PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland City Council is considering a proposal that would redevelop a largely industrial area of Northwest Portland into a dense new neighborhood filled with housing and businesses. The centerpiece of the plan includes extending the Portland Streetcar about a mile-and-a-half to the massive Montgomery Park office building.
The streetcar would extend north along Northwest 23rd Avenue from Northwest Lovejoy and Northrup Street, turn west along Northwest Roosevelt and Wilson to Northwest 26th Avenue.
Planners told the city council Wednesday that extending the streetcar service makes the most sense in a densely developed area, which the city is planning for the new area.
“The streetcar extension is an important component of that plan and is expected to result in a substantial number of new daily riders,” said Patricia Diefenderfer, chief planner at the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
City planners anticipate that the streetcar would service over 3,000 new daily riders.
But not everyone is excited to see more streetcars. Though planners told the city council that extending streetcar service makes the most sense in a densely developed area that can help leverage various funding sources, others questioned whether a streetcar extension is really needed, given the $120 million price tag.
“I think much of the work of the streetcar could be done less expensively and more efficiently by electric buses as opposed to an extension of the streetcar,” said resident Richard Gronostajski.
Based on meetings, as well as surveys and feedback from neighbors, planners say the main concerns are the potential effects on parking along Northwest 23rd Avenue and the ease of getting around the streetcar — on foot or on bikes.
“This area already gets congested here because it's the entrance to the freeway,” said Gabby Gayton.
“I know I need it,” volunteered Laura Thomas. “I’m not sure how many other people are like me — disabled and can't get around.”
Montgomery Park plan
The overall Montgomery Park plan, named after the big-signed office building that’s become an emblem of Northwest Portland, would be a 30- to 34-acre transit-friendly, mixed-use area with more than 2,000 new housing units and more middle-wage jobs.
In many ways, the plan looks to extend Portland’s Northwest District, one of the densest urban areas in the city, deeper into the once-industrial area that covers west of Highway 30 between Northwest Vaughn and Northwest Nicolai Street.
Portland’s Northwest District is often seen as a vibrant hotspot in the city with several heavily foot-trafficked streets with restaurants, bars and local businesses. Its proximity to Forest Park and walkability to the Pearl District and Providence Park continues to make it a neighborhood that many flock to — all well-represented in the housing costs.
Among Portland neighborhoods, the average rent in the Northwest District is the highest with $1,922 a month.
“The city’s objectives for the area are to create a more intense mixed-use area that incorporates housing and maintains a job focus at the densities that can be supported by a streetcar extension,” Diefenderfer said.
Among the new housing created, the city anticipates that between 200 to 300 will be affordable housing. Half of those housing units are planned to come from Portland’s Inclusionary Housing law, which requires a certain portion of apartments in new buildings be income restricted. The other portion comes from a public benefits agreement between the city and the owners of the former 22-acre ESCO steel foundry site. It would require that around 200 units of affordable housing be created in the first buildings built in the new plan area.
Portland City Council anticipates voting on the streetcar extension and Montgomery Park plan area in a future meeting. For now, the record of written testimony remains open until Dec. 3.