April 15, 2003
From Transit Mall to Shopping Mall?
According to today's Oregonian, the long-standing wish of the Portland Business Alliance to radically change the downtown transit mall may be on the road to reality:
"The stars are starting to align," said Fred Hansen, TriMet general manager.
He said those stars include a desire by the business community to improve the downtown business climate and improved construction techniques that could revamp the malls in a fraction of their original construction time.
Part of the plan includes putting an expansion of light rail through the transit mall. But there's more:
Businesses have complained about the size of bus shelters, the dense foliage of trees, the mall's attractiveness to loiterers, the lack of a through lane for traffic and the absence of parking.
A Portland Business Alliance study last year of occupancy rates and business turnover showed Southwest Broadway and Fourth Avenues, the closest two streets flanking the mall, have stronger retail environments than the mall. The alliance has called for a return of limited parking on Fifth and Sixth as part of a new retail strategy.
Desire for parking [Portland architect Greg] Baldwin said adding a through traffic lane and light rail to the mall appears feasible. He also would like to add some parking during off-peak hours, but he said all the desires lead to "a process of putting 10 pounds in a 5-pound bag" given the width of the right of way. "We haven't figured out how to do all those things."
The only member of City Council mentioned in the article? PBA water carrier Commissioner Jim Francesconi:
Portland Commissioner Jim Francesconi, who oversees city transportation matters, said the federal government might pay as much as 60 percent of mall renovation costs. The local match could come from a series of sources, including business improvement districts, urban renewal money, city transportation revenue and a contribution from Portland State University. With more than 20,000 students and still growing, PSU is the city's largest single trip generator, making it an attractive destination for light rail.
He hopes to identify all potential money sources within six months. "We think we can do this without raising people's property taxes," Francesconi said.
Plans are due "later this year" -- hopefully in time for an adequate, broad-based, and thorough public involvement process.