The space today:

SE 7th Ave between Stark and Washington Streets exists in the Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID), in Portland’s urban core. Halfway between the Willamette River and tree canopy-abundant residential neighborhoods to the east, this part of the Central City has low access to parks and greenspaces and high populations of houseless Portlanders. The 700 acre, historically industrial area of the CEID, significantly lacks access to greenspace and tree canopy, making it one of the hottest places in Portland due the Urban Heat Island effect.

The intersections surrounding this section of street are considered “high crash” corridors due to challenging sight lines and lack of bike/pedestrian infrastructure. The landscape of this specific part of the CEID sits on a moderate hill that drains into stormdrain inlets connected to the City’s combined sewer system.

Located one-block off the Green Loop on the 7th Avenue neighborhood greenway (a critical bike/pedestrian thoroughfare connecting Blumenauer Bridge and Tilikum Crossing), this area presents critical safety challenges for all street users.

What we envision…

Our dream aims to combine traffic calming, community placemaking, and green infrastructure to an over-paved area in the Central Eastside District of Portland (CEID). We aim to create a vibrant, living, community space that creates community, celebrates arts and small business, while providing much needed stormwater management, habitat and shade from tree canopy.

The City of Portland’s 2035 Plan, anticipates that by 2035, there will be an additional 7,000 new households moving to the CEID, many of which will be low income families, creating new demand for accessible parks and open space.

Through a public imagining process of surveys and community engagement with neighborhood businesses, street users, housed and unhoused community members and conversations with local leaders, we have collected input and support for our complete cul-du-sac design at the project site (image right).

The project

The SE 7th and Sandy Green Street project brings together a diverse group of project stakeholders, including local business/property owners, community non-profits, design professionals, and City staff to develop more than a comprehensive intersection design that manages stormwater, improves the pedestrian and bicycle connections, and enhances the aesthetics of the streetscape.

This project functions through collaborative partnerships with PBOT, BES, Ground Score Association, Zucker Engineering and Design, Art Heaux, and others to redevelop and re-green SE 7th Avenue between Washington and Stark into a community street plaza.