With waterfront redevelopment plodding along at a snail's pace across the Great Lakes Basin, Portland, OR is aggressively pursuing a plan to reclaim the prime riverfront property along the Wilammette River from its industrial past. And the resolute action is paying big dividends.
The revitalization of the South Waterfront District - now underway - is the largest economic development project in Portland's history. More than $2.5 billion of investment is planned for the 140-acre former ship yards site over the course of the next decade. The project includes 2,700 residenital units, a four-acre greenway, a two-acre neighborhood park, and approx. 250,000 sq. ft. of new retail space.
The expansion of the Oregon Health and Science University campus is the project's center of gravity. When completed, university officials estimate the development will support more than 10,000 new jobs. And that doesn't include the hundreds of workers now toiling to build condos, lay streetcar track, and erect an aerial tram that will float over hills, houses, and highway to connect the waterfront with the university's impressive campus up above on Marquam Hill.
All this creativity and investment, and the Great Lakes city has barely revved up the bulldozers.
