"MAIN STREETS" PROJECT

PROPOSED PROJECT METHODOLOGY

 

 

Initial Groundwork

 

Between November 10 and December 18, the following will be accomplished: solicitations of interest will be sought from a number of groups and individuals regarding possible sites, a consultant and possible intern will be hired, and a site chosen for continued evaluation.

 

1. Requests for Letters of Interest

� Requests will be made to selected architects, architectural students, and architectural

firms, immediate business districts and neighborhood associations, and landowners, lessees and business owners for the following sites:

 a) Belmont St. between S.E. 33rd and S.E. 35th (Sunnyside neighborhood)

 b) Hawthorne St. between S.E. 22nd and S.E. 24th (HAND and Buckman

  neighborhoods)

 c) Division St. between S.E. 33rd and S.E. 39th (Richmond neighborhood)

 d) Stark St. between S.E. 78th and S.E. 81st (Montavilla neighborhood)

 e) Foster-Woodstock Couplet between the cut-off at about S.E. 91st and the

  freeway exit at about 93rd (Lents neighborhood)

� The purpose is to assess the level of commitment of the various groups, in combina-

 tion with each other, to the success of the project on a particular site.

� The deadline will be December 10.

 

2. Request for Proposal for a Project Coordinator and a Job Announcement for a possible

PSU Intern

� Deadline for response will be December 10.

 

3. Letters of Interest to Other Neighborhood Associations and Business Districts.

� Purpose is to solicit interest from areas not initially chosen to see if there are

 possible sites we have overlooked.

� Deadline for response will be December 10.

 

4. Committee chosen to select target site, Project Coordinator, Intern and Architectural

Services

� Committee will be composed of technical staff and citizens. The following are

suggested to sit on the committee:

  1.  Jim Claypool - Bureau of Planning

  2.  M�Lou Christ, Southeast Uplift Executive Director

  3.  Barbara Rummel - Co-Chair, Land Use/Transportation Committee

  4.  Staff member from Portland Development Commission

  5.  John Kelly - Department of Land Conservation and Development

  6.  Stewart Reif - President, SMILE Neighborhood Association

  7.  Staff member from Tri-Met

  8.  Ellen Ryker - Southeast Uplift - Project Manager

� Committee to be chosen by December 4.

� Committee members familiarize themselves with the "Main Streets Growth

concept, the five proposed sites and any others identified by neighborhood

associations and business districts.

� Between December 14-18, committee meets to evaluate responses. Responses,

  in combination with each other, will determine which site is chosen.

 

� A site will be chosen for further evaluation by December 18, as will the firm or

  individual(s) who will provide architectural services, the Project Coordinator, and

  Intern.

 

 

Site Specific Development Plan Process

 

1. Form Steering Committee to direct the project and keep it on track. The Steering

Committee will likely be composed of 1 member from each of the following:

 

� Neighborhood Association (or, in the case, of a street with a different neighborhood

 on each side, 1 from each)

� Nearest Business District (or districts if site straddles two)

� Southeast Uplift Land Use/Transportation Committee

� Portland Development Commission

� Board of Realtors

� Lending institution

� Citizen from an organization representing pedestrian-friendly environments

� Landowner of one of the lots/businesses within the site

� Business owner (may own, lease or rent permanent site)

� Tri-Met

 

2. Compile information on the following variables:

� Current assessed value for each lot/entire site

� General economic/demographic data on area within a 3 block radius of the site

 boundaries

� Traffic patterns along the main road and side roads

� Transit servicing the area (types, times and range of service, other)

� Current land uses, configurations, businesses, residences, etc.

� Employees: where do they live; how do they get there; if they drive, where do

 they park

� Market: who is the market

� Possibility of using the existing buildings as a mixed commercial-residential unit:

 � Foundation and structural integrity

 � Financial limitations

� Legal and financial changes which might be considered as incentives for

 redevelopment.

� Current zoning within the site

 

3. Brainstorm conceptual ideas which could be successful at this site. Draw these ideas

on paper. Consider the following variables:

� Should all buildings in the site area be considered for mixed use? If not, why not?

If yes, how will the current mix of buildings of various types and sizes work - i.e.

retain the existing structure but renovated? Be torn down and rebuilt?

� How will this site, if mixed use buildings are constructed or created from existing

buildings, mesh with the land and transportation uses on its perimeter - i.e.

through traffic, adjacent single-family residential, transit patterns

� What changes need to be made to make mixed commercial-residential use viable

and compatible with the surrounding area - i.e. what changes, if any, need to be

made in the street configuration, transit services, open space?

� What possible structural changes could be made under different scenarios?

 

 

� What options are available to make those changes - i.e. incentives through the

financial system or PDC, Tri-Met's authority to put money into trolleys or other

means, revised zoning

 

4. If the site chosen is in the Outer Southeast Community Plan boundary, coordinate with

Project Manager and designated staff planner for that neighborhood.

 

5. Work with the Housing Section of the American Institute of Architects, Portland

Chapter, to prepare a book of guidelines for renovations and new construction for Main Streets, similar to The 10 Essentials for North/Northeast Portland Housing, prepared in conjunction with the Albina Plan.

 

6. Negotiations with all parties. The premise is that a great deal of time must be spent on

education, assessment, evaluation of possibilities and consequences, and developmental options and other incentives.

 

 

Timeline (see also Graphic Timeline on last page)

 

11/16    Request for Proposals and Request for Letters of Interest mailed out

 

12/1    Deadline for responses from non-targeted neighborhood associations and

    business districts about possible sites

 

12/4    Committee chosen to evaluate responses

 

12/4 -    Committee members drive/walk the four sites to familiarize themselves

12/14   with the area and Main Street concept

 

12/10    Deadline for Letters of Interest, Project Coordinator and Intern applications

 

12/18    Site chosen for further evaluation, as well as architectural services, Project

    Coordinator and Intern

 

1/12    Steering Committee formed

 

2/1 - 4/30  Steering Committee meetings, public workshops, negotiations among

    individual and joint parties

 

5/14    First draft of Model Development Plan

 

5/14-6/14  Review

 

6/30    Completion of Model Development Plan

 

 

Site Evaluation

 

Due to the limited time frame for this project, chances of success will be heavily dependent on the willingness to participate in the goals of the project; thus, finding the right combination of willingness among the various interest groups is extremely important

 

Sites not chosen, assuming a level of interest which indicates some possibility of success, may be targeted for further evaluation sometime in the future. Other variables such as more enhanced transit service, which may not yet be identified for that particular location, could act as an incentive for redevelopment or enhancement of existing conditions.

 

 

Products

 

� Model Development Plan, to include at least the following: 1) Site Specific

Development Plan with graphical/visual displays, 2) Project Methodology, and 3) Expectations of reproducibility and transferability of this Model Plan to other sites.

� Redraft of Model Plan, if necessary, based on Bureau of Planning evaluation of

compliance of the Model Plan with the City Code