February 2014

Dear City of Portland,

As Portland grows, there will be significant economic pressure to increase density within the urban growth boundary !he
Comprehensi"e Plan #pdate process is diligently calling for community input to guide how this growth occurs to enhance li"ability
and promote e$uitable infrastructure de"elopment
As board members, residents and local businesses of the %orth !abor %eighborhood Association, we are optimistic that the
Comprehensi"e Plan #pdate will facilitate beneficial growth, yet we want to see new de"elopment that is consistent with the
character and needs of our area &n this grain, we are sharing commercial, residential 'oning and transportation(related
recommendations that we belie"e will enhance the li"ability of %orth !abor and support the wellbeing of its residents
Pedestrian-Friendly Businesses and Transit-Oriented Development
Although we support the comprehensi"e plan)s proposed mi*ed use 'oning changes on %+ ,lisan near -0th .treet, we want to see
additional 'oning re"isions that will support the growth of stable, pedestrian(friendly businesses and amenities
Glisan/ 0"erall, our "ision is that the ,lisan corridor from 41th(-1st .treets is the commercial heart of the neighborhood, with
pedestrian focused storefronts 2e understand that per the Comprehensi"e Plan, Pro"idence 3ospital may be 'oned as
4institutional employment) 2e are interested in seeing street le"el businesses de"elop in hospital buildings as they are rebuilt 5ore
generally, the area %orth of ,lisan between 67rd and 68th .treets has the capability to include much more height if built in a manner
consistent with neighborhood needs 0ne e*ample of acceptable increased height is Pro"idence 3ospital)s 6060 %+ 3oyt building,
which is se"en stories abo"e ground and 99 feet tall Pro"idence uses a tiered design, with increasing height further north of ,lisan
and along the freeway Center Commons, located along &(84, also is an e*ample of a de"elopment that is multiple stories high
60th Street MAX Station area/ -0th .treet from ,lisan to &(84 should be updated near the station to be 'oned as 4mi*ed use
commercial) to encourage new de"elopment of both neighborhood commercial retail and residential uses !he area around the
station has potential to support more growth if re'oning occurs as long as infrastructure is dedicated to impro"e the surrounding
streets, add sidewal:s, crosswal:s and bi:e lanes so that pedestrian connecti"ity is enhanced %orth !abor residents want to see
more amenities nearby the station yet at the same time, want to be able to safely tra"el on foot and by bi:e from the station and to
"arious destinations such as ,lencoe +lementary, 5t !abor 5iddle and Fran:lin 3igh .chools as well as %ormandale;5t !abor
Par:s 0ne e*ample of a mi*ed(use de"elopment that is appealing is the senior housing building with the A%D Caf< below at 66th
and =urnside
Burnside/ =etween 67rd and -1st .treets, the e*isting 4general commercial) 'oning should be re'oned as 4mi*ed use) with
neighborhood commercial retail below and residential use abo"e to accommodate pedestrian focused de"elopment !he south side
of =urnside should ha"e buildings where the upper stories are residential, with a stepped down approach to transition to the
residential neighborhoods to the south and the east of -1st and west of 67rd .treets
Foster Density Preserve !ei"h#orhood $hara%ter &et 'imit Displa%ement
As a neighborhood, we :now that the area can support more growth yet at the same time, there are a few issues that need to be
considered
(ere are our "eneral residential and housin"-related re%ommendations)
Preserve e*istin" housin" %hara%ter alon" +ith ad,usted residential density- Although we want to support some increased
residential density near radius of the -0th .treet 5A> station, the current 'oning code does not seem designed to sa"e the current
housing stoc: 2e would endorse ad?ustments ma:ing it fundamentally easier to build around e*isting structures in a historically
consistent manner instead of encouraging tear downs and rebuilds &n the spirit of this, we would li:e to encourage Accessory
Dwelling #nits, additions and duple*es attached to e*isting housing 2e also feel that ad?usting the @one left wall is a remodelA rule
to re$uire 60B of structures to remain and allow for multiple units to be built on parcels 'oned C26(C1 if more than one unit is built
Plan .or a..orda#le housin" so that lo+er in%ome residents are not displa%ed and %an still a..ord to live +or/ and play in
!orth Ta#or- !o facilitate this, we would be amenable to higher density north of ,lisan between 67rd and 68th if there was 'oning
re$uiring a mi*ture of housing types including affordable studios, one bedroom and family si'ed units as well mar:et rate
de"elopment meant for middle income professionals !hus, those in the ser"ice sector could li"e in the same community as retirees
and professionals wor:ing at Pro"idence 3ospital or in other area of the metro region
Transportation 0mprovements !eed to A%%ompany 0n%reased Density
%orth !abor is located only three miles from downtown with close access to light rail and moderate access to ser"ices and par:s
!his close(in and central geographic location and amenities will undoubtedly attract more growth in the neighborhood o"er the ne*t
20 years((and the local transportation networ: needs to be moderni'ed accordingly Due to the current congestion and par:ing
issues connected to our pro*imity to &(84, Pro"idence 3ospital and the 5A>, new de"elopments should be pedestrian and acti"e
transportation focused As a conse$uence of the unfortunate pedestrian deaths occurring in +ast Portland, we want to ensure that
this trend does not continue in our neighborhood by concurrently building out a safe transportation networ: as density increases
(en%e here are our "eneral transportation-related re%ommendations to accommodate the e*pected growth facilitated by the
Comprehensi"e Plan #pdate/
Glisan between 41th and -1st .treets should be transformed into a neighborhood commercial center focused on pedestrian scale
de"elopment and streetscape -0th .treet needs pedestrian moderni'ation with 5A> station impro"ements to ma:e the wal: along
-0th .treet and ,lisan pleasant and in"iting from all directions
Burnside should be moderni'ed into a multi(modal neighborhood connector that would include fre$uent bus ser"ice with high
$uality shelters, safe pedestrian crossings, efficient neighborhood automobile conducti"ity and uninterrupted buffered bi:e lanes for
commuters from 41st to 11st .treets
Dastly, here is a list of spe%i.i% transportation-related re%ommendations that should be prioriti'ed as our neighborhood grows/
Automo#ile/
(A traffic circulation study regarding Caesar Cha"e', ,lisan, =urnside and 41th including Coe Circle and dedicated left turn signals
on ,lisan and 41th
(A dedicated left turn signal on -0th and =urnside Efor traffic turning east and westF
(&mpro"ements such as a new traffic pedestrian crosswal: light at %+ ,lisan and 66th
(!raffic calming on the off ramp from &(84 to ,lisan at 68th and solutions to neighborhood residential
(@Cut throughA street speeding including 44th;46th, 2illow, 67rd, 68th, and -1st
(Car(share par:ing space locations included with new de"elopments
Bi%y%le)
(Full =urnside =uffered =i:e Dane access from 41st(11st connecting the east Portland bi:e lanes with the inner east ,reenways of
An:eny and Couch
(Completion of the 60Gs =i:eway
(&mpro"ements o"er time of the Da"is(+"erett ,reenway including traffic calming, intersection moderni'ation at -0th and 41th, and
safe access to 5ount !abor 5iddle school at 61th
(Parallel ,reenway Access to -0th .treet from the 5A> to 5ount !abor par: based on -2nd
(&mpro"ed access to Fred 5eyer and 5onta"illa from @!he Poc:etA;=arrett)s Addition north of ,lisan
Pedestrian)
(,lisan .treetscape including bulb(outs, a speed limit drop west of 68th, and center refuge islands with flashing beacons e"ery one
to three bloc:s depending on density needs
(Proper lighting;crosswal: striping at dangerous intersections li:e 68th and -0th with pedestrian lead crossing timing
(=urnside sidewal: moderni'ation as properties rede"elop including .treet !rees
(Filling in sidewal: gaps at critical residential connections including =urnside between ,ilham and -8th, the Da"is ,reenway, and in
the Poc:et connecting the 5A> station with Fred 5eyer and %orth 5onta"illa
Pu#li% Transportation)
(!he 19 and 11 bus lines need co"ered, modern bus shelters and proper lighting
(=etter access to the 5A> station from the east and north
(&mpro"e H20 =urnside Fre$uent =us line stops that are located ne*t to crosswal:s
Frei"ht)
(%ew de"elopments should be re$uired to pro"ide loading 'ones, which do not interfere with traffic, bloc: pedestrians, !ri(met or
bicycle access and preferably be in bac: of the building
1nvironmental Monitorin")
(Along with transportation(related impro"ements, as part of ensuring that future density supports the wellbeing of %orth !abor
residents, we are interested in seeing air $uality monitoring since our neighborhood ser"es as a crossroads for inner eastside
transportation 2ith more density, we will see increased traffic on the freeway, light rail, and railroad as well as more pedestrians
and bicyclists tra"eling at pea: tra"el times According to Coalition for Di"able Future Atlas, %orth !abor has asthma rates that are
among the highest in the Portland area as neighborhoods ne*t to &(84 are 21(40 times abo"e the states air $uality e*posure
benchmar: for air to*ins
!han: you for your attention 2e loo: forward to discussing these ideas further in the ne*t phase of the Comprehensi"e Plan
#pdate
.incerely,
%orth !abor %eighborhood Association