POSTED JANUARY 30, 2020
(Portland, OR) –
Portland Parks & Recreation is allocating $8 million in funding from System Development Charges towards extending the North Park Blocks. Located between NW Glisan and Hoyt and NW 8th and Park Avenues, the project will transform a City-owned parking lot next to the Pacific NW College of Art into a new public green space. The endeavor also aligns with the larger Broadway Corridor project.
“Extending the North Park Blocks will add valuable green space to the Central City and give Portlanders additional access to the housing, offices, shops, and transportation routes which the Broadway Corridor project will offer,” says Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Parks are an integral part of this new neighborhood that is adding thousands of new households and offices.”
When complete, the northernmost North Park Block will transition straight to another new park on the redeveloped post office site. It will also help improved connections between the Pearl District and Old Town/Chinatown.
“The newest North Park Block will provide an important place for neighbors and visitors to relax, to play, and to reflect,” says Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long. “We appreciate the partnership the City enjoys with key stakeholders, including area businesses and the highly-regarded Pacific Northwest College of Art, as this project continues.”
System Development Charges (SDCs) are one-time fees assessed on new development to cover a portion of the cost of providing specific types of public infrastructure required as a result of this development. Park SDCs help ensure that Portland's quality of life keeps pace with our growing and changing city by providing additional parks and recreation facilities needed to accommodate growth.
About the Broadway Corridor
The Broadway Corridor is an urban development project which will positively change Portland’s downtown landscape and catalyze significant investments. It’s envisioned to be a unique, diverse, vibrant, sustainable, mixed-use, dense urban district seamlessly integrated with a regional multi-modal transportation hub.
The Broadway Corridor encompasses the former U.S. Postal Service site, and is a key opportunity site for high-density employment, mixed-income housing, and signature city attractions and amenities. The project will connect the Old Town/Chinatown and Pearl District neighborhoods, with the goal to maximize community benefits, particularly to those groups that haven’t benefited from other urban projects.
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