Mayor Sam Adams unveils 3 new initiatives that are slated to help underserved communities

Dear Portlander,

This afternoon, Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen and I made an exciting announcement at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization in East Portland. In partnership with the Portland Development Commission, we have three new initiatives that will infuse resources into underserved Portland-area neighborhood business districts, boosting small business growth and neighborhood prosperity in priority areas of east Portland and Multnomah County.

This is a huge step. In the six short months since the City Council endorsed PDC’s Neighborhood Economic Development Strategy, we are moving these important initiatives forward. We’re committed to an equitable future for all Portland residents. To do that, we must change the way we invest, and the way we work with each other.

Here’s how we’re going to do that:

Chair Cogen unveiled a county-wide microloan program, the first of the three initiatives. The microlending program, which will be accessible county-wide, will help businesses get access to the capital they need to succeed.

“The poor economy continues to hit everyone in our community pretty hard, especially small and emerging businesses,” said Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen at today’s announcement event. “This program is especially a must for people of color and immigrants who often face hurdles getting even small loans.”

I also announced the Small Business Development Program, developed by the City of Portland and PDC to grow and strengthen existing small businesses through technical assistance and training. A total of $450,000 will be allocated among five non-profit organizations, to support assistance for approximately 150 to 200 businesses over the course of the next year.

The third initiative, which I originally outlined in my February 2011 State of the City speech as neighborhood opportunity districts, is the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative (NPI). The NPI will focus investments in priority neighborhoods to boost neighborhood business growth, provide economic development opportunities, and improve community-wide prosperity. This initiative also implements key objectives outlined in the Portland Plan, the City’s strategy for a more prosperous, healthy, equitable Portland.  Successful neighborhood businesses are the core of vibrant neighborhoods.

Therefore, the NPI will focus investments in priority neighborhoods to boost neighborhood business growth, provide economic development opportunities and improve community-wide prosperity. Six proposed areas – NE 42nd Avenue; Cully Boulevard; Parkrose; Rosewood; SE Division Street from 124th to 148th Avenue; and SE Division and 82nd Avenue ( click here for a map) – will use public and private funding for a continuum of services that position businesses for economic success. The final selection of areas in January 2012 will be based on milestones met, community interest, and commitment.

For too long, these neighborhoods have been ignored. The City and the County, in partnership with the Portland Development Commission, are striving to change that–to demonstrate our commitment to equity, our commitment to making all our neighborhoods healthy and competitive, and our commitment to creating jobs and improving all facets of Portland’s economy.

Sincerely,

Sam Adams

Mayor

Home Energy IQ: Discover easy ways to save energy at home at free workshops in Portland

September 14th Landlord Study Hall – Pet rent, utility fees, and more! Legal sources of revenue!

Join us for our next Landlord Study Hall.

Who: Landlord Study Hall, speaker Marcia Goman from Princeton Property Management.  Don”t miss this engaging and funny speaker as she teaches you ways to increase your revenue from rentals.

What: a free forum for landlords to learn more about working within the law with rentals in Oregon. 

Where:  Our Lady of Sorrows Church, SE 52nd and SE Woodstock, Portland, Oregon.  Parish hall, SW corner of the complex.

When: 9/14/11, 6:30pm.  RSVP required: 503-772-8825 x 3.

Landlord Study Hall is sponsored by Kathryn King, principal broker at KJK Properties, P.C., and Amy Barnhouse, Attorney at Law, Hummel and Barnhouse, P.C.

Barbur Concept Plan getting ready to roll – Courtesy of the City of Portland

Barbur Concept Plan getting ready to roll

Have you heard the rumor about light rail coming to Barbur Blvd? It could come true, but there are a lot of decisions to be made beforehand. The City of Portland is working with Metro, ODOT, TriMet and the cities of Tigard, Tualatin, King City and Sherwood to plan for some form of high-capacity transit (i.e., light rail, streetcar, rapid bus service) somewhere in the southwest corridor. Before those transit decisions are made, however, the five cities are working with their communities to develop a vision for their respective sections of the corridor to inform the regional transit decisions. A Barbur light rail line is just one possibility among many being considered as part of the Southwest Corridor Plan.

The Southwest Corridor Plan is a comprehensive planning effort led by Metro to create livable and sustainable communities along the corridor between Portland, Tigard and Sherwood through integrated community investments in land use and transportation. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is beginning work on a portion of that planning process, the Barbur Concept Plan, which will create a long-term vision for the six-mile Barbur Boulevard corridor, from Portland’s Central City to the Tigard city limit. This means identifying potential station areas where housing and jobs would be best served by improved transit, and what sorts of amenities and infrastructure improvements are needed to make these areas successful and enjoyable places to live and work.

Portland’s Barbur Concept Plan kicks off in September with two planned neighborhood walks and a community working group meeting. Visit www.portlandonline.com/bps/barbur to get on the project mailing list and learn more about this exciting project for the southwest’s major boulevard and corridor.

Cully Main Street and Local Street Plans project off and running – September 8, 2011

Cully Main Street and Local Street Plans project off and running – September 8, 2011

A lot has been happening around Cully Boulevard these days. In addition to the green street improvements that were recently completed and celebrated by the community on June 21, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability hosted a Roll and Stroll event to kick off the Cully Main Street and Local Street Plans project. See Cully Neighborhood Roll and Stroll Summary for event results.

Existing Conditions Report now available online

To start the project, staff researched and documented existing conditions of the Cully Main Street area and the Cully neighborhood overall, particularly its transportation system. The results of that research are summarized in the new Existing Conditions Report, which includes key findings about business climate conditions, transportation and mobility options and challenges, and community desires for enhanced neighborhood services.

Cully Main Street Redevelopment Analysis ready for review

The market research firm, Marketek Inc., which specializes in market analysis and economic development services for downtown revitalization projects, has completed an analysis of the existing conditions and potential for future development of the Cully Main Street area. This information will inform future rezoning recommendations to enhance the area with more opportunities for commercial development. The analysis focused on:

 retail/office/service analysis and identification of businesses that can be supported in the project area for a 25-year planning horizon.

A commercial land needs analysis to quantify the land required for supportable businesses.

To learn more about the Cully Main Street Project Redevelopment Analysis, please visit www.portlandonline.com/bps/cullymainstreet.

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