Portland is known as a city made up of neighborhoods. Charming commercial streets are scattered across the metro area interspersed with residential blocks – one only needs to think of SE Hawthorne, N Mississippi, NW 23rd, or NE Alberta Arts District to see that Portland is serious about its neighborhood commercial revitalization. Community preservation organizers and business developers are about to get some more help jump starting and revitalizing historical areas, as three Portland neighborhoods have been selected to participate in Portland Main Street®, (No, not Portland, Maine Street) a neighborhood commercial district revitalization program based on the very successful Main Street® approach used in cities across America.
NE Alberta, St. John’s, and Hillsdale have been selected to receive support to become National Trust accredited communities by restoring their older, traditional business districts. The Main Street approach advocates a return to local economic self-reliance and community empowerment through restoration of historic commercial districts. In an effort to distribute economic development funds more evenly throughout the city, only areas outside of urban renewal areas were considered for Portland Main Street® in 2010.
These three Portland districts are perfect examples of commercial areas that could benefit from revitalization. Main Street believes in restoring local commercial districts notable for their historical architecture architecture, pedestrian- and bike-friendly environments, personal service through local ownership, and a sense of community identity. By restoring these areas, the city hopes to contribute to the neighborhood real estate market, retail economy, safety, and local pride.
Central to the Main Street® approach are four points:
ORGANIZATION involves building a framework that is represented by business and property owners, bankers, citizens, business associations, and public officials. Everyone works together to see revitalization occur.
PROMOTION creates excitement for the district. Street festivals, parades, retail events, and identity development are ways to encourage new customer traffic. Promotion involves marketing an enticing image to investors, shoppers, and visitors.
DESIGN enhances the attractiveness of the business district. Historic building rehabilitation, new development, street clean-up, banners, landscaping and lighting all improve the physical setting of a business district as a quality place to shop, work, walk and invest in.
ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING involves analyzing market forces to develop long-term solutions to revitalization. New businesses, creative use of space, and sharpened competitiveness are outcomes of a more vital business district.
Portland Main Street® is based on the national model that has seen success in urban areas of Boston, Chicago, Baltimore and Washington DC,though the Portland approach will be unique, with an emphasis on sustainability, environmental stewardship, and Portland-style creativity. We look forward to seeing how these neighborhood developments progress, and how they bring new life to the selected areas. It will also be interesting to see how many people get confused by the name of the program, which blurs the already fuzzy line between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine.
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