State of the City highlights Lents opportunities
February 5, 2010 | In: Construction, Economic Development, LTC URAC, Neighborhood News, PDC, Portland Plan, Transportation, Urban Planning
This rendering shows the intersection of 92nd Avenue and Foster Road, facing southeast.
Mayor Sam Adams highlighted the opportunities the city’s transportation plans present for the Lents neighborhood at his State of the City address on Friday.
In his speech, Adams showed how investments in transportation projects can transform a neighborhood, as he played an animation showing ways the Lents Town Center could change once a streetcar is constructed along Foster Road.
The Foster Road streetcar is a significant part of the city’s Streetcar System Plan, and Adams said last year that he expects future streetcar development in the city to begin in the outer eastside and work inward.
Streetcars direct investment toward neighborhoods because they represent a permanent transportation investment (as opposed to, say, a bus stop, which can be moved).
“Development of a streetcar along Foster Road will bolster Lents’ status as the Hub of the Eastside,” said Nick Christensen, vice chairman of the Lents Neighborhood Association. “With the MAX Green Line, the I-205 freeway and bike path, the Springwater Corridor and of course Foster Road, we’re at the center of everything on the east side. It was great that our opportunities were recognized in Friday’s speech.”
The Lents Town Center is a key part of an urban renewal area in southeast Portland, and the Portland Development Commission, working with urban renewal funding, has developed several projects to improve the town center, which centers around the intersections of 92nd Avenue at Foster Road and Woodstock Boulevard.
“I love how the rendering shows the freeway, the MAX line, the future Foster Streetcar and a cycle track in an area that people often insist will always be dominated by the automobile,” said Cora Potter, a Lents resident and the chair of the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee. “There are many people that work, live and play in Lents who stand at this intersection every day and imagine the same future and vitality you see in this rendering. And we know it’s possible because we know our neighbors and our neighborhood. I really want to thank Mayor Adams for drawing the whole city’s attention to our vision today.”
Click here to view an animation highlighting the opportunities in the Lents Town Center
2 Responses to State of the City highlights Lents opportunities
Jeffrey Rose
February 5th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Looks pretty fantastic! The image you’re left with at the end of the video leaves me asking, “what would the posted speed on Foster be through here?” It also leaves me wondering what the actual barriers are to ending up with something like this.
Jeffrey Rose
February 5th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
They can really just…. drop buildings from the sky like that! What’s next?!!
I think this video deserves a lot of talking right here- so I’ll start. This is actually a pretty close representation of what I’d like to see in terms of scale- the shops with 2-3 stories of apartments and whatnot over them. My idea wouldn’t be for the historic storefronts to be the first corner to be redeveloped though! Actually, I’ve secretly always hoped that the corner with Crossroads Plaza would be built on first! As much as I like the gas station owners- I’d be happy to see that block redeveloped along with the Copper Penny block. Hopefully the Wishing Well corner and the storefronts along 92nd will be with us for a while, anyway!
I’ve always thought that a plaza would be nice along the front of the Farmer’s Market lot. That area seems to be more desirable for events anyway- most often when the Farmer’s Market is going on, Crossroads isn’t used at all. I just don’t think that people like to be that close to Foster Rd. Now, once we do some traffic calming and maybe get a streetcar- maybe that will change!
Overall, I’d be pretty happy with this general kind of development- as long as some of the historic Main Street buildings were incorporated into it. I’d hate to end up with a LTC that was TOO new- that looked like it could have been plopped down anywhere. Granted, when we arrive at this stage- most of the town center will probably be new. What we manage to save at that stage will no doubt seem a lot more valuable than it does now.
Just a few random thoughts! Any other takes?
Jeff