A new city proposal would redevelop six blocks of Montgomery Street near Portland State into a one-way street that would increase foot traffic and expand retail and living spaces.
Dubbed Green Streets, the project encompasses a six-block radius, running east from the park blocks to the Pettygrove Park on Southwest First and Montgomery. Portland State has partnered with the Portland Development Commission and other private developer interest on Green Streets.
The proposal was named Green Streets for its basis in sustainability. Project heads hope to put storm drains across the six blocks to prevent water from collecting in reservoirs, and each of the residential buildings will be built using fossil-free construction practices.
The basis of the project is to make Montgomery act as a connecting point between PSU and city developments in east downtown, creating a safe pedestrian corridor for students and linking eastern residential properties and new retail to campus.
“Mill [one block north of Montgomery] is already one way westbound,” said Earnest Tipton, campus design and planning manager at PSU. “We’re proposing that Montgomery be one-way eastbound in order to accommodate increased pedestrian activity.”
Montgomery currently serves two-way traffic, but one-way traffic would be easier on students, according to Tipton.
“A one way street would be safer,” said Tipton. “And right now PSU is talking to the city about a traffic change.”
Aside from increased pedestrian precedence, the goal of the project is to improve the streetscape of the Montgomery blocks, allowing for over 50,000 square feet of new retail, parking and living spaces.
“Part of improving the streetscape is providing furnishings for pedestrian synergy, which means more shopping and parking spaces,” said Tipton. “We want to create and strengthen more pedestrian linkage throughout campus and across the [Southwest] district.”
With the new retail and living space development part of the proposal, an improved streetscape is expected to create a more dynamic environment for the large pedestrian volumes the project could bring. By improving and streamlining the Montgomery area aesthetically, Tipton expects that the project would play a part in linking students with the new recreation center, which will replace the Portland Center for Advanced Technology, as well as private condo and apartment projects that are developing to the east.
“The primary idea here is shared pedestrian and vehicular space,” said Tipton. “Each block [of the project] will have different conditions, but all blocks must work together as a whole. The difference is in the type of transportation. Near campus there’s more foot traffic, and near the center [of the Montgomery blocks] there’s more traffic. We want to make it easier for everyone, but give the pedestrian the priority.”
While the focus is on pedestrians, the project still maintains a heavy focus on residential and commercial development. Two new residential condo buildings, proposed on and around the area of Southwest Fourth Avenue, are expected to add 1,000 new homeowners to the area.
Another part of the project is the development of the block on Southwest Fourth and Harrison that held the once-popular Jasmine Tree tiki-bar, which was closed for property development. The block will have a residential and commercial property built on it, with new condos and apartment complexes, a new grocery store and accompanying parking accommodations.
Green Streets also falls in line with PSU’s commitment to sustainability, utilizing storm water management and green building practices such as fossil fuel-free power for new residential construction.
Still in its planning stages, Green Streets still is far from completion. The Portland Development Commission is applying for grants to cover costs for planning services and green design strategy implementation.
But the project will benefit from incremental construction, according to Tipton. By developing the elements of the project piece by piece, Green Street’s policies can easily be put in place to help guide future development.
“The best planning happens in incremental stages,” Tipton said.
The proposed project would work in conjunction within all city, partner and private development plans for the area that have been developed over the last four decades, ensuring a successful implementation of the project’s proposals, according to project heads.