welcome image - park scene

Lower SE Rising Area Plan Proposed Draft

Welcome to the Proposed Draft summary

The Proposed Draft of the Lower SE Rising Area Plan for Brentwood-Darlington and parts of the Mt. Scott-Arleta, Woodstock, and Lents neighborhoods grew from nearly two years of community conversations about increasing neighborhood commercial services, housing, and safe transportation options in the plan area.

We created this online summary to share the plan's major land use and transportation proposals. We encourage you to review the full plan to see the full details of the proposals and to provide comments as testimony to the Portland Planning Commission, which is holding a public hearing on the plan on October 10, 2023.

Review the full  Proposed Draft .

Other opportunities to learn more and provide testimony

  •  Visit the Map App  to learn what zoning is proposed for specific properties and provide testimony
  • Visit the  Lower SE Rising project website 
  • Submit written testimony. Written testimony must be received by the end of the hearing on October 10 and may be submitted via:
    •  The Map App 
    • U.S. Mail: Portland Planning Commission, Lower SE Rising Area Plan Testimony, 1810 SW 5th Ave, Suite 710, Portland, OR 97201
    • Testify at the Planning Commission Hearing. The hearing on October 10, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. will be a hybrid format with options to participate either in-person or virtually using a computer, mobile device, or telephone. You must sign up to testify in advance. To sign up to testify before the Commission in person or virtually visit the project website at portland.gov/bps/planning/lower-se-rising. The deadline to sign up for the October 10 hearing is Monday, October 9 at 5:00 P.M.

Background

LSER Project Area
LSER Project Area

Lower SE Rising Area Plan Boundary

Lower SE Portland, especially the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood, lack neighborhood commercial services, diverse housing options, and transportation infrastructure. The area has also not received the same level of investment in local services and transportation improvements as other areas of Portland. The Plan proposes land use changes and makes recommendations for transportation improvements so that more people can meet their needs locally, have less expensive housing options, and can safely access local destinations.

Plan Objectives

  • Increase commercial opportunities and neighborhood-serving businesses so people can meet their daily needs locally.
  • Increase housing affordability and choices to address housing insecurity and houselessness.
  • Expand active and green transportation access, making it easier to walk, bike and take transit in the area.
  • Combine improvements in services and infrastructure with community stabilization strategies so that everyone can benefit from future improvements.

How the plan will make these changes

The Lower SE Rising Plan focuses on three implementation tools:

  • Land use changes to provide more neighborhood commercial and housing opportunities.
  • Future transportation projects so people can safely and easily walk, roll, and bicycle to nearby places and take transit to other places around the city.
  • Recommendations to support housing and economic stability.

centers and corridors concept
map image of landuse growth concept

The Plan proposes land use changes and transportation improvements to help make this concept come to life and make it easier to access needs locally. The following diagrams show these potential changes. We're interested in what you think about these ideas and have some questions for you to consider.


Land Use


land use growth concept
new neighborhood center graphic
proposed commercial rezone area graphic


Transportation


In addition to the proposed land use changes, this plan presents several sets of recommendations to support the new land use vision and improve the quality of the transportation network, including:

  • Recommended projects to create a safe and low-stress walking and biking network in the Lower SE Rising Plan Area.
  • Bus network recommendations to bring more frequent and streamlined transit service to the area, providing better access to destinations in and out of the area.
  • Supportive programs for the recommended projects and to address traffic calming, safe neighborhood streets, and opportunities for community placemaking.

Recommended projects

A safe walking and biking network in Lower Southeast

Lower SE Rising recommends a network of Corridor Improvements and Neighborhood Greenways to bring every corner of the Plan Area within a few blocks of a safe and low-stress walking and biking route, focusing on the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood. This will ensure each neighborhood subarea ("cells" in the diagram) bounded by busy streets gets safer with crossing improvements and new or upgraded bike lanes, while ensuring a greenway connection between neighborhoods in each direction.

LSER Transportation Concept Diagram

Lower Southeast Rising Area Plan - Transportation Concept Diagram

The Corridor Improvement and Neighborhood Greenway projects are divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects. Tier 1 projects are the most important to meet the primary objectives of the plan and community needs. Tier 1 projects are the highest priority for project development and funding in the next five years. Tier 2 projects will not be a focus for PBOT in the first five years after Plan adoption but may be implemented if opportunity arises.

map image of corridor improvements
map image of neighborhood greenways
map image of proposed bike network


Big Picture


Now that we've revied the proposed changes for land use and transportation, it's time to consider the draft plan as a whole. 

As a reminder, the plan's objectives are to:

  • Increase commercial opportunities and neighborhood-serving businesses so people can meet their daily needs where they live.
  • Increase housing options and affordability to address housing insecurity and houselessness.
  • Expand active and green transportation access, making it easier to walk, bike and take transit in the area.

Zoning Changes

The Lower SE Rising Plan has draft zone changes in the project area. Visit the Map App to view the proposed zoning changes and submit testimony on the Proposed Draft and on individual properties.

What's Next

The Portland Planning commission will hold a public hearing on the Lower SE Rising Area Plan on October 10, 2023, at 5 PM. After considering public testimony, both written and verbal, and discussing potential amendments to the proposal, the Planning Commission will vote to forward a Recommended Draft to the Portland City Council. Additional public hearings will be held by City Council (date TBD) prior Council’s deliberations and plan adoption.

 Sign up for project email updates  to learn about future opportunities to provide input and testimony.

Lower SE Rising Area Plan Boundary

Lower Southeast Rising Area Plan - Transportation Concept Diagram