The Portland City Council has approved an intergovernmental agreement with Metro to pay for planning and development of the Southwest Corridor Equitable Housing Strategy.

According to the agreement, Metro will provide a $230,000 grant to be matched with $85,000 in city money. Both agencies will use construction excise taxes to pay for the planning.

The agreement is a step forward for the equitable housing program, which is intended to prevent gentrification and displacement along the planned TriMet light-rail line from downtown Portland to Bridgeport Village. The housing strategy focuses on investments along Barbur Boulevard and Oregon Route 99 to Tigard.

The Portland Housing Bureau and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability are eyeing publicly owned sites for future affordable housing. These include parcels near the Ross Island bridgehead at Southwest Barbur Boulevard and Grover and Gibbs streets, the Barbur Transit Center and the Portland Community College parking lot.

The housing developments are planned as mixed-use and mixed-income projects.

The City Council unanimously approved the measure Wednesday without discussion as part of the consent agenda.

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Portland and Tigard are eyeing a series of affordable housing projects along the route of the planned Southwest Corridor light-rail line.

The projects are part of the Southwest Corridor Equitable Housing Strategy. The initiative aims to combat the rapid gentrification that has occurred in neighborhoods along previous MAX line extensions.

The Portland City Council is due to adopt on Thursday an implementation plan for the Equitable Housing Strategy. The council is scheduled to take up the matter at a 2 p.m. meeting.

The plan, posted online ahead of the council’s meeting, reveals a list of likely sites and Portland’s intention to join a memorandum of understanding with TriMet, Tigard, the Washington County Housing Authority and Metro to set priorities for the sites. Tigard has already adopted the plan.

Among the sites being considered for affordable housing developments are the Ross Island bridgehead, the Barbur Transit Center, Portland Community College’s Sylvania campus and the Tigard Transit Center. All are publicly owned. A few details about each:

• The Oregon Department of Transportation and the city of Portland are considering a major redevelopment of roadways on the west end of the Ross Island Bridge. The tangle of highway ramps and local streets has been identified as a traffic-circulation problem since at least 1978. A previous Metro report said cleanup of the area could yield about 2.8 acres of developable property. ODOT and the city own portions of the land underneath the bridgehead. The land could support 300-450 units of affordable housing, according to the housing strategy document.
• The Barbur Transit Center, owned by TriMet, could be redeveloped to include a light-rail station and a mixed-use building or buildings with housing. In that scenario, the transit center could support 100-200 housing units on a portion of the five-acre site.
• The PCC Board of Directors is weighing whether to support development of affordable housing on the Sylvania campus, within walking distance of a planned light-rail station on 53rd Avenue.
• The current Tigard Transit Center could be redeveloped if transit center functions were to move to a new light-rail station in downtown Tigard. The current center’s 0.8-acre site could hold up to 67 units.

Other privately owned properties could be purchased for the transit project but be deemed surplus after light rail construction is finished, making them available for redevelopment, the strategy document states.

All of the planned projects – the Southwest Corridor MAX line and the related housing strategy – could be tied to a Metro bond measure that would be put before voters in 2020.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability led development of the housing strategy. City officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The report to the City Council concludes, “The opportunity to get ahead of the predictable cycle of gentrification and displacement is now. Our region is well positioned to learn from the past and provide a new model of equitable growth.”

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In a not too distant future, a MAX light-rail line will run south from downtown Portland to Bridgeport Village, taking commuters and shoppers 12 miles from end to end. The project is expected to cost $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion and produce infrastructure to serve 43,000 riders per day by 2035.

Behind the scenes, transportation officials and elected representatives have been making decisions about the specific route. Metro in March produced an initial route proposal for local government personnel, business owners and citizens to weigh in on.

Metro wants to “make sure people get a chance to comment on something that might be real,” project manager Chris Ford said. “It’s not a staff recommendation, but it is a realistic option.”

Ryan Sweeney just hopes the route doesn’t go through his restaurant.

Sweeney is part of the family that owns the Village Inn, a franchise restaurant pinched between Bridgeport Village and Interstate 5 on Southwest 72nd Avenue.

Sweeney was invited to meet with a Metro representative to discuss the route as part of the regional agency’s outreach to businesses that could be affected by the light-rail line.

“He rolled out one of those big maps,” Sweeney recalled. “I could tell right away … The plans for the project completely engulf our property. We kind of had to digest that information.”

Small-business owners and leaders of major institutions along the route including Oregon Health & Science University are working to understand how the MAX light-rail line will affect them. The initial preferred route would move from the downtown Transit Mall south to Barbur Boulevard until the Barbur Transit Center, cross Interstate 5 on a new bridge and run adjacent to the interstate, then run onto 70th Avenue before crossing Oregon Route 217, pass by the Tigard Triangle with two stations, and join a railroad right-of-way west of I-5 before reaching Bridgeport Village.

OHSU officials are hopeful that the project will include an elevator and pedestrian bridge that would connect Barbur Boulevard to OHSU’s campus. An elevator tower would be built near the intersection of Barbur and Gibbs Street. Commuters could ride the elevator to a pedestrian bridge that would take them to the intersection of Campus Drive and Terwilliger Boulevard.

“Generally speaking, we’re supportive of the route recommendation from the (Metro) staff,” said Brian Newman, vice president for campus development at OHSU.

OHSU has 12,000 employees at the Marquam Hill campus. That doesn’t count the 2,900 employees at the neighboring Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.

In addition to the Marquam Hill connections, the initial route proposal envisions a connection to the Portland Community College-Sylvania campus. A Metro document also refers to future improvements to the Ross Island bridgehead “as part of a larger effort.”

Bridgeport Village, a shopping mall owned by CenterCal Properties, would be the southern terminus. A large park-and-ride facility is planned.

The project is an enormous undertaking – the first MAX expansion since the orange line opened in 2015 and a multibillion-dollar attempt to link Portland more closely with southwestern suburbs.

Construction would begin in 2023 and trains would begin operating along the line in 2027 if all goes according to plan.

The Southwest Corridor route is still being defined and could change. A draft environmental impact statement is expected to be released by the Federal Transit Administration in May.

The Portland and Tigard city councils, along with the TriMet board, are expected to vote on the route in July. The Metro board would follow with its own vote in mid-October on the final route, known as the locally preferred alternative. Metro must add the project to a regional transportation plan to make it eligible for federal funding. Metro would also issue a land-use final order authorizing TriMet to construct the route across multiple land-use jurisdictions.

The city of Portland is analyzing the feasibility of building a batch of affordable housing projects along the route in an attempt to get ahead of the gentrification that often comes with light-rail construction.

Mark McGirr, president of Atiyeh Bros. at 6750 S.W. Bonita Road in Tigard, said the route would minimize disruptions to businesses. McGirr is part of a coalition of nearby business owners who are weighing in on the proposed route.

“They’ve landed on the right route in our area,” he said. “It makes sense to use that (railroad) right-of-way. It has less impact of businesses, faster travel time and has the best access to the residents and the transit-dependent people of Tigard.”

The route also would proceed by Under Armour‘s new building at Duniway Park. The athletic apparel company did not respond to a request for comment.

The light-rail line would not enter downtown Tualatin because of significant infrastructure barriers.

“We wish it could have come into downtown Tualatin,” Tualatin Chamber of Commerce CEO Linda Moholt said. “They just truly couldn’t figure out how to get through it without upsetting and moving and causing a tremendous amount of upheaval. They’ve come up with a good alternative.”

Tualatin officials are studying ways to move people from Bridgeport Village to downtown Tualatin.

“Almost 90 percent of our workforce drives in every day, so being able to enhance transit is a goal of the community,” Moholt said. “It will help us move people and reduce congestion and improve environment quality of air and living conditions if we can get people out of single-occupancy vehicles.”

Moholt said she supports the project even though it would create winners and losers. The Village Inn restaurant would be one of the businesses most impacted. It has become a community gathering place in its more than three decades in business, she said.

“We’ve got a thriving business here that people in the community have been coming to for years,” Sweeney said.

The business already moved once, in 2005, to accommodate construction of Bridgeport Village. The restaurant moved about 500 yards across the intersection.

“It was a pretty sweet deal,” Sweeney said. “We got a new building out of it at the developer’s expense.”

Sweeney is not as optimistic about moving a second time. The current location is highly visible from I-5 and Bridgeport Village, he said. Any new location might not be as good.

“I’m looking around, and I don’t see any spaces that are as prime of a spot as I’m in currently,” he said.

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The city of Portland may order a housing development feasibility study along the route of a future MAX light-rail line in the southwest metro area.

City leaders are trying to get ahead of gentrification along the proposed route with a batch of affordable housing projects. On Wednesday, the City Council is scheduled to consider additional funding for Housing Development Center (HDC), a Portland nonprofit, to carry out the feasibility study.

HDC would evaluate up to eight sites along the Interstate 5 corridor in Southwest Portland, with one near each anticipated MAX station. The city has a minimum goal of 1,000 new affordable units along the light-rail corridor, and up to 2,300 if more funding can be secured.

The city expects at least two sites to host mixed-use buildings. Two other sites could accommodate as many as 500 units each of market-rate and affordable housing.

The Housing Bureau and Bureau of Planning and Sustainability would create a joint agreement for the plan, known as the Southwest Corridor Equitable Housing Strategy. The City Council item, if approved, would add $68,419 to an existing contract HDC has with the Housing Bureau.

Planning for the affordable housing comes as Metro plans to establish a light-rail line from downtown Portland, through Tualatin and Tigard, to Bridgeport Village. Metro’s Southwest Corridor Light Rail Advisory Committee has been meeting regularly to evaluate options for the MAX line. Route options would follow Barbur Boulevard and I-5 at certain points.

“Two major goals are to prevent residential and cultural displacement before the area becomes more desirable and developed,” said Ryan Curren, project manager for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

Portland officials have studied what happened along the yellow line route in North Portland when it opened in 2004. Land prices increased and residents were displaced. Some nearby homeowners were targets of predatory lending and real-estate practices, Curren said.

“The lesson there is get it early,” he said. “There’s been a lot of displacement around the yellow line – some of it would have happened just because of the location. What we could have done is have a little earlier action to secure land (for affordable housing).”

A draft environmental impact statement is being prepared to potentially answer remaining questions about the proposed routes.

A final decision on the route will be made in July, with the Portland and Tigard city councils adopting a joint plan. Metro’s council would follow.

Businesspeople near the proposed routes have begun to weigh in.

“Overall, I’m optimistic about increasing the amount of available transit in the area and creating more options,” said Chad Hastings, general manager of CenterCal Properties, which manages Bridgeport Village and other properties in the Portland area.

Hastings said he anticipates Bridgeport Village would have an end-of-the-line transit center similar to the one at Clackamas Town Center. Bridgeport Village already has park-and-ride facilities that could be used, he said.

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Transportation planners and engineers are facing big choices that will affect residents in Southwest Portland and beyond for decades to come.

A new MAX light-rail line is . The route is broken into four sections, beginning at the south end of Portland’s city core, near Portland State University, and ending at Bridgeport Village in southeast Tigard. Options for each section carry a variety of advantages and drawbacks that include property impacts, travel times and cost.

has fallen on a steering committee featuring representatives of key agencies such as Metro, TriMet and area municipalities. Choosing wisely should provide commuters an efficient system for a reasonable cost. Choosing poorly could leave the region with an expensive and underused line.

Here is a look at options being considered:

Section 1: leaving downtown Portland

From Portland State University, at the southern end of the transit mall, the MAX would follow either Barbur Boulevard or run along Naito Parkway. After the streets converge, the line would follow Barbur Boulevard at least until reaching Southwest 13th Avenue.

Stay on Barbur Boulevard:

“Its big advantage is it would provide closer connection to Marquam Hill,” said Chris Ford, Metro’s Southwest Corridor Plan project manager.

The route would provide for a stop that would lead to either a tunnel with an elevator or steps leading up to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

The route would be faster than Naito Parkway, by between 60 to 90 seconds. Barbur Boulevard also would be less expensive, although if a tunnel is chosen to access Marquam Hill, cost savings would be minimal.

The negative consequences of staying on Barbur Boulevard would largely focus on impacts to local property owners, ranging from relocation to inconvenience during construction.

Naito Parkway:

Ford said the major advantage of following Naito Parkway is that it would provide an additional stop and easier access to the orange line for riders coming from or going to Milwaukie.

A big factor working against this alignment is price. Large sections of Naito Parkway are elevated and would have to be rebuilt. Access to the Ross Island Bridge would also have to be reconfigured. Currently, drivers access the bridge through a route close to area residents. Using this route would likely mean building a traditional ramp to the bridge.

“It’s much more expensive,” Ford said. “It’s a loaded cost, but you get a benefit out of it.”

Another factor against its use is that the route would make access to Marquam Hill longer by about two blocks, which could hinder people with physical infirmities.

Section 2: Southwest 13th Avenue to the Tigard Triangle

From Southwest 13th Avenue, the light-rail line could either continue to follow Barbur Boulevard to the Tigard Triangle or follow a route adjacent to Interstate 5.

Barbur Boulevard:

The biggest advantage to staying on Barbur Boulevard is that stations would become much more convenient to access. The track would run down the middle of the road, which would be widened to accommodate two lanes on each side, plus bike lanes and sidewalks. The sidewalks would extend the entire route. Currently, sidewalks have significant gaps along both sides of the busy thoroughfare.

Also, reconstruction of the road could spur major redevelopment in the area.

The biggest challenge is the disruption that construction would cause. Much of the road would have to be rebuilt for the rail line. Major utility lines run under the street and would be affected. Significant land acquisitions would be required and the relocation of a large number of businesses would have to relocate. Also, traffic on a major commuter route into downtown Portland would be affected.

“Back in December 2016, our steering committee preferred to be on Barbur Boulevard, knowing what redevelopment issues might be there,” Ford said.

Adjacent to Interstate 5:

Another option would be to leave Barbur Boulevard at Southwest 13th Avenue and follow Interstate 5 to the Tigard Triangle.

The biggest advantage to staying along Interstate 5, as compared to staying on Barbur Boulevard, would be far fewer disruptions to traffic and area businesses. The new line would be set back from Interstate 5 to allow for future expansion of the interstate, and be elevated through most of the stretch.

The route does have its drawbacks. The fact that much of the route would be on elevated platforms presents challenges because the area has significant elevation changes between downtown Portland and the Tigard Triangle. Rail stations need relatively flat surfaces, which makes placement tricky.

While the Interstate 5 route would be cheaper to build, some savings would be offset by the number of bridges required. There would be bridges over Southwest 13th Avenue, Southwest 26th Avenue and Multnomah Boulevard.

“There is a cost difference,” Ford said. “It’s not so great that you are going to choose one or the other because of that.”

Section 3: Tigard Triangle to downtown Tigard

There are two options being considered for this connection.

Clinton Street:

This route would turn west on Southwest Clinton Street and use a bridge to cross Southwest Dartmouth Street and Oregon Route 217. Tracks would then cross Southwest Hall Boulevard and Pacific Highway into downtown Tigard.

The biggest drawback is that it would allow fewer stations than following Ash Avenue.

Ash Avenue:

A second option would follow Ash Avenue, then cross Oregon Route 217 on a shorter bridge to Southwest Hall Boulevard. This option would require fewer elevated lines, be less expensive and provide for more stations.

The drawback is that it would have “high-profile property impacts” on the surrounding area, according to Ford. Local businesses would be affected and downtown Tigard would be impacted substantially.

Section 4: Connecting to Bridgeport Village

Once the line reaches downtown Tigard, the question is how it will go to Bridgeport Village. Two options are on the table.

Branched route that would split at the Tigard Triangle:

One line would connect to Tigard. The other leg would connect to Bridgeport Village via Southwest 70th Avenue, using a separate bridge over Oregon Route 217, then run adjacent to Interstate 5.

The big advantage of the branched system is speed. It would cut travel time on the route by several minutes each way.

The disadvantages are greater cost, more complications and excessive service.

“You have to provide too much service through the shared portion of the route before the branch to Bridgeport begins,” Ford said. “You are providing double service in order to get that train to Bridgeport.”

TriMet personnel agree on the added difficulty.

“Branch service is more complex to operate,” said Leah Robbins, TriMet’s Southwest Corridor project director. “It requires more cost for that operation. That is difficult for TriMet to be behind.”

Route through Tigard

This would run to the Tigard Transit Center, using one of the options for reaching downtown Tigard, and then to Bridgeport Village beside freight rail tracks. The line would be relatively simple to operate, but would require TriMet to negotiate use of land adjacent to Union Pacific railroad tracks. TriMet worked out a similar agreement with the railroad when the orange line was built.

Another possibility under this option would be to run from Tigard to Tualatin on a route adjacent to Interstate 5. While it would avoid negotiations for land access, it would require more elevated track and likely cost more.

Summary

Environmental impact studies are being performed for all of the potential Southwest Corridor routes, and are expected to wrap up by 2019. Once a preferred route is selected, funding will present another challenge. The expansion could cost between $2.4 billion and $2.8 billion by the time it is completed in 2025. TriMet is considering putting a $1.7 billion bond on the ballot to cover its share, but federal funding would also be necessary.

“For all of the route options, we are looking forward to the years of operating it,” Robbins said. “We want a reliable, fast system that will work for opening day and 30 and 50 years beyond.”

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A plan to extend  MAX light-rail tracks through the southwest Portland suburbs is on track after approval by voters in Tigard.

The proposed Southwest Corridor line would run from Portland south through Tigard before ending at Bridgeport Village in Tualatin.

“Tigard voters have allowed us to keep planning for light rail to come to Tigard,” Mayor John L. Cook stated in a news release.” We will continue to be at the table to bring Tigard’s voice for what light rail will be for this part of the region.”

The vote’s outcome is not certain. Approximately 4,000 ballots that were not machine-readable must still be tallied, and 3,500 more have been challenged, said Mickie Kawai, Washington County‘s election manager.

Even if Tigard’s ballot measure passes, the Southwest Corridor line still has a long road ahead. A regional bond measure asking for funding is expected to go before voters in November 2018.

Tigard expects to next summer choose the route that the rail line will take through the city. Project backers will also kick off a federal review process to create a draft environmental impact statement.

A Metro steering committee is meeting to discuss the scope of the environmental review.

The Southwest Corridor Plan, which also includes improvements to serve bicyclists and pedestrians, is critical to Tigard and its neighbors, said Craig Dirksen, a Metro councilor and former mayor of Tigard.

“We’re anticipating between now and 2040, as many as 700,000 more people will move to metro Portland,” Dirksen said. “Tigard and the Southwest corridor are going to need to be able to accommodate their fair share.”

Better transit is “really vital” for growth, he added.

The implications for development in Tigard and the rest of the southwest suburban area are not entirely clear – construction is years away, and even the precise route isn’t set. But backers believe a stronger link to fast-growing Portland can only help.

“The long-term future of the community will be enhanced with light rail,” said Mike Stevenson, who owns a printing business and is an active member of the Downtown Tigard Business Alliance. “Having an alternate transportation venue is a real plus. As our freeways get more and more crowded, we’re going to need to find another way to get people around.

“We think Tigard residents deserve choices as much as any other community.”

Expansion into the Southwest Corridor also would fill a gap in TriMet‘s transportation network.

“It completes one of the last fingers, if you will, of the Portland-metro area,” Stevenson said.

Extension of a light rail line into Tigard means more for the suburb than it does for the region, said Ethan Seltzer, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University.

“Fundamentally, it means Tigard is interested in being part of the region,” he said.

If Tigard turned back the MAX line, regional transportation investment would go elsewhere, he said.

The MAX line, as envisioned, would terminate at Bridgeport Village, a 500,000-square-foot outdoor mall west of Interstate 5.

“That’s historically the way these things got built,” Seltzer said. “Old streetcar lines used to go to amusement parks and picnic parks and things like that. In some sense, shopping malls are the amusement parks of our day.”

Better mass transit options could cause state regulators to look more kindly on development in the “Tigard Triangle,” Dirksen said. The area – bordered by I-5, Oregon Route 99 and Oregon Route 217 – is entirely within the urban growth boundary.

“Without improved transportation, the state of Oregon isn’t going to allow Tigard to develop those areas the way they need to be,” he said.

A scoping process drew 1,620 public comments, according to Metro. Most were supportive.

Light rail does have its opponents in Tigard and other suburban areas, however.

“We know that Tigard residents are very concerned about growth and traffic congestion, and that’s why this vote is so close,” Dirksen said.

In addition to going to voters for funding, backers of a new MAX line are planning to pursue a matching grant from the Federal Transit Authority. It distributes dollars to entities around the nation from a pot for light rail projects that holds about $1 billion annually.

About two dozen U.S. cities are building high-capacity transit infrastructure and are competing for that grant money, Dirksen said.

Planning for the light-rail link through Tigard began in 2011. Major questions remain, including whether the line will leave Southwest Portland from the transit mall down the center of Barbur Boulevard, or stay close to I-5.

In Tigard, the route is not envisioned to go down Barbur, in response to concerns from some local businesses.

Planners decided not to expand to Sherwood. They also decided not to construct tunnels at Marquam Hill or to Portland Community College’s Sylvania campus to reduce projected costs.

Stevenson said the lack of a link to PCC – a potential major user of the MAX line – is unfortunate.

“To not have a direct link to the campus, I think is disappointing,” he said.

The work involves a long roster of agencies and jurisdictions, including the cities of Beaverton, Durham, King City, Portland, Sherwood, Tigard and Tualatin as well as Washington County, TriMet, Metro and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The current timeline for the MAX line shows that it could be constructed by 2025.

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The latest major transportation project for the Portland Metro area has reached a critical decision stage, and it seems to be moving forward with only a modest amount of controversy.

There are still more steps in the process but the project’s advisory panel recommendation is for the new high-capacity transit line from downtown Portland to Tigard/Tualatin to be light rail, not bus rapid transit. The route, which probably will only go as far as Bridgeport Village,  generally will follow Barbur Boulevard, rather than going through a tunnel under Portland Community College.

This has major implications for how the region will grow over the next 20 to 30 years.  It reinforces Barbur Boulevard as a major redevelopment corridor, and downtown Tigard and the Bridgeport area as centers for much more intense growth.

It also could offer an opportunity to rethink the function and location of PCC over time.  Given its location away from major transit access, would it be better to begin transferring elements of PCC to downtown Tigard?

This has several benefits.  It places key educational facilities and services in a highly accessible location, especially for the transit-dependent people who most need PCC services.  It reinforces the desirability of Tigard as an economic and residential center of growth, and it enhances Tigard’s stated desire to be the “most walkable city in Oregon.”  Also, by designating Bridgeport as the location for a major station, it places the center for more intense development there rather than in downtown Tualatin.

As for the rest of the corridor, it places a great deal of development potential along what is now a high-volume street and a major state highway.  That will mean some very aggressive land use planning to accompany the transit line, with serious redevelopment implications for those areas chosen as station locations.

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