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Apr 27 2015

Up-and-coming Cully could be the right neighborhood for you

4628 NE Wygant (Steve Haning)
4628 NE Wygant (Steve Haning)

Northeast Portland’s Cully was in the spotlight last week. The neighborhood received a grant of half a million dollars from the federal government to develop a 25-acre park on a former landfill. And a new home on NE Wygant was among 8 featured in the Modern Home Tour I attended on April 25th.

These events may seem unrelated. But they are part of a larger trend. If this large, diverse and historically low-income neighborhood were a stock, analysts would surely give it a “buy” rating.

Three census tracts covering most of Cully were gentrified between 2000 and 2015, according to a study by Governing, a Washington DC-based magazine targeting state and local officials. In fact, Portland was found to lead the national pack in this regard, with the highest rate (58 percent) of gentrification of any major city reviewed.

As Cully gentrifies, it has attracted new investment and in-fill like the home on Wygant. The 2,800+ square foot property resembles a Craftsman on the outside, but its interior space offers high-quality modern design and materials. Portland developer/builder Brent Keys has listed it for sale at $725,000.

Meanwhile, green social investment will likely take area property values higher. A well-maintained public park or recreational area can boost the value of nearby homes by 8-20 percent. Cully saw its first developed park open on April 24. Set on 2.4 acres and serving about 1,500 families, Khunamokwst Park features a playground, nature and water play areas, a picnic shelter, a small skateboard park and paths for walking and jogging.

The 25 acres set aside for Thomas Cully Park are already home to a 35-plot community garden designed by local middle school students. Further development is a joint venture of the City of Portland, the non-profit organization Verde, and private partners. With funding from these players and the new federal grant, the Park is expected to feature restored habitat, a playground and soccer field, a walking trail with exercise equipment, scenic overlooks, an off leash dog area, and a Native American garden.

In short, Cully is an ideal neighborhood if you value:

  • a location close to downtown and to hip commercial hubs like Fremont Street and Alberta Arts
  • diversity
  • lower home prices or more bang for the buck than many other eastside neighborhoods
  • new or developing green spaces
  • the prospect of further gains in property values

Written by Catherine Quoyeser · Categorized: buyers, gentrification, lifestyles, neighborhoods · Tagged: buyers, gentrification, lifestyles, neighborhoods

Mar 25 2015

Will Portland outgrow its livability? Weigh in on the city’s plans for the future

Light rail (Bruce Fingerhood)
Light rail (Bruce Fingerhood)

Now at just over 600,000, the population of Portland is expected to increase by some 30-50,000 people in the next five years. A story in yesterday’s GoLocalPDX reviews the implications — good and bad — of rapid growth.

  • Population and economic growth usually go hand in hand. So Portland will likely experience an increase in jobs and overall prosperity.
  • But economic growth may not be sustainable or of optimal quality since the city attracts many young people who don’t have jobs and retirees on fixed incomes.
  • The city’s current Urban Growth Boundary — designed to limit urban sprawl and promote density — may not be able to contain or house a growing population. Already the supply of single family homes and apartments is low compared to demand. Prices and rents have risen sharply.
  • Rising home prices and rents fuel gentrification, which revitalizes neighborhoods and increases the net worth of homeowners. But it also displaces lower income people unless construction of affordable housing is encouraged and enforced.
  • Enlarging the Urban Growth Boundary to accommodate population growth will lead to urban sprawl, more freeways and traffic congestion and tend to sap the vitality of the city center.
  • If the current Boundary is maintained, then the city will need to grow up. But taller buildings block light, create wind, and undermine the walkability or livability of city streets. Already residents and businesses in the west quadrant have raised concerns about taller buildings.

City officials will need to address these issues as they draw up the next 20-year plan for urban development. The GoLocalPDX story encourages residents to accept the mayor’s invitation to help shape the plan with their input.

Written by Catherine Quoyeser · Categorized: growth trends, home values and prices, livability, urban planning and services · Tagged: growth trends, home values and prices, livability, urban planning and services

Mar 16 2015

In the crystal ball for Rose City — retirees are coming

Portland Postcard from 30s or 40s by Boston Public Library
Vintage postcard circa 1935 (Boston Public Library)

The Wall Street Journal has called Portland one of the best places to retire in America.

The number of residents aged 65 or older in the metropolitan area is expected to increase by 106 percent between 2010 and 2030 — as compared to an increase of just over 34 percent in the US population as a whole.

What are the city’s attractions for Baby Boomers?

– A mild climate

– Compact and walkable urban development

– Lively and affordable culinary and performing arts scenes

– A culture of kindness

– The largest urban forested park in the country just minutes from downtown

– An “unstated religion” of nostalgia expressed in its large stock of historic homes

– Intellectual stimulation with over 12 universities and a public library system with the 2nd-highest circulation in America after New York City’s public library

– A strong spirit of voluntarism and civic engagement

On the down side? The cost and limited supply of housing and relatively high property taxes.

 

Written by Catherine Quoyeser · Categorized: growth trends, lifestyles, livability, urban planning and services · Tagged: growth trends, livability, retirement, urban planning and services

Mar 10 2015

Why this blog?

shutterstock_107948360-mediumIf you call Portland home, you have a leg up on living your best life. The city’s livability is well-known and a key topic in this blog.

But as important as the urban environment is to our well-being, individual homes and neighborhoods are no less so.

Architects and designers have long understood that some built environments are much better for people and relationships than others. And scientists are beginning to document these effects. Natural light and green spaces or views seem to be common keys to unlocking human potential, for example.

Of course, each of us has our own personal image of an ideal home and neighborhood. And we know them – or close approximations – when we see them.

My aim is to help you “home in” on places that have the power or potential to nurture you and yours.

Written by Catherine Quoyeser · Categorized: design, livability, urban planning and services · Tagged: design, livability

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