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.



Accomplishments

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

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.



More information

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

Bernie Kerosky
Development & Investment Project Manager
503-823-3459 or email