City Commissions Strategy for Properties Near Downtown Waterfront Park

PORTLAND-A team of professional services firms led by Emmons Architects have been commissioned by the city’s urban renewal agency to develop a revitalization strategy for underutilized properties within two blocks of Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which forms the eastern border of Downtown Portland.

“It’s time to revive the buildings and empty parcels overlooking Waterfront Park and the riverfront,” says Amy Miller Dowell, Project Manager for the Portland Development Commission, which is paying $100,000 for the plan. “We want this project to help create an outstanding downtown riverfront environment.”

Currently, Tom McCall Park is a destination for a variety of events and draws the public to experience the river year round. Directly across Naito Parkway, however, the city says many buildings suffer from ground floor vacancies and unrealized potential, while other properties lie fallow as surface parking lots.