Downtown Waterfront

Final North Old Town/Chinatown Redevelopment Strategy Old Town/Chinatown Blocks 33/32 Future of Urban Renewal - Use this link to learn more about our new Future of Urban Renewal Initiative and PDC's efforts to better serve our community. PDC Board of Commissioners Meeting, May 14, 2008 materials: Agenda Item #9: Urban Renewal Area Plan Amendments for Lents Town Center, South Park Blocks, Downtown Waterfront, and River District: Report 08-63, Resolution 6584 Waterfront Park Ankeny Plaza Project - A large-scale model of the proposed design is now located in the East Lobby of the Montgomery Park Building, located at 2701 NW Vaughn Street. The lobby is open to view the model Monday through Friday from 9 AM – 3PM. Waterfront Park, Ankeny Plaza and Streetscape Improvement Project are underway Mercy Corps Headquarters and Ankeny Burnside Update

Urban Renewal Area (URA) Fast Facts

Overview (1974 to Present)

The Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area (DTWF URA) is one of Portland’s most successful examples of urban renewal and tax increment financing. Since its creation in 1974, assessed land values in our central core have increased an average of 10.4 percent annually, from a total of $466 million to more than $1.6 billion.

To continue strengthening downtown’s role as the regional center for finance, trade, education, culture, retail, professional and governmental services, PDC facilitates both private and public partners revitalization efforts to keep Downtown vibrant and healthy.

Since Portland City Council approved the DTWF URA nearly thirty years ago, PDC has worked with community and business partners to complete a number of successful development and rehabilitation projects and public improvements, including:

• Tom McCall Waterfront Park—Portland’s signature riverfront park
• The Yards at Union Station—new housing development
• RiverPlace—read the case studies
• Pioneer Place—read the case study
• Hatfield Building preservation
• Union Station preservation

These efforts have leveraged a significant amount of private investment, generated additional property taxes for multiple taxing districts, and transformed the downtown area.

Project Areas

• Mercy Corps World Headquarters
  
  
• 3rd and Oak/Oak Towers
  
  
• North Old Town/Chinatown Redevelopment Strategy
  
  

    Downtown Waterfront Development Opportunities Project

• Old Town/Chinatown:
  3rd and 4th Ave. Streetscape Improvements
• Ankeny/Burnside:
  • Background
  • Implementation
• Portland Saturday Market
  • Permanent Home Study: Final Report
  • Portland Public Market—Citizens, PDC and City of Portland staff are working along with a consulting team to evaluate developing a full-time, year-round Public Market at Ankeny Square.
  • Market Study and Business Plan
  • The Portland Public Market web site is dedicated to communicating with citizens about this effort.
• Burnside and Couch Transportation and Urban Design Project
• Firestation #1
• RiverPlace—The area known as RiverPlace is located within two adjacent urban renewal areas, Downtown Waterfront and North Macadam. Current work underway includes Parcel 8 redevelopment.
  This is because a portion of the RiverPlace area was excised from DTWF and included in the North Macadam URA upon its establishment on August 11, 1999.

URA Goals

• Review a summary of goals for the Downtown Waterfront Urban Renewal Area (URA).

URA Accomplishments

• Downtown Waterfront (DTWF) Accomplishments map
• River District Project map

Current URA Information

• Ankeny/Burnside Development Framework
• Central City URA Study Review Committee Recommendations
• FY 2004-05 Budget Presentation
• View a presentation on consideration of the URA Plan Extension

News Releases

• November 29, 2005: Update on 3rd and 4th Avenue Construction; Street Trees Arrive and Much More
• December 17, 2003: Not Yet Done with Downtown Waterfront: PDC Votes to Extend Urban Renewal Area Plan
• View a complete list of PDC News Releases.

Publications

• Downtown Waterfront Development Opportunities Project (DOS)
  • Waterfront DOS Phase I Report (30 pages, 6,440 kb)
  • Firestation #1 Relocation Documents

• Housing
  • Downtown Target Area Housing Implementation Strategy (2001) (35 pages, 1,426 kb)
  • Central City Housing Inventory (2002) (43 pages, 290 kb)
  • Downtown Housing Inventory and Policy Analysis (August 2000) (45 pages, 637 kb)
  • Workforce Housing Report Central City Portland, Oregon September 2003 (121 pages, 1,345 kb)

• Old Town/Chinatown
  • Old Town/Chinatown Development Plan
  • Old Town/Chinatown Streetscape Plan newsletter #1
  • 3rd & 4th Avenue Streetscape Improvements
    • Construction Phases schedule
    • "Construction News" newsletter
    • Information on New Street Trees
    • Three color illustrations of the streetscape plan are available for print handouts. - color renderings (PDF 3 pps, 8 mb)
    • Q&A and Contact List
    • Construction Schedule

• Retail
  • District Retail Strategies (Phase I, Oct 1999 and Phase II, Feb 2000)
  • Downtown Retail Strategy (Apr 2002)
  • Downtown Portland, Where Business Lives brochure (3 pps, 1,117 kb)
  • Downtown Waterfront (DTWF) Development Opportunities Project

• RiverPlace
  • View all RiverPlace publications

• Misc. Project Fact Sheets
  • Classical Chinese Garden (2 pages, 147 kb)
  • The Yards at Union Station (2 pages, 58 kb)
  • Union Station (2 pages, 63 kb)

• Other
  • Willamette Riverbank Design Notebook (May 2001)

• View a complete list of PDC Publications.

Team Leader

• Lew Bowers, e-mail

Downtown Waterfront Calendar of Events

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