GATEWAY MASTER STREET PLAN
Binding City Policy
BCP-TRN-7.07
PURPOSE
General Findings
1. In March 1996, the Portland City Council adopted the Outer Southeast Community Plan. The Plan identified the Gateway/Mall 205 Regional Center as a “…exciting new employment, commercial, and entertainment district, anchored by major retailers and office complexes.”
2. In February 2000, the Portland City Council adopted the Opportunity Gateway Concept Plan and Redevelopment Strategy. The Opportunity Gateway Concept Plan and Redevelopment Strategy included a concept plan map showing a picture of the Regional Center’s redevelopment potential and build-out in 2019. The concept plan map called for a traditional block configuration in the Central Gateway portion of the Gateway District. While new streets and connections were identified in the plan map, they were also intended to be subject to change in response to development opportunities. The Opportunity Gateway report states: the concept plan “is rigid enough to be a statement of what is and is not desirable in the Regional Center, and flexible enough to be useful even as redevelopment circumstances change.”
3. In June 2000, Metro adopted The Nature of 2040, The Region’s 50-year Plan for Managing Growth. This Plan identified the Gateway District as a regional center.
4. In June 2001, the Portland City Council adopted the Gateway Regional Center Urban Renewal Plan. This established the Gateway District regional center as a tax increment district.
5. In August 2007, the Portland Development Commission adopted the Central Gateway Redevelopment Strategy. The Redevelopment Strategy concluded with four strategies for implementing the vision, one of which was to resolve the street plan with the goal of increasing connectivity in Central Gateway, providing greater certainty to developers about street requirements, and opening up parcels for redevelopment.
6. In September 2007, the Portland Development Commission presented the key findings and recommendations included in the Central Gateway Redevelopment Strategy to the Planning Commission. This included an overview of the strategy to revise the street plan.
7. Between July 2007 and May 2008, a committee of property owners, developers, and several bureau representatives, including the Bureaus of Transportation, Planning and Sustainability, Parks and Recreation, and Environmental Services, developed the proposed Central Gateway street plan.
8. Since Summer 2007, regular bi-monthly updates about the proposed street plan and amendment were given to the Opportunity Gateway Program Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC includes east Portland residents, business interests and other stakeholders from the Portland community.
9. In March 2009, the Portland Bureau of Transportation contacted the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to determine whether or not the proposed modifications to the Gateway Master Street Plan will “significantly affect” on state transportation facilities for purposes of the City preparing Transportation Planning Rule 060 findings. On March 23, 2009, the ODOT submitted a responses stating that they reviewed the proposed street plan modifications “…and determined that the proposed changes are not significantly different from what was previously adopted in the Gateway Master Street Plan and primarily affects local circulation and not State highway operations” and that no additional state review is required. ODOT’s response is included in Exhibit C.
10. On May 7, 2009, notice of the proposed action was mailed to the Department of Land Conservation and Development in compliance with the post-acknowledgement review process required by OAR 660-18-020.
11. On July 14, 2009, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Portland Development Commission presented the findings and map and text amendment to the Portland Planning Commission. The map and text amendment are attached as Exhibit A and Exhibit B, respectively. The Planning Commission recommended supporting the Gateway District Master Street Plan amendments to the Transportation System Plan and Comprehensive Plan, with the suggestion that the Portland Development Commission and Bureau of Transportation continue to work with property owners to address their concerns about future development or improvements on their lot.
12. The Portland Transportation System Plan includes the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan. By amending the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan in the Transportation System Plan, the Comprehensive Plan is also amended.
13. The proposed amendments to the Transportation System Plan are consistent with applicable portions of the Statewide Planning Goals, Metro's Functional Plan, and the City's comprehensive plan for the reasons explained in the findings attached as Exhibit D.
14. The purpose of the amendment is to:
a. Provide flexibility for connections while maintaining larger parcels for redevelopment.
b. Recognize existing parcel lines.
c. Provide connectivity on the local network without altering the district or neighborhood collectors.
d. Foster redevelopment in the City’s only Regional Center.
POLICY
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
a. The Portland Comprehensive Plan is amended by amending the Portland Master Street Plan (Map 11.11.3 Gateway District) in Chapter 2 of the Portland Transportation System Plan as shown in Exhibit A.
b. Chapter 11 of the Portland Transportation System Plan is amended as shown in Exhibit B.
c. This ordinance is binding City policy.
Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because delay in implementation would limit the ability for redevelopment to occur; therefore, this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.
Link to Exhibits A, B, C and D (PDF Document, 3.8 MB)
HISTORY
Emergency Ordinance No. 183270, passed by City Council and effective October 22, 2009.