Public Meeting

4/24/2014

Allen Boulevard
Corridor Plan
Visit Each Station and Talk About Your Vision for Allen:
Identity Transportation Retail Mix

Appearance

Housing

Green Spaces

Community Spaces

Childcare and Activities Provided!

Take our survey at our survey station or find it online at: allenblvdstudy.com
The Allen Boulevard Corridor Plan is the City of Beavertons big push to hear from the community and generate ideas about how to make a better Allen. Your feedback will help inform the citys comprehensive plan and long-term planning for the street.

Challenges and Opportunities: Appearance

Summary
The area surrounding Allen Blvd hosts a number impressive views and street trees, including cherry blossom trees at Hall and Allen and large Evergreen trees near Murray and Allen. However, surveyed local residents say graffiti and the perception of crime prevent some them from walking along Allen Blvd or going to one of the many local businesses. Respondents also note that garbage often litters the street, some of it large and bulky (e.g., couches and old appliances).

Challenges:
Storefront improvements is the #1 response to making Allen Blvd seem more comfortable Survey respondents say graffiti gives the impression of crime Trash and litter are another concern for survey respondents, saying it makes the area look unkept.

Opportunities:
Public Murals:
Some surveyed residents have noted that many facades along Allen Blvd are unappealing and lead to a perception of crime and danger. By painting community-supported murals, Allen Blvd and its local businesses can communicate that it is a welcome and vibrant commercial area, promote artistic expression for people of various backgrounds and discourage graffiti.

Neighborhood Clean-up Days:

Neighborhood clean up is another way for residents and businesses along Allen Blvd to communicate to that they have a sense of pride in their community. Many cities across North America have started neighborhood clean-up programs where residents have self-organized a clean-up day, and cities have offered tool lending libraries and grants to help to clean-up efforts.

Storefront Improvement Programs

Storefront improvement programs enhance positive perceptions of the business community and make the businesses feel more welcoming to potential customers with diverse backgrounds. This is of particular note as some survey respondents have mentioned that they feel uncomfortable going businesses along Allen because they are not Spanishspeakers. Storefront improvement programs can help businesses put clear signage in both English and Spanish.

Graffiti Prevention/Removal Programs

Graffiti removal programs help to solve the immediate problem that many communities across the world face--the perception of crime and gang activity in an area. The City of Richmond, California has started a graffiti educational program and has mailed out pamphlets that describe ways for residents to prevent graffiti from re-appearing on their property.

Tree Planting Programs

Along the intersection of Allen and Hall Blvds, there are a number of striking cherry blossom trees that many surveyed residents have celebrated. In the effort of capitalizing on the existing trees along Allen Blvd, tree planting programs can enhance the natural beauty of the rest of the corridor.

Challenges & Opportunities: Identity

Summary
For many, Allen Blvd seems to lack an identity, in that it could be like any other suburban commercial corridor, and that the current identity is one that is unappealing. There is also the concern that area businesses and residents dont care much about the area. The local community needs opportunities to take ownership of their neighborhood, get to know their neighbors, and get better connected to the city.

Challenges:
Lack of a cohesive identity makes it difficult for businesses to create a retail environment that attracts a broad range of customers. Some customers and residents expressed concern over shopping in businesses that seemed unfamiliar or where other languages were spoken, while some businesses were not sure of how best to market to a broader audiences. The area lacks cohesive design elements, including benches, welcome signs and other things that are attractive and comfortable for many consumers.

Opportunities:
Creation of Allen Special Planning District
Creating a Special Planning District allows for differentiation from other areas and can create momentum and cohesion for local businesses and residents. This could mean participation in a commercial corridor program such as the Main Street Program or something unique to Allen. It would include promotion of the Allen District through events and marketing and creating a design look to tie the area together.

Buiding on the multicultural element of Allen

The presence of ethnic and/or immigrant-owned businesses could be an asset. In some areas that are home to immigrant or communities or broader multicultural populations, the richness of these cultures have been built upon to create a unique identity for that area. Examples include the Jade District in Portland, the Del Paso District in Sacramento, and Frog Town in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Create spaces and programs for community building along Allen

This includes the reemergence of the Neighborhood Pride Program; the creation of public spaces for people with diverse cultures, ages and background to meet, share, and strengthen community ties; and partnering with organizations, including the city, to build leadership

Challenges & Opportunities: Housing

Summary
The area near Allen Blvd. hosts a mix of housing types affordable to a range of households. However, a lack of studios and units with three plus bedrooms limits housing choice. The area is dominated by housing stock built between the 1950s and 1970s and deterioration is a problem.

Challenges
Nearby vacant homes or homes in poor condition is the #1 housing related concern of surveyed homeowners. Interviews with code enforcement officers identified the area near Allen from Hall to Hwy. 217 as a hotspot for housing code violation. Interviews with social service providers indicated that many renters fear retaliation from landlords for reporting maintenance problems to the city. Undocumented immigrants, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable.

Opportunities
Mandatory housing inspection program
Create a mandatory housing inspection program and/or change city code to promote healthy housing. Moving to a mandatory inspection program from the current complaint driven system could help Beaverton stay on top of dilapidated rental properties. This type of program is based on a random sampling of properties and is used by Salem and Gresham.

Restore & preserve historic homes

Robert Rummer was an architect who built 750 Rummer homes around the Portland metro in the 1960s and 70s. The Allen Blvd. area hosts many historic Rummer homes, some restored to prime condition, others in disrepair. These homes have become a hot commodity in the housing market and can sell for $20,000 to $30,000 above market rate. Owners of Rummer homes could work with Restore Oregon and the Historic Preservation League of Oregon to create a historic district, making their homes eligible for historic preservation grants and incentives. Oak Hills has successfully tackled this process and Garden Home is working on a similar project.

Build affordable housing

Nonprofits could work with the city to leverage existing development incentives to build affordable housing, especially studios and units with 3 plus bedrooms. This area is a good fit for affordable housing due to it central location and proximity to public transit and other amenities. The Bridge on 141st and Allen Blvd. is a good example of an existing affordable housing development. The Barcelona, a mixed use, mixed income development, slated to be built at 1st and Lombard is an example of mixed commercial and residential project.

Raise awareness about existing programs to help homeowners fix up their properties
Mend-a-Home, Hope-4-Homes, Adapt-a-Home are all existing repair and rehabilitation programs available to eligible Beaverton homeowners, but many of our survey respondents were unaware of these programs.

Promote healthy homes with a public health approach

The Multnomah County Healthy Homes Program, allows doctors to request housing inspections for patients with asthma they suspect may be caused by mold or other environmental factors.

Challenges and Opportunities: Transportation

Summary
Allen Boulevard is one of the few streets in Beaverton that directly connects Murray to 217. Like most streets it is used by vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Currently, over 20,000 vehicles use Allen a day. Pedestrians and cyclists share the sidewalks. Bus transit is not heavily used along Allen.

Challenges:
Allen Boulevard is not comfortable to walk along, this is what much of the community feedback said Many comments mentioned that the sidewalks are not very wide and that they are often right next to the traffic lanes with no trees to buffer and provide protection Many people talked about how few crosswalks there are on Allen and how unsafe it is to cross mid-block Cyclists commented that Allen is not an easy street to bike on and preferred to use the sidewalks Car drivers mentioned how congested and inefficient Allen can be Car drivers mentioned the need for a left-hand turn lane on many sections of Allen

Opportunities:
Pedestrian Improvements:
Widening the sidewalk for pedestrians would improve the street for the community, as would adding sidewalks to connecting side streets. Increasing the width of sidewalks would allow for other improvements to Allen, such as benches, trashcan and water fountains. A more developed planter strip and additional street trees can also help make pedestrians feel more comfortable. Marked and raised crosswalks would also create a better environment for pedestrians.

A Center Turn Lane

Many community members have expressed a strong desire for adding a center lane down the whole length of Allen boulevard so that people turning left do not slow down traffic. Doing so would require reducing the lanes of traffic so that there would be only one lane each direction. However, the center lane could improve the flow of traffic substantially in addition to providing a refuge for pedestrians crossing the street. Further study is needed to determine if this is a good fit for Allen.

Bike Access
Adding a center turn lane and reducing the number of travel lanes would make space for bike lanes. This is the best possible option for adding safe bike access along Allen Boulevard.

Challenges & Opportunities: Stormwater and Green Spaces

Summary
Adding green infrastructure to Allen Blvd not only reduces strain on the city sewer system, but also has the potential to alleviate community concerns that Allen Blvd is unsafe for pedestrians and physically unattractive by adding a vegetated amenity zone.

Challenges
Many fully-developed street trees along Allen are being replaced with smaller trees due to conflicts with power lines, this reduces the overall canopy of the street Community members have indicated a strong desire for better landscaping along Allen boulevard. Aside from the newly installed Wonderland Arboretum along Allen, there is very little use of landscaping to reduce the cost of stormwater management

Opportunities
Encourage private property owners to install rain gardens
Rain gardens help to collect surface runoff and thereby reduce the overall strain on the sewer system. They also add natural beauty and a more sustainable alternative to traditional landscaping. Portland, Oregon has already begun addressing the negative effects of too much stormwater runoff by offering incentives to private property owners to build rain gardens through its stormwater retrofit program.

Build bioswales and other green infrastructure

The Grey to Green program in Portland, Oregon has been hugely successful in financing the building of green infrastructure, which includes bioswales. A 2007 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that 11 out of 12 green infrastructure projects saved money when compared to traditional gray pipe projects. This is an opportunity for the City of Beaverton to improve its approach to stormwater management and enhance the aesthetic appeal of Allen.

Add a Landscaped Median to the Center of Allen

Many community members expressed a strong desire for a center turn lane the full length of Allen Blvd. in order to improve the flow of traffic. If a center turn lane was added to Allen Blvd. it could be landscaped in between intersections, allowing for there to be more vegetation and street trees. This median would also provide a refuge for pedestrians crossing Allen.

Challenges & Opportunities: Retail Mix

Summary
The Allen Boulevard Commercial Corridor contains a diverse mix of local businesses. The corridor reflects the growing diversity in the City of Beaverton. The area is frequently noted for its prevalence of hair salons and affordable ethnic dining options. However, many residents are unsatisfied with the current mix of businesses on Allen Boulevard. Over a third of people surveyed indicated that businesses are not at all a good fit to meet their needs. Commercial activity should be diverse, multi-cultural, small, individual markets, shops, social service centers, lots of mixed retail but not lots of chains, community nonprofits, community cultural centers, food carts, street vendors, street musicians, etc. Community Member Comment

Challenges
Need for more family restaurants Need for a greater variety of retail options Need for more upscale dining options A food cart pod on Allen was popular among respondents with 54% in favor of a pod Need for a clothing/shoe store on Allen The exterior of businesses and cluttered or confusing signage makes businesses less visible

Opportunities
Business Association
Organization of the business community to aid in creating a cohesive vision for the corridor through a business association, 80% of business owners surveyed indicated that they thought a business association would be useful for the area

Business Improvement District

Exploration of financing tools to make improvements along the corridor such as business improvement districts (business improvement districts can allow areas to make improvements such as faade and signage improvement, and streetscaping by applying an additional tax to businesses in the district) .

Marketing and Promotion

Marketing and promotion of the corridor through events targeted at a broad audience, for example A Taste of Allen Boulevard Festival and/or presence of local businesses at the Beaverton Farmers Market.

Awareness of Unique Barriers

Increasing cultural competency to support local business owners and awareness of unique barriers that they may face, such as language barriers and unfamiliarity with existing business assistance programs Allen Boulevard has unique strengths that can be enhanced and potential exists to create a more inviting atmosphere that celebrates the multicultural nature of the area and serves the broader community.

Challenges & Opportunities: Community Spaces

Summary
There is a strong desire by community members to see more community spaces available on Allen Boulevard. Currently the Beaverton Activity Center serves this purpose to an extent, but due to the variety of activities that occur at the center demand often exceeds capacity. In interviews and surveys, respondents frequently mentioned the need for cafs, recreational facilities, and spaces for young people to gather.

Challenges
Need for more recreational facilities particularly to provide activities for youth in the area Need for a space for community gatherings Desire for a coffee shop/caf Need for activities provided at recreational facilities to be affordable and accessible to low-income people and the special needs community Desire for a community cultural center

Opportunities
Neighborhood Center
Neighborhood Centers, such as Houstons Neighborhood Centers, Inc., offer enrichment and leisure activities, adult basic education, and after-school and summer activities for kids. Neighborhood centers serve both inner-city and suburban communities and are tailored to the needs of specific communities. The centers seek to build on existing community strengths and use surveys and conversations with community members to ensure that the community plays an important role in creating a center that provides them with activities and services that they desire.

Community Coffee Shop/Caf

Caf au Play, located in SE Portland, is a nonprofit coffeehouse and community center. Events such as story times for kids, craft classes, and parenting workshops are held at the center. The caf sits on a communityowned space known as Tabor Commons. The creation of the facility was the result of community visioning process. A key goal that emerged from the visioning process was to create a space to foster relationship between residents and to be inclusive to low-income and immigrant families. Other key priorities of the project were to create a community center/gathering space with activity space and meeting rooms that had innovative environmental design features. The project also sought to create workforce development opportunities through green job training.

Conversion of vacant or underutilized space into community space

In many other areas where residents have expressed a desire for more community gathering spaces underutilized spaces have been converted into community spaces. In Downtown Tonopah, Nevada community members worked to transform an underutilized parking lot into a flexible use public plaza where community events could be held. The City of Gresham also has an Arts Plaza that provides space for local artists to showcase their work, community members to come together, and for public and private events to be held.