Old Town/Chinatown Action Plan

The historic Old Town/Chinatown neighborhood spans two urban renewal areas (URAs). While it originally lay within the Downtown Waterfront URA, expansion of the River District boundaries in 2009 included portions of Old Town/Chinatown to help meet community goals and objectives for the area.

The Action Plan adopted by Portland City Council in 2014 was a comprehensive community development initiative to create a vibrant, economically healthy neighborhood in Old Town/Chinatown that resulted in significant accomplishments.

In 2019 Portland City Council approved a five-year extension to the original Plan, which maintains the original focus on neighborhood investment, business vitality, and district livability, while seeking to capitalize on the progress made since 2014. It prioritizes public safety and livability (specifically related to homelessness and sanitation), housing, parking replacement, and seismic upgrades.

Old Town / Chinatown Action Plan Extension



Accomplishments

The 2014 Action Plan focused public and community investments in Old Town/Chinatown into three principal categories and objectives:

1. Attract new neighborhood investment to activate key properties and improve district connectivity

2. Promote business vitality by increasing employment and retail activity

3. Align resources and build local capacity for improving district livability

Since 2014, Old Town/Chinatown has experienced tremendous progress toward these broad objectives.

  • 260 new middle-income housing units
  • Nine major buildings renovated or redeveloped including:
    • New 150,000 square foot Multnomah County Health Department headquarters
    • The Hoxton and Society hotels
    • 38 Davis, a mixed-use redevelopment that features 65 residential units and 80,000 square feet of commercial space anchored by Ankrom Moisan Architects
  • More than 600 new living wage jobs, a 10 percent increase over the previous five years with $97,000,000 in added wages
  • University of Oregon expansion
  • More than 24 new retail stores and other businesses including Mi Mero Mole, Pine Street Market, Produce Organic and Laundry streetwear companies, Bridgetown Barber Society, Pensole Design Academy expansion, Moovel Software, WeWork, Airbnb

Looking Ahead

The Action Plan Extension outlines the major priorities and projects for the community for the next five years to improve the neighborhood, facilitate the generation of wealth, and focus on equity while planning and executing projects. The neighborhood’s cultural and educational institutions play an important role in driving further neighborhood livability, and public and private partnerships will be critical to achieve the objectives of the Action Plan and live into the vision of Old Town/Chinatown as a vibrant, walkable district that honors the area’s unique historical and cultural relevance. Plan priorities center around the support of neighborhood investment, business vitality, and district livability, with resource priority directed toward the neighborhood core east of NW Broadway, south of NW Glisan Street and north of West Burnside.



Neighborhood investment

Private property:
Facilitate development on surface parking lots and rehabilitation of privately owned property

Public property:
Develop 4th & Burnside and Block 25 with an emphasis on adding mixed-income housing and neighborhood-supporting retail

Strategic infrastructure and connectivity improvements

Business Vitality

Neighborhood Business and Retail:
Expand and enhance retail with emphasis on neighborhood-supporting services by supporting current neighborhood businesses and investing in new businesses;

Entrepreneurship:
Foster a supportive environment for startup business and expansion, especially for owners who are people of color;

Cluster Industry:
Invest in initiatives that support cluster industry and traded sector;

Honor and enhance the district’s multi-ethnic history and coordination: Support the Lan Su Garden Cultural Center expansion and continued engagement with educational institutions in opportunities for partnership, program support, and expansion. Support the Oregon Nikkei Endowment in establishing a permanent home within the district.

District Livability

Identify strategic safety initiatives emphasizing sanitation and cleanliness and support the recommendations of the Old Town/Pearl District Joint Task Force on homelessness.

More information

If you’re interested in providing input or would like more information about future development, contact:

Sarah King
Oldtown Project Manager
503-823-7944 or email