Lloyd neighborhood and the parking lots

Lloyd, NE Portland, Urban planning and development

Sign announcing the closure of the Lloyd Center parking lot in April 2018I walk through the Lloyd neighborhood (also called a district) almost every day. And this is an interesting area in central Portland with so many intriguing opportunities. Similar to the surface parking lots in NW Portland around NW 21st and Savier that are all turning into buildings, there is a lot of unused or very underutilized land between NE 16th and the river and NE Irving and NE Broadway.

There was a period of time about four years ago (around 2015-16) that I thought the neighborhood was about to pop. And unlike parts of Portland where there is a lot of existing housing (affordable or otherwise), the neighborhood is a lot of surface parking lots and low commercial buildings.

The encouraging signs:

  • Hassalo & 7th apartment buildings (built! but still empty retail space)
  • Affordable housing at NE Holladay and Grand Ave. (being built!)
  • Convention Center area getting new buildings and renovation (underway)
  • Increased use and care for Holladay Park at the max station (happening, although we always seem to be a moment from backsliding — but the activities and maintenance are very nice)
  • Redevelopment of Lloyd Center mall (sort of happened, but there is a long way to go)
    • Entrance/staircase at 12th or so is built, but has some usability challenges
    • Nordstrom space turning into music venue (maybe still happening, but not a lot of action going on there)
    • Movie theater going into a pushed out Sears space and the addition of office space (maybe still happening?)
  • Possible continuing build-out of the Oregon blocks just to the south of the Hassalo development (stalled but one of the existing buildings did get renovated)
  • Apartment buildings in the parking lot of the Regal Cinemas movie theater at NE 16th & Multnomah (stalled and parking lot remains empty — could we do something fun with this space?)
  • Redevelopment of the land where the Regal Cinemas currently is located and the parking lots to the east of Sears space in Lloyd Center mall (stalled)

But things seem to have ground to a halt. So, what I want to ask, is what could this neighborhood be? What can we do right now to continue to use this space in the best way possible?