Lents Town Center
Projects: Lents Residential Street Improvement Program

Overview

The Lents Residential Street Improvement Program was created to address the substandard conditions of some streets in Lents – rough gravel, potholes, drainage problems, and lack of sidewalks. PDC has been working with Lents residents and the Portland Office of Transportation since 1999 to solve these problems.

In 2000, residents signed petitions to create local improvement districts (LIDs) to fund street paving, sidewalk and stormwater improvements. Petitions were forwarded to Portland City Council when a majority of property owners were in favor of improvements. In January 2001, City Council approved the first two major phases of street paving. In two phases beginning in 2001 and ending in 2002, the City paved sixteen blocks on seven streets within the urban renewal area.

SE Boise Street before and after paving.

Renovated home along newly paved SE Yukon St.

A third major phase of paving occurred in 2005 and 2006 in the vicinity of SE 104th Avenue and Ramona Street. This resulted in new pavement, sidewalks and stormwater bioswales along 17 contiguous blocks. The paving has served as a catalyst for private investment in the neighborhood, as several homes have been built or renovated along these streets.

In total, nearly three miles of Lents neighborhood streets have been paved since 2001, including:

Phase I (completed 2001):

• SE Insley Street from 102nd to 104th Avenues
• SE Boise Street from 103rd to 104th Avenues
• SE Boise Street from 112th to 116th Avenues
• SE Boise Street from 92nd to 94th Avenues

Phase II (completed 2002):

• SE Boise Street from 107th Avenue eastward 720 feet
• SE 107th Avenue from Cora to Francis Streets
• SE Lafayette Street from 88th to 90th Avenues

Phase III (completed 2006):

• SE 104th Avenue from Ellis Street to Martins Street
• SE Reedway Street from 102nd to 105th Avenues
• SE Ramona Street from 102nd to 105th Avenues
• SE Knight Street from 102nd to 105th Avenues
• SE Yukon Street from 102nd to 105th Avenues

Funding

The Lents Residential Street Improvement Program offers property owners an affordable way to make improvements to their streets. Urban renewal funding caps costs for all property owners and pays all costs above this cap to provide financial protection for property owners. The program also offers a 100% grant for property owners with incomes below 60% Median Family Income - currently $40,750 for a family of two. Property owners can also choose to finance any remaining costs (after the low income grant is applied) over as long as 20 years with no prepayment penalty.

What’s Next

PDC and PDOT are currently organizing a fourth phase of street paving in the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area. If you are interested in participating in this program or have related questions, please call Andrew Aebi at the Portland Office of Transportation at 503-823-5648. For questions about the Residential Street Improvement Program, the PDC budgeting process and public involvement opportunities, contact John Jansons at PDC at 503-823-0409.

Relationship to the URA Plan

This project supports the Transportation goal of the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Plan by providing “safe and convenient access to homes and businesses within the Area.” The project also supports the Neighborhood Revitalization goal by investing in public infrastructure. Repaving projects near Johnson Creek include stormwater infiltration swales which support the Plan’s Environment goal by minimizing impacts on creek flooding.

Contact

PDC Project Manager
John Jansons,e-mail
503-823-0409

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