. It lays out a future that welcomes new types of businesses — like programmers and marketers — into parts of the neighborhood previously set aside for traditional industry.

That has worried some businesses that came to the district in part for its restrictive zoning, which provided protection from development pressures resulting from higher land values, residential neighbors and traffic.

Last month, the city's planning commission approved revised a draft plan and expanded the so-called Employment Opportunity Subarea across the entire district. On Wednesday, Mayor Charlie Hales signaled his mind isn't made up on the issue.

"It's not our intention to chase industry away," Hales said, adding that he's still wrestling with the zoning changes.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[urbanlife]

I think the area should stay mostly industrial, but I am also in favor of it taking a high tech twist to the area and mixing in light industrial, booze making, and high tech industry.

[maccoinnich]

SE Quadrant Plan is going back before the council on Wednesday at 2pm.

[maccoinnich]

City Council approved SE Quadrant Plan 4-0 (Nick Fish was absent). That's all three (yes, three) quadrant plans approved, albeit only by resolution at the moment. BPS will come back with a final Central City Plan later this year, which will then be approved by ordinance.

[ORNative]

Nice - Thank you for the updates

[maccoinnich]

Draft [PDF] of the code language for the Mixed Use Zones project. I do hope our new Zoning Code is going to be mostly written in Comic Sans.