CITY OF BEAVERTON ANNOUNCES ALLEN BOULEVARD CORRIDOR STUDY
News Release from City of Beaverton
Posted on FlashAlert: March 6th, 2014 12:19 PM
- Open house slated for March 20, public meeting on April 24 -
The City of Beaverton has hired a team of Portland State University (PSU) graduate students, iNsite Planning Group, to conduct a study along the Allen Boulevard corridor to help plan for the area's future. The plan is a response to the recognition that the area lacks coordinated planning efforts and that the city's Business Assistance Program has a desire to develop tailored programs to service businesses along the corridor.
The planning process is being led by InSite Planning Group, a consulting firm comprised of graduate students who have developed this study as their final project in the Masters in Urban and Regional Planning program at PSU.
"The majority of Beaverton's economic development and planning programs are currently centered around the Downtown core," said Alma Flores, the city's economic development manager. This partnership with PSU graduate students is a great benefit to the city. Like every organization, we have limited resources and having the talent from iNsite leading this project allows us to expand an area outside what has been our traditional focus. This is an exciting opportunity."
City staff will use the resulting document to tailor programs to assist businesses, property owners, employees, and residents in the corridor area.
The plan will focus on economic development, transportation, and land use issues along the corridor. The final product will include a snapshot of the current conditions along the corridor and a set of strategies and recommendations that support the area's small-business climate, provide residents with better transportation options, create a safe and inviting streetscape, and promote development along the corridor that serves the needs of existing residents.
The plan will be built on a foundation of community engagement. The strategies and recommendations in the final plan will be developed around the community input gleaned through the outreach process, which will include business and resident surveys, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, an open house on March 20 from 4 to 6 p.m., and a public meeting to be held April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m., both at the Beaverton Activities Center (12500 SW Allen Boulevard). Child care and translation services will be provided.
"The Allen Boulevard Study will be a community-driven plan," said iNsight's Community Engage Specialist Samantha Petty. "We've been tasked with engaging those that live, shop, and work along Allen Boulevard to better understand what's happening along the corridor and inform future plans for the area."
The plan will also take into account redevelopment pressure from Downtown Beaverton, located just north of the planning area, and the potential for business and residential displacement along the corridor.
"By talking with the community, we hope to develop strategies that support small-business prosperity along the corridor and also meet the needs of existing residents," according to iNsight's Project Manager JP McNeil. "We hope to develop a plan that connects the Allen Boulevard of today to the Allen Boulevard of tomorrow."
The community engagement program will run through March and April and a final plan is expected to the Planning Commission in early June.
For more information, please contact J.P. McNeil, project manager, at 503-957-8978 or mcjpneil@gmail.com
ABOUT BEAVERTON
In 2014, Beaverton was again recognized as the safest city in Oregon as well as the safest city in the entire Pacific Northwest. In 2012, the city was awarded the Mayors' Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It was one of just four cities of its size recently recognized as a "Smarter City" energy leader by the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the 100 Best Places to Live in America by Money magazine. In addition, Beaverton was named one of the best places to raise kids by BusinessWeek magazine, an All-America City finalist, as one of the top 25 Suburbs for Retirement by Forbes.com, one of the 100 Best Walking Cities in America by Prevention magazine, the Recycler of the Year from the Association of Oregon Recyclers, a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a Bronze Award Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists and as one of the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Communities, the Beavert on Community Vision program was named Public Involvement Project of the Year--Best Planning Project by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Cascade Chapter. Beaverton also enjoys one of the most diverse populations in Oregon. For more information, reminders and community news, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov, like the City of Beaverton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofBeaverton, or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CityofBeaverton.
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The City of Beaverton has hired a team of Portland State University (PSU) graduate students, iNsite Planning Group, to conduct a study along the Allen Boulevard corridor to help plan for the area's future. The plan is a response to the recognition that the area lacks coordinated planning efforts and that the city's Business Assistance Program has a desire to develop tailored programs to service businesses along the corridor.
The planning process is being led by InSite Planning Group, a consulting firm comprised of graduate students who have developed this study as their final project in the Masters in Urban and Regional Planning program at PSU.
"The majority of Beaverton's economic development and planning programs are currently centered around the Downtown core," said Alma Flores, the city's economic development manager. This partnership with PSU graduate students is a great benefit to the city. Like every organization, we have limited resources and having the talent from iNsite leading this project allows us to expand an area outside what has been our traditional focus. This is an exciting opportunity."
City staff will use the resulting document to tailor programs to assist businesses, property owners, employees, and residents in the corridor area.
The plan will focus on economic development, transportation, and land use issues along the corridor. The final product will include a snapshot of the current conditions along the corridor and a set of strategies and recommendations that support the area's small-business climate, provide residents with better transportation options, create a safe and inviting streetscape, and promote development along the corridor that serves the needs of existing residents.
The plan will be built on a foundation of community engagement. The strategies and recommendations in the final plan will be developed around the community input gleaned through the outreach process, which will include business and resident surveys, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, an open house on March 20 from 4 to 6 p.m., and a public meeting to be held April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m., both at the Beaverton Activities Center (12500 SW Allen Boulevard). Child care and translation services will be provided.
"The Allen Boulevard Study will be a community-driven plan," said iNsight's Community Engage Specialist Samantha Petty. "We've been tasked with engaging those that live, shop, and work along Allen Boulevard to better understand what's happening along the corridor and inform future plans for the area."
The plan will also take into account redevelopment pressure from Downtown Beaverton, located just north of the planning area, and the potential for business and residential displacement along the corridor.
"By talking with the community, we hope to develop strategies that support small-business prosperity along the corridor and also meet the needs of existing residents," according to iNsight's Project Manager JP McNeil. "We hope to develop a plan that connects the Allen Boulevard of today to the Allen Boulevard of tomorrow."
The community engagement program will run through March and April and a final plan is expected to the Planning Commission in early June.
For more information, please contact J.P. McNeil, project manager, at 503-957-8978 or mcjpneil@gmail.com
ABOUT BEAVERTON
In 2014, Beaverton was again recognized as the safest city in Oregon as well as the safest city in the entire Pacific Northwest. In 2012, the city was awarded the Mayors' Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It was one of just four cities of its size recently recognized as a "Smarter City" energy leader by the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the 100 Best Places to Live in America by Money magazine. In addition, Beaverton was named one of the best places to raise kids by BusinessWeek magazine, an All-America City finalist, as one of the top 25 Suburbs for Retirement by Forbes.com, one of the 100 Best Walking Cities in America by Prevention magazine, the Recycler of the Year from the Association of Oregon Recyclers, a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a Bronze Award Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists and as one of the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Communities, the Beavert on Community Vision program was named Public Involvement Project of the Year--Best Planning Project by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Cascade Chapter. Beaverton also enjoys one of the most diverse populations in Oregon. For more information, reminders and community news, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov, like the City of Beaverton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofBeaverton, or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CityofBeaverton.
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