City Seeking Proposals for North Interstate Property

PORTLAND-A 36,000-sf chunk of city-owned land is up for grabs at the northeast corner of North Interstate Avenue and Killingsworth Street, along the city’s new light rail line.

The Portland Development Commission, the city’s urban renewal agency, recently put out a Request for Proposals for redevelopment of the property, which is currently occupied by three single-family homes, one duplex, a former filling station and an undeveloped lot. The PDC is looking for proposals that would turn the property into a mixed-use residential-over-retail development. Preliminary drawings show a four-story structure with roughly 75 apartment units.

“Economic market analysis has given strong indication that there is capacity for more retail in the area,” PDC Development Manager John Southgate tells GlobeSt.com. “Tri-Met counted 100 retail businesses along Interstate when they started the light rail project and since that time 20 new businesses have located there.” Southgate says it has been mostly coffee shops “and that sort of thing” that are popping up, largely in response to adidas’ new headquarters and the expansion of Portland Community College’s campus, which also has helped push up the value of single family homes in the area.