A $1 million project to enhance sidewalks and add pedestrian amenities on North Lombard Street is planned for next year.

The Prosper Portland Board of Commissioners last week approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Portland Bureau of Transportation to oversee the work.

Bids will be sought in June 2019 and ground will be broken in October 2019. The work is part of a larger effort to make North Portland more walkable, slow traffic and provide better lighting.

“This is a much-needed investment in the Lombard corridor,” said Kimberly Moreland, project manager for the Interstate urban renewal area.

Funding for the project will come from tax-increment financing for the urban renewal area.

Enhancements will include sidewalk repairs, bike racks and pedestrian-scale streetlights. The work will focus on two nodes along Lombard: The West node is from Drummond Avenue to Villard Avenue, and the East node is from Interstate 5 to North Albina Avenue.

The surrounding area has higher-than-average poverty rates and nonwhite residents, Moreland said.

Street-calming measures are needed to manage traffic and make the corridor more walkable, said Angela Moos, a Kenton Neighborhood Association board member.

“We appreciate your support and we look forward to all of the changes and improvements,” she said.

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Portland’s Kenton neighborhood saw its population jump a bit over the weekend. At the bottom of a hill north of Kenton Park, ringed by $400,000 homes, 14 tiny homes now cater to homeless women. They were built via the Partners On Dwelling () , which is geared to help designers and volunteers become involved in the effort to address homelessness.

The first residents of the moved in Saturday.

“We are excited about it and what it portends for the future,” said Michael Cox, director of communications for Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office.

After more than seven months of planning, the POD village is a first for the city. The one-year pilot project is providing temporary housing on city-owned land. Catholic Charities is overseeing the project, including selection of residents.

The search for space for the village largely fell to Ben Mauro, program coordinator of Portland’s Office of Management and Finance. The office coordinated with Catholic Charities and Village Coalition to find a suitable property.

“I spent a lot of time looking at property across the city,” Mauro said. “We came across this piece of land that was owned by (the Portland Development Commission). We came up with the idea of individual structures.”

LRS Architects is one of the firms involved in the POD design effort.

“The goal here was to make sure these weren’t a shack,” said Russell Wisniewski, design team lead at LRS Architects. “Even though these are temporary, it shouldn’t feel temporary.”

The POD homes are very small. The largest one is just 8 feet wide by 12 feet long, while the tiniest is 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. The tallest home stands just 10 feet, 8 inches.

They are not hooked up to water or sewer. A tank at the village provides water for cooking and bathing, and a separate tank collects gray water. Two shipping containers have been converted into a communal kitchen and a separate bathing facility; portable toilets are also at the site.

The North Portland property also provides easy access to MAX light rail and other services aimed at helping residents improve their lives.

“These (POD homes) give residents an opportunity from which to transition to permanent housing,” said Catholic Charities’ Trell Anderson, director of community development and housing. “A lot of it has to do with income – maybe they have bad rental resumes. We help them work through that.”

Part of the site selection process involved community engagement.

“It’s been quite the journey,” said Tyler Roppe, chairman of the Kenton Neighborhood Association. “Obviously not everyone, but the vast majority of the neighborhood is very excited.”

Kenton residents were generally receptive to the village concept. They voted 178-75 in favor of issuing their approval.

“There was less resistance than I would have thought,” Wisniewski said. “I was kind of surprised at how positive people were.”

A big selling point of the PODs is that they’re designed more like homes and less like the tents and ramshackle structures that often make up such camps. Another feature of the village will even benefit Kenton residents.

“One of the coolest parts is the community garden,” Wisniewski said. “It will be used by both campers and neighbors and (become) part of the neighborhood.”

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