The City of Portland has released the Lower SE Rising (LSER) Area Plan Proposed Draft, a long-range land use and transportation plan to address the needs of one of Portland’s most neglected areas. The plan covers the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood and nearby areas, including parts of the Mt Scott-Arleta, Woodstock, and Lents neighborhoods.
The LSER Plan evolved from two years of community conversations about increasing neighborhood commercial and business services, housing diversity, and safe transportation options in the plan area. Now Portlanders can review the plan and tell us what they think.
The Portland Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Oct. 10, 2023, at 5 p.m. to hear what the community thinks about the LSER Plan’s proposals. Keep reading to learn about the Plan and how you can testify between now and the date of the hearing.
What’s in the Proposed Draft?
The Plan includes zone changes to expand opportunities for more neighborhood businesses and affordable housing options, along with transportation improvements to make it easier for people to meet their daily needs locally, including:
- Fostering a neighborhood business district in a new Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood center around SE 72nd and Flavel to serve as a hub for commercial services with additional housing options.
- Turning SE 52nd and SE 72nd into mixed-use corridors with more housing options,commercial hubs at key intersections, and better transit service to allow more types of housing, including more affordable options, along corridors and around mixed-use centers, giving more people the chance to live close to transit and commercial and community services.
- Transportation improvements to make it safer and easier to walk, bike and take transit in the area. The plan focuses on busier streets like SE 52nd, SE 72nd, and SE Woodstock, with proposals for safety improvements and transit. The plan also includes neighborhood greenway projects to fill in gaps in the bicycle and pedestrian networks as well as provide safe connections to parks, schools and other community destinations.
- Community stabilization recommendations to support affordable housing and small businesses, as well as connect people to resources so that all can benefit from future improvements.
Learn more
Read the Proposed Draft plan
The full Proposed Draft of the Lower SE Rising Area Plan is now available for review.
Visit the Map App
To learn how proposed zoning affects specific properties, visit the project Map App.
More information
More information on the Lower SE Rising Area Plan, including a plan summary.
Tell the Planning Commission what you think
Testify at the Planning Commission hearing
The hearing on Oct. 10, 2023, at 5 p.m. will be a hybrid format, with options to participate either in person or virtually using a computer, mobile device, or telephone. You must sign up to testify in advance.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the hearing. The deadline to sign up for the Oct. 10 hearing is Mon., Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. Individuals have three minutes to testify, unless stated otherwise at the hearing.
Submit written testimony
We strongly encourage electronic written testimony. Written testimony must be received by the end of the hearing on Oct. 10 and must include your name and address.
Use the Map App
Testify in writing via the Map App
Click on "Lower SE Rising Area Plan," then click the "Testify" button. Testifying in the Map App is as easy as sending an email.
U.S. Mail
Portland Planning Commission
Lower SE Rising Area Plan Testimony
1810 SW 5th Ave, Suite 710
Portland, OR 97201
What happens next?
After the public hearing, the Planning Commission will consider all written and oral testimony on this proposal. The Planning Commission will then forward a recommendation to City Council for consideration and additional public review and comment. A City Council hearing date is yet to be determined.