North Macadam

Project Summary
Harbor Drive/SW Naito Parkway Redevelopment Study and Concept Plan
September 2004

Background

The North Macadam Urban Renewal Area (URA) established in 1999, lies at the southern edge of Portland’s downtown and includes the RiverPlace project area. There are six acres of vacant and underutilized land on the western edge of the urban renewal area connecting RiverPlace to south downtown Portland. This land is being planned for redevelopment but faces significant challenges, due in part to the slope of the land, utilities and the existing and planned transportation corridors that isolate the area. The area is generally bounded by Naito Parkway on the west, Clay Street to the north, Harbor Boulevard to the east, and Interstate 405 to the south, and is being referred to as the Harbor-Naito Area.

Study Area Properties

Properties in the Harbor-Naito Area are zoned CX, which allows a variety of relatively intense commercial, mixed-use, and residential development. Specific properties include:

• A parcel owned by the Portland Development Commission (PDC), and managed by the Parks Bureau, located between Naito Parkway and Harbor Drive adjacent to Market Street. This parcel is about 1.1 acres in size and currently used as a surface parking lot.
• Vacant land jointly owned by the Portland Department of Transportation (PDOT) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) located along Naito Parkway immediately south of the PDC parcel, and north of/adjacent to the International School and the bridge crossing I-405. This area is about 3.5 acres in size and is bisected by multiple rights-of-way, including the extension of Harrison Street and Portland Streetcar, and right-of-way being held for a future light rail extension from downtown to SE Portland.
• Parcels controlled by the International School, which has plans to expand and redevelop its campus in the area.
• A parcel jointly owned by PDOT and ODOT, about 1.4 acres in size, located on the west side of Naito Parkway just north of I-405.

Public Improvements Underway

PDC, in partnership with PDOT, is funding an extension of Harrison Street and the Portland Streetcar from Portland State University to RiverPlace, now under construction. The new street and streetcar will form a significant new connection to RiverPlace and the North Macadam URA and will become the gateway to this area from downtown Portland. The street and streetcar extension are now under construction through the study area. Streetcar operations to RiverPlace are planned to begin March 2005.

Harbor-Naito Concept Plan Summary

A development feasibility study was completed June 30, 2004. This study resulted in a concept plan for redevelopment of vacant, mostly inaccessible land at a major gateway to downtown and adjacent to several transit routes, including the new streetcar extension and the proposed future light rail, with high-density, mixed-use development. The final report, dated June 2004, explains the purpose, objectives and process undertaken to arrive at the concept plan, with detailed analysis of opportunities and constraints for land use, circulation, and public improvements. Issues discussed during the study included the following:

• Creation of a logical and cohesive district, address existing physical and/or regulatory site constraints and integrate streetcar extension and the International School’s redevelopment plans;
• Transportation and pedestrian access extending to the city’s street and pedestrian network to provide safe, convenient, and coordinated movement among all the parcels in the study area and between RiverPlace and downtown Portland;
• Design opportunities and constraints caused by a potential extension of the light rail line on an elevated structure through the study area;
• Suitable uses and development densities that respond to the current zoning, provide mixed uses close to the downtown and other destinations, and respond to market and economic feasibility analysis;
• Urban design opportunities for place-making, including views of the City, Willamette River and Mt. Hood; gateway treatments along Naito Parkway, in the triangular shaped parcel where Harbor Drive connects to Market and Clay Streets, and at the new Harrison Street and Harbor Drive intersection.

Transportation and Growth Management Program

This study was funded by the Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) Quick Response Program, a joint effort of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). The purposes of the TGM Program are to strengthen the capability of local governments to effectively manage growth and comply with the Transportation Planning Rule, integrate transportation and land use planning, and encourage transportation-efficient land uses which support modal choice and the efficient performance of transportation facilities and services.

for PDC's News & Information E-Mail Lists
Archive of sent E-Mails
Unsubscribe from our E-Mail Lists