Revitalizing Downtown Portland: Insights from Tina Kotek's Task Force
In February, I attended a panel discussion about the efforts of Gov. Tina Kotek’s Portland Revitalization Task Force, shedding light on a new effort aimed at breathing new life into the heart of Oregon's largest city.
The overarching goal of the task force is clear: to provide actionable plans with both short and long-term objectives to revitalize the central city. Recognizing the statewide implications of a thriving downtown—impacting tourism, the wine industry, and the attractiveness to potential employees—the task force has drawn together a diverse array of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
Comprising 45 members representing various spheres of influence, including government officials, non-profit leaders, and business stakeholders, the task force spent four months laboring across five committees to formulate recommendations for the governor. This concerted effort reflects a broad-based commitment to the initiative, with real decision-makers invested in driving tangible change. Member’s from Kotek’s team attended committee meetings as well.
The task force identified several focal points for immediate action, including cleanliness and safety as paramount. A 90-day state of emergency against the opioid Fentanyl was declared, enabling the mobilization of additional resources to combat the crisis. Enhancing police training and presence, along with fostering coordination between law enforcement and mental health resources, are key components of this initiative.
Moreover, addressing housing and homelessness emerged as a critical priority. The strategy begins with establishing shelters equipped with essential resources to stabilize individuals, subsequently guiding them towards permanent housing solutions. Temporary housing is not enough. Gov. Kotek's ambitious goal of constructing 37,000 new housing units underscores the commitment to tackling this complex issue head-on. It will be critical to find more effective ways to link the resources available with the resources people who are struggling with houselessness and substance abuse. While there are many providers offering specific services, there is no one overseeing them all and efficiently distributing them.
Streamlining development processes and repurposing underutilized commercial spaces for mixed-use and residential purposes are integral to revitalization efforts. By reducing bureaucratic red tape and encouraging adaptive reuse, the task force aims to invigorate downtown areas and foster a sense of vibrancy.
Collaboration is paramount for sustained success, with the task force emphasizing the importance of breaking down silos and fostering multi-layered governmental engagement. A concerted PR campaign will be needed to reshape perceptions of Portland and celebrate its evolution. The task force concluded that Portland will continue to evolve into a new version of itself while remaining inspired by it’s creative and industrious beginnings.
For those of us eager to contribute to the city's revitalization, actionable steps are encouraged. Engaging with city council districts (look up your commissioner and district with these links), joining coalitions, and championing positive developments are tangible ways for individuals to become agents of change.
More ways individuals you can support the recovery
Participate in shop local campaigns, especially around the holidays. Check out Small Shops Big Hearts and Shop Small PDX
Broadcast positive narratives and interesting stories in Central City on social media if they feel authentic to your experience
Visit the Woodsy Winter Village and go ice skating
Ride TriMet to visit Downtown
Create an illuminated costume and visit the Portland Winter Light Festival
Check out West End Wednesdays from 5pm - 8pm the last Wednesday of every month
Pledge to eat out in Central City at least once per week
Buy a coffee and take a walking meeting with a colleague through Central City
Commit to attending arts and culture events and institutions (see the latest on Travel Portland)
Bike around Central City on the Central Loop Bike Tour and the Classic Waterfront Loop Bike Ride
While I’ve summarized the few recommendations (arguably, the big ones) that were the highlight of the panel discussion I attended, here is the full list of the Task Force’s recommendations:
Recommendation: Declare a tri-government fentanyl emergency. The State of Oregon, Multnomah County, and the City of Portland should each declare a 90-day emergency on fentanyl and establish a command center within the Central City, led by the State, where daily communication, coordination, and triage of the fentanyl crisis will be carried out. The command center is focused on enhanced coordination and does not change authority or oversight of existing bureau or department management. Community-based providers (including outreach workers and peers), public health efforts, and law enforcement resources across all three governments should be leveraged for this effort, with an emphasis on refocusing existing resources, including expanding hours of operation during which providers can accept clients, to better meet the Central City’s needs and carve out a path to exit the emergency.
Recommendation: Ban the public use of controlled substances and reduce barriers to prosecuting drug delivery. The Legislature should consider legislation to ban public use of controlled substances and to restore law enforcement’s ability to prosecute for attempting to deliver controlled substances to another party based on the amount of drugs in possession.
Recommendation: Ramp up existing infrastructure for effective and speedy implementation of a Public Use Ban, pending legislative approval. Ramp up Multnomah County’s Promoting Access To Health (PATH) program to meet the needs of Portland’s Central City and be at the ready in the event of a statewide public use ban on controlled substances. The program should make an immediate plan to deliver services, offer diversion, provide interventions prior to arrest and booking, and engage clients towards Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment, consistent with Seattle’s LEAD model .
Recommendation: Focus peer delivered services and street outreach workers in the Central City. Peer delivered services and outreach workers, which will be leveraged under the emergency declaration recommendation above, should be coordinated to focus outreach in the Central City where the need is most acute to yield better client outcomes.
Recommendation: Increase safe and accessible options for unsheltered people. Hundreds of people sleep unsheltered in the Central City and lack adequate daytime safety off of the streets. Daytime services for unsheltered people should be sustained and increased, including exploring options to expand access to publicly available bathrooms and hygiene services. Multnomah County has allocated $3 million towards daytime services that will be procured through early 2024. In early December, the County Chair and Mayor proposed a three-year contract for the Joint Office of Homeless Services with clear measurable outcomes (50 percent reduction in unsheltered street homelessness in two years), improved data (public budget dashboard, daily shelter bed availability, and quarterly report on goals) and an improved governance structure to address the full Homelessness Response System.
Recommendation: Expand Central City’s homeless shelter capacity. Increasing and sustaining shelter capacity is a top priority. Multnomah County is directing $9 million to improve flow-through from existing shelters to permanent housing. Additionally, the County is funding 50 additional shelter pods at existing safe village sites and 300 shelter spaces at two Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites (TASS). They are projected to open in spring 2024.
Recommendation: Further elevate law enforcement response in the Central City. The City and State should build on recent enhanced patrols action, including the following tactics:
Extend the additional police presence from the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and Oregon State Police (OSP) in the Central City into 2024.
Increase the number of City Park Rangers assigned to Central City parks through April.
Request that PPB evaluate opportunities for additional utilization of Public Safety Support Specialists to strengthen police response throughout the City while sworn officers are deployed in Central City.
Immediately amend the Clean and Safe contract to allow flexibility for staffing and deployment of additional crew in the Central City.
Ensure that the Department of Public Safety Standards & Training (DPSST) maintains the needed class sizes to accommodate the training needs of PPB.
Recommendation: Clean up the city. Conduct community mapping of the Central City’s biggest trouble spots, informed by a pilot program developed last fall. With a better-defined problem, we will attract private funding for the City’s remarkable volunteer organizations—SOLVE, AdoptOneBlock, and Trash for Peace—to systematically work through a prioritized list of trash and graffiti hotspots. The volunteer work extends into ODOT properties; the agency has recently negotiated streamlined volunteer access to its non-hazardous facilities. Separately, the Governor will seek $20 million in ODOT funding in the 2024 short legislative session starting in February for trash and graffiti removal and prevention. Prosper Portland has also identified up to $500,000 to commission public art investments that celebrate business districts and small businesses, and Clean and Safe will enhance its work in the 213-block core.
Recommendation: Bring down the 2020-era fences and plywood. The boarded up condition of the Federal Courthouse, The Justice Center, and some downtown businesses sends the wrong signal to visitors. The federal General Services Administration, the County and City, and businesses should prioritize taking down fencing and plywood before the 2024 Rose Festival.
Recommendation: Declare a moratorium on new taxes and offer targeted tax relief. Portland is the second highest taxed city; we trail New York City by only a fraction. Voter-approved measures since 2019 are just beginning to roll out. Given the unexpected revenue these taxes have collected, elected officials should consider a three-year pause, through 2026, on new taxes and fees to allow the new supportive housing, pre-kindergarten, and climate-related programming to fully ramp up. Meanwhile, a Tax Advisory Group should be established to study and evaluate improvements to our taxing structure, and state and local governments should identify, create, and fund additional targeted incentives, including the expansion of the Business License Tax (BLT) downtown tax credit .
The Task Force exemplifies a proactive approach to addressing urban challenges. By uniting stakeholders, fostering innovation, and prioritizing community engagement, the task force paves the way for a reimagined and resilient downtown Portland. As the city embarks on this transformative journey, each individual has the opportunity to play a part in shaping its vibrant future.
Update on the addressing of the houselessness crisis as 3/12/24:
Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson presented a sweeping plan to half the homeless population by 2026 by opening more shelter beds, building more specific housing and creating new oversight bodies to assemble and deploy already existing resources—similar to the recommendation from the Task Force. Read the Oregonian Article Here.
