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Looking out my office window, I see the yet-to-be named transit bridge over the Willamette River, its twin decks hovering suspended and nearly connecting in the middle. The bridge stands alone as an impressive feat of engineering and design, but like all bridges, its main utility is to connect places. This particular bridge connects two districts: the South Waterfront and the Central Eastside.

At first blush, these two neighborhoods seem dissimilar. The South Waterfront is Portland’s newest neighborhood, typified by shining condominium and medical research high-rises. Walking among the tall glass towers of the South Waterfront, one feels the newness of the roads, sidewalks and parks that lend a sense of the hygienic freshness.

In contrast, the Central Eastside is an established industrial sanctuary where both new buildings and residents are scarce. The favored word to describe the feel of the Central Eastside is “gritty” – an appropriate descriptor for the numerous on-street loading zones and freight train crossings that dot the warehouse landscape.

But take a closer look at the trajectory of the neighborhoods, and speak with planners and developers, and you may begin to realize that these two areas share certain similarities – and each is likely to be among the city areas most invested in over the coming years. Each neighborhood is in the midst of a renaissance of sorts, with some of the premier potential developments in the entire city. Optimism about the coming changes in the landscape of each neighborhood is palpable.

In the coming months, this column will focus on the development trends and patterns that are driving development in the Central Eastside and the South Waterfront neighborhoods. Some of the South Waterfront topics that will be addressed in more depth are:

• Creation of river access and completion of the Willamette Greenway. One lawyer will provide insight into the visions of the city and property owners to connect to the river and the entirety of the westside greenway, and the plans that are in the works to make this a reality.

• The Zidell property is one of the premier urban brownfield infill opportunities in the nation. A discussion of the remarkable cleanup and plans for redevelopment of this site is on tap.

• The OHSU Schnitzer campus build-out and the Knight Cancer Institute challenge. We will look at what campus plans are on the books, and how that could change if OHSU meets the challenge.

• What public transportation improvements are needed to support the South Waterfront at build-out? We will analyze the city’s plans to coordinate the various modes of travel available in the area (light rail, streetcar, bus, bike and pedestrian) with expansive upgrades planned for the road system and points of entrance and egress to the South Waterfront.

Not to be outdone, the Central Eastside is similarly flush with development potential and opportunity. Some of the Central Eastside storylines that will be addressed are:

• Will the Urban Land Institute “redefine” the Central Eastside? A study under way by urban planning fellows at the ULI will generate recommendations for how the city should shape, regulate and invest in the future of the neighborhood. We will examine what is known about the study and what it means to the Central Eastside.

• Adaptive reuse for creative office space has thrived. An upcoming discussion will look at whether there is more to come for this type of trendy space with industrial feel, or if rising rental rates have resulted in demand for new construction.

• The city wants to target the light rail station areas for dense, transit-oriented development. A primer is slated on plans in the works and how station-area planning will impact existing neighborhoods.

• What role will OMSI play in the development of the area? Over the years OMSI has expanded its operations, but avoided non-museum development. Will that trend change?

• Apartments are rising along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Will the numerous apartment units slated to come online change the vaunted grittiness of the Central Eastside, or complement existing uses and character of the area.

• ODOT Blocks are headed for being more than rubble. A brief history and forward look at what’s in store for these prime development blocks.

Each column will feature two insightful vignettes, each describing one of these neighborhoods … until we’ve run out of things to say, and we turn our gaze to other topics.

Damien Hall focuses on land use and real estate law as an attorney at Ball Janik LLP. Contact him at 503-944-6138 or [email protected].