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Nearly 100 years would be needed to develop all of the untapped floor area in central Portland, according to Troy Doss, a senior city planner. For now, the city is planning for the next 23.

Late last month, Portland City Council approved the sprawling Central City 2035 Concept Plan, which outlines future growth in the city鈥檚 core 鈥� from downtown to the inner east side.

The plan, following the path of the 1972 Downtown Plan, could lead to significant new development, Doss said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to continue on the success that has already been achieved,鈥� Doss said. 鈥�(There is) really not a need to recreate the zoning map over there; it鈥檚 more of a matter of trying to incent development.鈥�

The Downtown Plan was created out of urgency. At the time, the city鈥檚 downtown featured little retail and had lost close to 30,000 housing units between World War II and 1960, Doss said.

The plan made broad zoning changes, which allowed for development of high-density buildings. Nearly $500 million of public investment was made between 1972 and 1986, leveraging nearly $1.7 billion in private investment, according to a 1996 study compiled by the Bruner Foundation. Downtown employment grew by about 30,000 jobs and total assessed property value in the area increased 382 percent.

Although areas of the downtown core remain blighted, the 1972 plan did help save the area, according to Fred Leeson, president of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation鈥檚 board.

鈥淒owntowns were dying everywhere and that was really (what initiated) the downtown plan,鈥� said Leeson, who covered the plan鈥檚 citizen advisory committee for the now-defunct Oregon Journal newspaper. 鈥淣ow, as you travel around other cities, Portland is recognized as having a very vital downtown.鈥�

The 2035 plan does not have the groundbreaking zone changes and policies of its predecessor. In fact, at this point, the plan does not lay out many specifics; the advisory committee has to wait until the city finishes its overall comprehensive plan before it can develop specific amendments, Doss said.

However, the plan does lay out broad goals to expand upon previous policies. One is to continue the housing development that has occurred in the city鈥檚 core over the past 25 years. Such projects were spurred by building incentives outlined in the 1972 plan.

More than 20,000 units have been built since, Doss said, but most are studio apartments and condos. More units for families are needed (the city estimated that 200 children were born to families living in the central city in 2010), so new incentives could be established for developers to build more multifamily projects, he said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to see that the people we attracted to the central city are starting to have families and have invested a lot of time in businesses and interests here,鈥� Doss said. 鈥淲e need to create a broader diversity of housing to support (them).鈥�

Also, more neighborhood services 鈥� such as community centers, schools and parks 鈥� need to be developed to support these families, according to the plan.

The plan focuses on two retail and commercial development strategies: Continue to promote development in the city鈥檚 Central Eastside Industrial District and continue to make partnerships with private parties and public institutions, such as Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University.

The CEID was named in the 1972 plan as an area ripe for development and expansion. Only recently, however, has the area begun to blossom as small incubator businesses have remodeled numerous old buildings. The new plan could potentially establish additional subsidies and bonuses to further encourage those types of projects, Doss said.

These subsidies, which would encourage the development of less prestigious, lower-rent spaces 鈥� Class B and C office buildings, as categorized by the Building Owners and Managers Association 鈥� could also lead to new construction in the CEID and core areas such as the Lloyd District.

Perhaps the plan鈥檚 biggest focus is on waterfront development. Like the CEID, this area was named in the 1972 plan as a prime location for new construction.

鈥淲aterfront Park has been a failure,鈥� Leeson said. 鈥淭hat was supposed to be a really big people area. There was talk about doing a Tivoli Garden thing. I don鈥檛 think it was ever envisioned as a big, open field.鈥�

The 2035 plan outlines goals to open the waterfront to the city鈥檚 core. This could lead to more commercial development 鈥� perhaps a small, commercial cruise line facility, Doss said. It also could mean more boat launch areas and public amenities.

鈥淩ight now, most of our urban form runs on both sides of the river north to south, and it always has its shoulder turned toward the Willamette,鈥� Doss said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e made these investments in terms of new bridges and retrofits of bridges, so how do we get people down to the bank itself?鈥�

Of course, substantial work will be needed to create policy changes. But the city has a head start, Doss said.

鈥淭he momentum is already there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really building off what we already have.鈥�