The West Quadrant Charrette is coming up soon — the second week of June. As the culminating event in the second phase of the West Quadrant Plan process, the charrette will develop design concepts and layers, test them against CC2035 Concept Plan goals and policies, and provide opportunities for stakeholder, staff and public input.

There are several times during the week for participation, and the general public is invited to attend two open houses. All events will take place at 1900 SW 4^th Avenue, Room 7A (7^th floor).

• Open House #1: Tuesday, June 11, 5 – 7 p.m., Informal review and Q&A
• Open House #2: Friday, June 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Formal presentation at 12 p.m.

To attend for a longer time and help develop ideas for the West End, Downtown and South Downtown areas, consider coming on Monday, June 10. There will be an opening presentation and three breakout sessions to choose from:

• Opening Presentation: 8:30 – 10:15 a.m., Review Goose Hollow, Pearl District, Old Town/Chinatown, South Waterfront concepts
• Breakout Session A: 10:15 am – 12:15 p.m., Concept development for Downtown, South Downtown and West End
• Breakout Session B: 1:15 – 2:45 p.m., Concept development for smaller areas within Downtown, South Downtown and West End
• Breakout Session C: 3 – 4:30 p.m., (Same as Session B)

Project staff will be working with other agencies, City bureaus and the West Quadrant Stakeholder Advisory Committee the rest of the week. The general public is also invited to attend Report Back and Q&A sessions at the end of the day on Wednesday, June 12 (4 – 5 p.m.) and Thursday, June 13 (4:45 – 5:15 p.m.). A week-long charrette schedule with all event details is also available for review.

But what the heck is a charrette?

A charrette is an intense period of design or planning activity. Often used to bring together multiple stakeholders during one timeframe, a successful charrette will generate many ideas and promote joint ownership of solutions.

Roughly at mid point in the process, the West Quadrant Plan team is holding the charrette to synthesize the research and ideas gathered so far with stakeholders and the public in order to move into the next phase of the planning process ― concept planning. The West Quadrant Plan will ultimately guide growth, development and investments in the western part of Portland’s Central City.

For questions or comments regarding the West Quadrant Charrette or the planning process please contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

Photos courtesy of Bruce Forester and Sally Painter.

Do you live, work, go to school or visit the West Quadrant of Portland’s Central City? Do you care about the future of the Pearl District, Old Town/Chinatown, Goose Hollow, the West End, Downtown, South Downtown and/or South Waterfront? We’d like to hear from you.

Tell us what you think by filling out the West Quadrant Issues and Opportunities Survey, available online through May 10, 2013. Share your ideas and preferences for these West Quadrant areas, and give us your input on topics such as housing, transportation and neighborhood services.

The survey and West Quadrant Reader, a short newspaper-like document outlining issues, opportunities and ideas for Portland’s West Quadrant, are part of the first phase of the West Quadrant planning process. The survey is a starting point for the public conversation about the West Quadrant, and your responses will help the project team outline directions for the West Quadrant Plan.

For more information, please contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

Downtown Work Session

Thursday, May 2, 2013

4:00 – 6:30 pm

1900 SW 4^th Avenue, Room 7A

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) is developing the West Quadrant Plan, which will guide long-range land use planning for the Central City on the west side of the Willamette River. Please join us for a work session to learn about the planning process and provide input on:

• Issues that should be addressed
• Opportunities and ideas for the future

This work session will cover all the areas within the Downtown Neighborhood Association boundary. During the event, attendees will split into small groups and discuss specific areas including the Downtown retail core and waterfront, the West End, PSU, South Auditorium and RiverPlace. Staff will use the feedback to prioritize issues that should be addressed moving forward in the planning process.

For more information about the West Quadrant Plan or this event, contact Elisa Hamblin at: (503)823-9714 or at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

A meeting agenda can be found online.

The West Quadrant Plan team held three major public events in March. The West Quadrant Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) held its first meeting on March 11 and set the foundation for their work, identifying issues and directions for the West Quadrant. Upcoming meetings in April and May will continue these discussions at the system wide and neighborhood scale. A planning forum and charrette for the Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood, held on two consecutive Fridays in the White Stag Building, attracted full houses. Staff is working on a summary of key ideas and concepts from the events which should be available in early May. Similar efforts for Goose Hollow are helping staff to get a running start at the quadrant planning process. Feedback has been enthusiastic and informative.

To kick off the West Quadrant Plan, the project team developed the West Quadrant Reader and an accompanying online survey. A short newspaper-like document outlining issues, opportunities and ideas for Portland’s West Quadrant, the Reader is a starting point for the public conversation about the West Quadrant and will help people give feedback via the online survey. The West Quadrant Issues and Opportunities Survey seeks community input on topics such as housing, transportation and neighborhood services. It is available online through May 10, 2013.

Upcoming April Events

West Quadrant Plan SAC Meeting #2 (link includes meeting materials): Monday, April 1, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Downtown Neighborhood Workshop: Tuesday, April 8, 5:30- 6:30 p.m.

West Quadrant Plan SAC Meeting #3: Monday, April 22, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. 

For print copies of the West Quadrant Reader or to schedule a presentation about the project to your community groups — or if you have any questions about the West Quadrant Plan, please contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.

As part of the West Quadrant Plan, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability held two early events in December 2012 to focus on the Goose Hollow District of the Central City. Both the workshop and concept development charrette helped to identify assets, issues and opportunities as well as generate ideas for the future of the area. A Summary Report and Appendix provide a recap of the results from these two events. Some of the highlights from the community input include: 

• Goose Hollow has many assets that make it a desirable place to live and work, including its central location, historic buildings, neighborhood feel, views, and trees/greenery.
• There is a desire for the district to become a more active and vibrant place. Participants noted that there is currently no clear center or retail main street within the Goose Hollow area. SW Jefferson was identified as a possible neighborhood main street.
• There is an identified need for better connections and an improved pedestrian environment that help link Goose Hollow with surrounding areas and make walking and biking in Goose Hollow more enjoyable. 
• Participants had a desire for more usable open space that serves a neighborhood park function. Adding new open space, as well as repurposing existing open space such as Collin's Circle, were suggested.
• There is support for redevelopment of the Lincoln High School as an "urban school" with community amenities and potentially a mix of uses.
• Lastly, there is also a need to consider more flexibility for a broader range of uses in parts of the district (currently residential development is required in much of the area).

The ideas presented in the report will continue to be refined with stakeholders and the Goose Hollow Foothills League in the coming months and will feed into the larger West Quadrant Plan Charrette scheduled for June 2013. For more information about the Goose Hollow planning process, contact Elisa Hamblin at (503) 823-9714 or via email at elisa.hamblin@portlandoregon.gov.