Should Portland adopt the Public Street Plaza Program Framework to support the creation of a permanent Public Street Plaza Program?

WHEREAS, the City of Portland has a history of creating places for people and celebrating community culture through public art and landscape architecture in parks, plazas, fountains and designed open space; andWHEREAS, the City of Portland has consistently been a leader in transportation innovation, especially in Portland’s approach to using streets as public spaces to foster inclusive community connections; andWHEREAS, Council passed Ordinance 188556 on August 2017 creating Code Section 17.43 establishing rules to “preserve pedestrian plazas areas as defined by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) for the enjoyment, safety, comfort and convenience of the public…”; andWHEREAS, Council passed Resolution 37325 on October 2017 adopting the Livable Streets Strategy to prioritize people and encourage community placemaking in the public right-of-way; andWHEREAS, The Portland Plan calls for the integration of plazas and other gathering places into neighborhoods to provide for places for community activity and social connections; andWHEREAS, The City of Portland's Comprehensive Plan 2035 calls for designing, managing, and repurposing Portland streets to create opportunities for a variety of community functions, including placemaking (Goal 3.A, Goal 3.E, Policy 3.4, Policy 4.7, Policy 4.21, and Policy 9.15); andWHEREAS, The City of Portland's Pedestrian Plan, PedPDX, Action 10.4 calls to encourage more programs, events, and projects that create a car-free environment; andWHEREAS, in 2020 the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by closing streets to vehicles and establishing temporary plazas to allow businesses to expand operations into the right-of-way via Healthy Business permits; and WHEREAS, in 2022 PBOT began a Pilot Public Street Plaza Program by transitioning Healthy Business plaza permits to public use by incorporating public seating and shifting plazas to PBOT management; andWHEREAS, survey results from 2024 Annual Report Survey showed that 97% of respondents felt that plazas contributed to a safe and vibrant area, with 96% recognizing substantial community benefits; andWHEREAS, the epidemic of loneliness is recognized by local, state, and national health organizations as a significant public health issue; and the development of public space that fosters social connectivity, like plazas, has been identified as a strategy in addressing loneliness; and WHEREAS, Council passed Resolution 3617 on April 26, 2023 to adopt the Advance Portland: A Call to Action for Inclusive Economic Growth, Outcome 3.4.4, which calls on the City to maintain and expand the Public Street Plaza Program; andWHEREAS, a lesson learned from the Pilot Public Street Plaza Program is that a necessary component of a successful plaza program is having engaged community partners and consistent activation; andWHEREAS, plazas can be an integral tool in increased activation and foot traffic to business districts as an economic development strategy; andNOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Portland formalizes the Public Street Plaza Program and adopts the “Public Street Plaza Program Framework”, attached as Exhibit A; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Council directs PBOT to adopt administrative rules to clarify the uses of a plaza and refine fees for plaza use permits; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that PBOT staff is directed to report back to City Council on progress implementing the actions outlined in Public Street Plaza Program Framework within five years; andBE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, that PBOT staff is directed to routinely evaluate the alignment of Public Street Plaza projects with the Public Street Plaza Program Framework and to make planning and operations adjustments as needed; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Council requests that Portland Parks and Recreation, Prosper Portland and the Enhanced Service District program work collaboratively in partnership with PBOT to develop feasible and innovative public/private stewardship strategies to support long term operations and maintenance of current and future Public Street Plazas; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that PBOT staff is directed to explore funding strategies for building new street plazas and upgrading existing street plazas, including sponsorship, new fees, public private partnerships, and grants managed by other city bureaus; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Council requests that City Arts Office, Portland Parks and Recreation, Environmental Services, Water, Permitting and Development work collaboratively in partnership with PBOT to advance plaza upgrades such as trees, stormwater, art, and overhead lighting; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Council directs PBOT staff to identify instances where City code inhibits the successful installation and operations of Public Street Plazas and to then work collaboratively with City Bureau partners to find and implement an appropriate code change; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council thanks our plaza community partners and City partners, including City Arts Office, Portland Police Bureau, Parks and Recreation, Prosper Portland, and the public for their continued efforts stewarding and activating existing pilot street plaza sites and working with PBOT to develop a permanent Public Street Plaza Program.