PORTLAND, Ore.
\n(KOIN) – Some of downtown Portland’s public street plazas and outdoor dining
\nareas that were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to
\nbecome permanent.<\/p>\n
The Portland Bureau
\nof Transportation announced Friday that it was awarded $1.2 million from the
\nU.S. Economic Development Administration to help create 32,000 square feet of
\nstreet plazas. The project, PBOT said, is designed to promote tourism and
\neconomic recovery Downtown.<\/p>\n
The city sought out
\nthe funding following Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s request to
\nmake these designed spaces permanent installments. The awarded grant was funded
\nthrough the American Rescue Plan – a $1.9 trillion rescue
\npackage created to help Americans financially recover from the COVID-19
\npandemic.<\/p>\n
“During this
\npandemic, we learned how important it is to use our outdoor public space for
\ncommunity members to come together,” Hardesty was quoted as saying in a
\npress release. “We are so grateful to the Biden Administration and our
\nCongressional delegation members for this federal support. Last year, I
\ndirected PBOT to make our street plazas and outdoor dining programs permanent.
\nPlazas like these downtown will help us make Portland a more inclusive,
\nequitable place, and help grow our small businesses and cultural
\ndestinations.”<\/p>\n
Pride Plaza located
\nat SW 12th Harvey Milk Street, designed to be a “safe space” for
\ncommunity gatherings, commerce and public art during the pandemic, is among the
\ninstallments that will become permanent under the city\u2019s current plans. The
\nplanning and community-involvement phases for Harvey Milk Plaza will start in
\nearly 2023. Construction is anticipated to begin by fall of 2023.<\/p>\n
An artist\u2019s
\nrendering of the revamped South Park Blocks with the proposed Green Loop
\nmultiuse path. | PBOT<\/p>\n
The street plaza
\nproject also aims to create active, “green” spaces that will connect
\ndowntown\u2019s Cart Blocks, which houses food carts displaced by the new
\n35-story Ritz Carlton, with O\u2019Bryant Square Park (currently closed) and the
\nstill-unnamed park referred to as Ankeny Park West, located between SW Park
\nAve. and SW 8th Street and W Burnside and SW Ankeny Streets. The changes would
\nrepresent the first installment of the city\u2019s Green Loop project. If
\ncompleted, the proposed 6-mile long park would create a circular track
\nof tree-covered pedestrian plazas that connect Portland\u2019s Central City
\nneighborhoods on the east and west sides of the Willamette River.<\/p>\n
Oregon Senator Jeff
\nMerkley called the awarded funding a win for Portlanders and tourists.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“A strong
\nrecovery from the COVID-19 pandemic includes making community improvements that
\nwill have a lasting impact,” Merkley said. “With these EDA funds from
\nthe American Rescue Plan, Pride Plaza will be constructed, creating dozens of
\ngood-paying jobs as well as creating a safe and usable community space. This
\nfunding to construct this plaza is a win for both locals and visitors
\nalike.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Some of downtown Portland’s public street plazas and outdoor dining areas that were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to become permanent. The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced Friday that it was awarded $1.2 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to help create 32,000 square feet of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n