Planners looking for a way to rebuild a downtown neighborhood have a good model in Portland, Oregon. Portland’s Pearl District used to be an area of decrepit warehouses and parking lots. Today, the Pearl District is the city’s arts district and a coveted residential location, an award-winning leader in urban renewal. It is also home to two full-service grocery stores. Portland has created the model for downtown neighborhood development. Over the last twenty years, this community adjacent to downtown Portland has been transformed. What had been an industrial warehouse district has become a vibrant place to shop, eat, work, and live. Nearly all of the warehouse buildings that give the Pearl its architectural identity have been creatively restored. New developments, in a variety of styles and heights, have been designed to be faithful to the district’s industrial roots. The result is one of the most dynamic and appealing urban neighborhoods in the nation. The pedestrian-friendly nature of the streets and neighborhood are a big draw, helped by Portland’s 200 foot grid block system. Sidewalks are inviting and have storefronts lining them. Roads are narrow and tree-lined. Bike lanes are plentiful.
To assist in the area’s transformation, the City provided infrastructure- some $150 million worth- notably the streetcar, parks and other streetscaping. Running through the neighborhood are sleek, European-styled streetcars that stop every couple of blocks, every 10 minutes or so. That this strong district did not exist 20 years ago is a testament to the sustained and coordinated commitment by both the public, the City and enlightened developers. The Pearl is hip and trendy and includes locally-owned specialty shops, pricey art galleries, restaurants, brew pubs and major retailers. The Pearl’s parks are a neighborhood amenity and community gathering spots.
Residential options range from affordable to high-end apartments, condominiums and townhomes. Lots of them. According to Explore the Pearl, 6,000 residential units have been developed in the district over the past 20 years with more planned as development spreads north block by block. New buildings range from two to about 20 stories. Whole Foods Market opened its first Portland-area store in the Brewery Blocks, located on the southern edge of the Pearl District, in 2002. It now has seven stores in the region, four are within the City of Portland.
Interior image by Neighborhood Notes.
In 2008, Safeway opened a grocery store of its own in the north end of the Pearl. It anchors a two-block complex called The Lovejoy and was developed by Unico Properties LLC, a Seattle-based real estate firm. Safeway not only provides a second grocery store for the Pearl, it is a more affordable alternative to Whole Foods. The western block building features the 47,000 sq.ft., two-story Safeway, four levels of parking (yes, that is parking on the middle floors of the building), topped by 84,000 sq.ft. of office space on three levels. The building has a large garden terrace on the seventh floor, an eco roof (photo right), tall windows for natural daylight and in true Portland style, plentiful bike parking. The 17-story Asa Flats + Lofts, with 231 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail space, is located on the eastern block of The Lovejoy development.
In the Pearl, over 6,000 units help support two grocery stores, all in an area about the same size of Buffalo’s downtown (see superimposed map below). A major difference is the Pearl is primarily a residential neighborhood. Most buildings are residential or a mix of uses. There are no street-deadening sports complexes or convention centers. Office space is concentrated in the traditional downtown core to the south. Downtown Buffalo’s residential projects on the other hand are spread out, smaller, and haven’t created the critical mass needed to draw retail or other amenities to create a complete neighborhood.
Pearl District superimposed over downtown Buffalo; Google Maps.