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What would make the Broadway Corridor (downtown USPS redevelopment) project an inclusive place for all Portlanders?

11 registered responses


Food & Beverages

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Greenery

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Sports & Recreation

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Pedestrian/Transit Amenities

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James Muggenburg outside Foster 1/2 Mile Corridor
August 1, 2018, 8:03 AM
  • What is your top priority for the Broadway Corridor project?
    1. Support small business and economic growth

      Support small business and economic growth
  • What news banner headline would you like to see about the Broadway Corridor area in ten years?

    "'North Broadway" (the project needs a name other than 'The Broadway Corridor', breaks-ground for final project component."

  • Describe your concerns about the Broadway Corridor project.

    That the "priority list above" is applicable to ANY project, and not specific to the Broadway Corridor, indicating to me at least, there is no real focus or vision here as to what the Project should be and accomplish.

    This focus for me should generally sound something like: 'To provide a 21st century complex of new buildings, public open spaces, and infrastructure that are state of the art urban planning and architectures, such that it makes the rest of the existing and adjoining Portland downtown look and feel like the failed urban planning form it is, and consequently spur upgrades and improvements to match the Broadway Corridor Project.

    It must also be decided if this project is going to be a new "mini-downtown", or something more lowkey and neighborhood-oriented (so to speak). If it becomes a "new downtown", it will sap what real estate energy that exists from the historical downtown (floundering a bit for MANY reasons), and from the "northeast side" and Lloyd District also floundering. Downtown cannot afford to be diminished because of this project; it can happen! I for one, saw it happen in Chicago where one building (Water Tower Place) built on North Michigan Avenue, began/ continued the seemingly impossible "quasi-destruction" of Chicago's historic and downtown, The Loop.

    In other words: 1. Do not compete with Downtown Portland. 2. Do not extend the boring and inadequate typical Portland city grid (too small blocks thus requiring too much right of way) into the Project.....including the 8-story (Oouuh, I'm afraid of tall buildings!), too short height/ density mindset this city has. The Embarcadero Center in San Francisco comes to mind in some ways as a model. 3. Make innovative use of the multi-level grade changes provided throughout the project and its perimeter....again the Embarcadero Center comes to mind, as does the extensive build-out of the Columbus Drive extension in Chicago east of Michigan Avenue and north of Grant Park. 4. Do not destroy the "Greyhound Bus Station"....it is one of the finest buildings in Portland and should be legally protected, and enhanced. 5. Make the necessary, much needed improvements to rationalize the transit mess created in the adjacent "northern terminus" of the downtown transit mall, etc.; extend that transit integrally into the Broadway Project, and connect all of this to the Train and Bus Stations, and allowing for future high-speed rail and subway construction. Extend and simplify the grade and street connections to the northwest of the Project where development is increasing but which has a tenuous connection to the City to the south. 6. Finally, do not provide a "token" north park blocks extension with one new park block, but rather a robust and wider extension of the park blocks thru-out the Project, all the way to Lovejoy as a minimum.

    It would be nice to try and keep the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (what a euphemistic name!) with their quaint and timid, limited concepts of what a City can and should be,....OUT of the Project planning as much as possible.

  • Do you think the Broadway Corridor project is a good opportunity for you and your community?
    • Yes
  • Why?
    The Project is so big as to boggle the mind....so it needs careful world-clas design and planning to be a success. Perhaps the City will not be able to absorb all the space to be developed in the Project....this is a major economic problem that requires close attention. A vision is needed that will make the project recognized and praised worldwide, rather than criticised and/ or ignored.
  • Will you continue to participate in the planning of the Broadway Corridor project?
    • Yes
  • Why?
    Too important of a Project to be typically hijacked by BPS and the development community....both have very limited ideas as to what is possible!
  • What best describes your connection to the Broadway Corridor located in the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood? (Check all that apply)
    • I take the MAX or bus in the area or I take the train at Union Station
    • I drive through the area
    • I walk through the area
    • I visit the area for food, shopping, or entertainment
    • Other - The 24-hour nature of the Main Post Office and its ability to provide wonderful mail service to downtown and the City in general. I suggest the incorporation of a sizable USPS facility in the "bowels" of the Project....this IS Possible and Important!
  • Select the top 3 locations
    • The Columbia Gorge, including Multnomah Falls
    • Washington Park, and the many attractions close-in there (Japanese Garden, the Park landscaping, Rose Gardens, Views of Downtown, etc.)
    • Pioneer Court House Square
  • Explain why you made these selections.

    They are truly unique and internationally acclaimed locations, and not embarrassing, such as some of the sites given in your list.
    Btw, why these choices?...They are somewhat ludicrous: No mention of the Columbia Gorge, Dawson Park (what is it?), Union Station Plaza (it barely exists except as a concept that separates patrons from transit), etc.

  • What activities would you like to do in the Broadway Corridor project area that you can't do now in the city? (Types of events, recreational activities, programs, etc.)

    1. Better street and parking access to Union Station; AND allowing for future highspeed rail and subway construction.
    2. Reasonably priced, city provided parking garages.
    3. Keep the Post Office as much as possible, maintaining not less than the current street and parking access.
    4. DO NOT compete with and sap energy from downtown. For instance: the BPS has been trying to develop a large open public plaza space (a Times Square as they term it) unlike and instead of Pioneer Court House Square, that will NOT disable overall city rapid transit when 'accommodating' large city-wide assemblies and rallies, as currently happens in Court House Square which has a limited assembly area consequently.
    5. A TRUE intermodal transportation center that would embrace Union Station, the Bus Station, city bus routes, inter-city and commuter bus routes, trimet lightrail, street and parking access, and maybe airport shuttle bus routes, etc.

  • What will make the public spaces in the Broadway Corridor project area feel comfortable, safe and welcoming to you and your family?

    Broad and large, active, 'enclosed' (by surrounding tall buildings), seriously landscaped [with: a) BIG trees, etc....not just the typical small "city sidewalk" tree.....but at least as large as the trees on the downtown bus mall; b) Major, world-class, destination, multi-level water/ fountain feature (at least as extensive as Seattle's Freeway Park and our Halpern Keller fountain opposite the Keller) and also including truly "tall" and involved waterspouts...Buckingham Fountain in Chicago's Grant Park comes to mind.)]

  • Play
    • World-class Park with world-class fountains/ water features.
    • Major extension of the North Park Blocks, but not just as small, chopped-up blocks....see above.
  • Events
    • See above "Play".
    • However, do not develop a "Times Square" type plaza that would compete with Pioneer Square, despite what BPS might think would be a good ides, lol.
  • Retail
    • Again, DO NOT COMPETE with Downtown, which IS shakey as it is. A downtown can be 'eviscerated' by upscale, adjacent retail developments. SEE MY COMMENTS ABOVE. In other words" Do not solicit/ encourage a Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, etc.....those must be located DOWNTOWN!
  • Sustainable Infrastructure
    • Just That; multi-level, safe, etc., and including major parking garages (despite BPS's 'pie-in-the sky', always just wishful thinking.)
    • Require covered ground/ street arcades in the new buildings...and the floor area of which would NOT be included in the Building's FAR.
    • The multilevel right-of-ways, connections, etc. should be built by the City following a truly creative master plan prepared by Others, and funded by development fees from the Project Developers.
  • Education
    • Should a elementary and high school be included? At some point, all of this new residential development is going to require supporting educational facilities; the problem with this is the need for extensive, dedicated, exterior, open, areas for playgrounds and athletic fields and facilities
    • Perhaps a hi-rise "Downtown Community College" branch?
  • Arts & Culture
    • Again, do not compete with existing facilities downtown...strength sapping.
  • Social Services
    • Include affordable housing in all new residential using the following model: Built as normal units as the other building units; market rate rent paid for by the City; such units to be scattered thru-out the building rather than clustered, so that no real negative affect is incurred by the building. THIS IS A METHODOLOGY THAT SHOULD BE USED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THRU-OUT THE CITY AND SUBURBS. IT HAS BEEN SUCESSFULLY USED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS IN THE COUNTRY AND OVERSEAS.
    • I doubt that a homeless facility should be included in the Project.
    • Also, I suppose that space should be allocated for religious facilities and their ancillary parking needs.
    • Space for police facilities, etc.
    • Perhaps a major new hi-rise medical facility?
  • Incubator Spaces
    No response.
  • Food & Beverages
    • Allow for outside dining space, some covered; and i guess food cart pods in a few locations...after all this is portland, lol.
  • Greenery
    • See comments above. Would be nice if park areas had a more landscaped feeling rather than the more typical hardscapes of some central city "parks".
    • Additional new park areas could be provided as well for existing adjacent city areas by providing large park areas along the perimeter of the Project in addition to any interior park areas.
  • Sports & Recreation
    • Include some smaller scaled sports facilities.....who would fund, administer and design?
  • Pedestrian/Transit Amenities
    • See my many comments above....DO NOT extend the typical small-block city grid into the Project, chopping the site into scads of too-small blocks.
    • Use wider sidewalks than the City Standard. Perhaps the entire Projects should have it's own "development standards" for construction that would supercede the BPS Zoning and PBOT regulations and standards.
    • One of the real challenges of the Project in the difficulty of providing ground floor active spaces along the perimeter of the Project as well as within....that is a HUGE amount of retail and similar space that will need a population sufficient to support it.
    • Develop a Project that is active 24/ 7.
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Broadway Corridor Visioning

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Support small business and economic growth

Create parks and open space

Promote arts and culture

Create jobs

Deliver affordable housing

Create a sustainable community


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