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Portland on Thursday got one step closer to updating the Central City Concept Plan when the City Council adopted a 20-year plan for the West Quadrant.

The council voted 4-1 鈥� Commissioner Amanda Fritz was the lone dissenter 鈥� to adopt the recommended draft of the West Quadrant Plan as a 鈥渄etailed road map for the long-term development and growth鈥� of downtown Portland.

City planners working on the project emphasized that the plan should implement design and zoning changes that focus on developable Willamette riverfront properties, increase opportunities for mixed-use construction and focus on improving bicycle and pedestrian transportation corridors.

The plan outlines four key concepts 鈥� extending the downtown retail core north and west through the Pearl District, establishing a clearer set of east-west connecting streets, exploring improvement options along Naito Parkway and in Waterfront Park and implementing the 鈥淕reen Loop鈥� concept of creating a safe, 10-mile bicycle and pedestrian path along the South and Midtown Park Blocks through downtown 鈥� and recommends zoning and development changes to support those goals.

The plan calls for zoning changes that would allow a broader mix of uses in the West Quadrant and encourage development of high-density residential communities.

The changes include increasing building height allowances along the waterfront, a part of the plan opposed by Fritz.

鈥淲e have a longstanding city policy, that my colleagues agreed to continue, of stepping down building heights toward the river, and the proposed plan doesn’t do that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don’t mind the increased height 鈥� one block back from Naito (Parkway), but the whole waterfront (height limit) on Naito is 75 feet, and the plan will increase it to 250 feet.鈥�

The scope of the zoning changes and the repercussions from increasing building height allowances merited council discussion, and Fritz said the reason she got 鈥渟o upset鈥� at the hearing is that the other commissioners refused to discuss the changes.

鈥淭his is a huge change for the Central City, and one that I think is a significant planning issue,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淭he fact that no one would second my motion for discussion, and no one is willing to talk, is troubling.鈥�

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, who introduced the resolution for consideration by the council, said the plan is a valuable guide for the council to refer to when implementing zoning changes in the future and integrating the West Quadrant Plan with the Southeast Quadrant and North/Northeast Quadrant plans as part of the Central City 2035 Plan.

鈥淭he critical thinking that went into the West Quadrant Plan is the reason it took about two years to produce,鈥� Hales said. 鈥淕ood work was done here. And it’s thanks in large part to the participating Portlanders, and our city planners.鈥�

Hales commended Portland residents and city planners for their 鈥渢houghtful, critical consideration 鈥� to these big, wonky land-use issues.鈥�

鈥淚 talk to mayors in other cities who are amazed,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ther cities don’t have that; or most don’t.鈥�

The next step toward implementation of the West Quadrant Plan is for the City Council to adopt the proposed zoning changes. The council has not set a timeline on when that will happen, but Fritz said she doesn’t know whether she’ll pursue action to block implementation.

鈥淚 don’t know how much can be done at this point,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd there’s limited payback for banging your head on a brick wall.鈥�