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The keystone intersection of Southeast 92nd Avenue and Foster Road in Portland’s Lents neighborhood is a cacophony of beeping construction equipment and passing traffic.

Crews from Bremik Construction and subcontractors build on a vacant lot. Traffic on Interstate 205 provides a constant hum that is occasionally joined by the high-pitched whine of a MAX green-line train whizzing by.

Few pedestrians bother to join the chaos, except construction workers bringing equipment back and forth where the New Copper Penny 鈥� a rough-and-tumble bar 鈥� once stood.

For many years, the Portland Development Commission has been trying to make Lents happen. The agency has poured millions of dollars in loans and grants into the east Portland neighborhood.

Now the key question facing the neighborhood is whether it can stand on its own. After all of the city’s efforts, can private developers take the baton?

Lisac Brothers Construction is the latest firm to gain a foothold in Lents. The Clackamas-based company purchased a 0.38-acre property at Southeast 93rd Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard from the PDC in April 2016 for $500,000.

Lisac Brothers plans to construct a commercial building with a restaurant or pub, along with a small food-cart pod in the first phase. A second phase would consist of a 12-unit apartment building.

The biggest project is coming from Chad Rennaker’s Palindrome Communities. It’s at work on two separate blocks on 92nd Avenue between Foster Road and Woodstock Boulevard. Plans call for 120 affordable apartment units and 25,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space in two buildings in the project known as Oliver Station.

Rennaker also is a partner in Zoiglhaus Brewing, a restaurant and brewpub that is becoming a central gathering place for Lents residents.

The PDC owns a large parcel of about 3 acres that fronts Harold Street along 92nd Avenue. The property is targeted for future development, likely with a housing component, said Leila Aman, Lents project manager for the PDC.

However, work on that Harold Street property will wait until the projects under way are stabilized, Aman said.

鈥淚 wouldn’t expect that to happen for another few years,鈥� she said.

At 9101 S.E. Foster Road, the PDC is itself developing a 54-unit multifamily building after Williams & Dame walked away from the project in June 2016. The PDC, acting as developer for the first time, broke ground this past October. The building also will hold 7,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The agency plans to reserve half that space for locally owned businesses that will contribute to the streetscape, Aman said.

The Asian Health & Services Center is planning to build a new headquarters at Southeast 91st Avenue and Foster Road. Designed by Holst Architecture, the project will include 34,200 square feet of commercial space. Ground is expected to be broken this spring.

Public infrastructure is growing too. The Portland Bureau of Transportation is leading the Foster Road Transportation and Streetscape Project that extends from 50th to 90th avenues. Crews will widen sidewalks in Lents to 9 feet, up from 5 feet, install marked crossings and bike lanes, and add trees and lights. The project team is aiming to reduce traffic fatalities and contribute to a pedestrian atmosphere in the area.

Throughout the urban renewal area, plans call for widened sidewalks and streetscape improvements.

鈥淚t’s going to create a much more hospitable, safe and fun pedestrian environment,鈥� Aman said.

Zoiglhaus looms large in the neighborhood. The 200-seat restaurant opened in 2015, and the brewing operation has attracted praise for its unusual lineup of mostly German-inspired beers.

鈥淭hat development has really proven to be a game changer for this part of town,鈥� said Shawn Uhlman, spokesman for the PDC.

East Portland is one of the densest places in the entire nation for breweries, which planners like because they generate street-level activity.

鈥淧utting a brewery in that spot was definitely something the community wanted and something the PDC wanted as landlord,鈥� Zoiglhaus co-owner Alan Taylor said.

But before Zoiglhaus, no brewery had taken a chance on Lents.

鈥淚t’s definitely a growth neighborhood,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚t’s been a good spot.鈥�

An amateur baseball team, the Portland Pickles, began playing at Walker Stadium in Lents Park last summer. Taylor said he noticed a modest pregame bump in sales on Pickles game nights. The neighborhood could become the next Williams Avenue, Alberta Street or Mississippi Avenue, he added.

There are some challenges to the transformation. I-205 effectively cuts the neighborhood off to the east. Nor is it as close to downtown as some of East Portland’s bustling districts, like Alberta or Hawthorne. The business district is small 鈥� only a few blocks 鈥� and surrounded by single-family residences.

The PDC and other city agencies are looking to create a corridor from Lents into the heart of Portland. The PDC is keeping a close eye around Southeast 67th Avenue and Foster Road, where there are signs of life.

鈥淭here’s kind of this growing small business district that’s coming out,鈥� Aman said. 鈥淲e’re looking at that area as well 鈥� from an urban corridor perspective, that is the corridor that leads to the center.鈥�

Some small businesses are popping up near 92nd Avenue. Dimitry Kuzmich opened NW Pro Gear, a bicycle shop and snow sports retailer, in 2014. Kuzmich said he’s excited for the neighborhood’s transformation but also concerned his business could be priced out.

鈥淚t’s definitely been changing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s an up-and-coming neighborhood. I’m looking forward to the construction being done. 鈥�

The location draws business from Washington residents looking to avoid sales tax, as well as Gresham and Clackamas residents, Kuzmich said.

Running a small business in Lents has its challenges. The storefront has been broken into three times in the last year alone, Kuzmich said, prompting him to install a metal gate and video surveillance.

And then there’s the homelessness issue. Lents residents and business owners say the homeless have returned in force after an earlier sweep of the Springwater Corridor Trail, which runs through Southeast Portland.

鈥淭he homeless people haven’t been helping, because they constantly deter people from using the Springwater trail,鈥� Kuzmich said.

Joel Rebik has lived in Lents for seven years and repairs bikes at NW Pro Gear. He’s likewise frustrated by the enduring effects of homelessness in the area.

鈥淚 can’t send my daughters out on the bike trail,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s totally useless to them. People tell me I shouldn’t use it, either, but I’m going to use it.鈥�

The bike shop’s customers sometimes come in armed after riding on the Springwater Corridor Trail, Kuzmich said.

The PDC sees Lents as an appealing location for affordable housing.

鈥淔or a multitude of reasons, and this includes our partnership with the Portland Housing Bureau, we’re creating a substantial amount of affordable housing,鈥� Aman said. 鈥淭here is a role here.鈥�

If all goes as planned, the neighborhood will be reinvigorated via multifamily housing, modern storefronts, food carts and an environment more conducive to walking and biking.

鈥淵ou’re going to see an extremely different pedestrian environment,鈥� Aman said.