[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6467175,"mediaKeyId","5809584-8d8f2ff80544251bca1040851ce8245d","parentId",5809584,"title","Nonprofits urge more green plazas, depaving and streamlined permits to expand city green infrastructure","audioSeconds",739,"startMs",4935000,"endMs",5674000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809584-8d8f2ff80544251bca1040851ce8245d&start=4935&end=5674","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809584-8d8f2ff80544251bca1040851ce8245d/thumbnail_4935000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6467175/Portland/Multnomah-County/Oregon/Nonprofits-urge-more-green-plazas-depaving-and-streamlined-permits-to-expand-city-green-infrastructure","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467175-f1c7e1d18f9d998ca62c21a9abba051e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770396643&Signature=ZB5ZeR9LyDSGEETUGzshDodZ68e60bfRcyzLD6eYeIH3QXLc7mCSxG2fg-rrJjMJfQYnVxpn9TOs0yJUgJUfrGoQbSUVV2BBTyDMQoCgOwHrFzl8X8J4wITKlcZAWHwCzfq9s5bvgMNqU0W0HuhZEiKntZ8xhZ4Ke5mXxCfpPYMqfBgxcu4P2sXeEZgipdjwlFihS~TN3I~vecGxDpnS3CiUvy-HfeAPQp-RbaLnQPuLBv~2NkaNBkOnhqur~OB2VdUXzl2Gdle5jjjAVer4no40L1eriopiN-ZBIqY~xHDxHJRJAxbdJEOtRrDZRmQDZ28NcUqAzOoOEDQVaoSdRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Portland, OR","date","2025-09-22T19:19:07.793Z","article","Nonprofit groups and community partners presented to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Sept. 22 about efforts to convert over-paved sites into green plazas and community food spaces, and urged the city to streamline permitting and coordinate across bureaus to scale the work.

Sean Perez, board president of Depave (DPAVE), described the organization’s work removing asphalt and replacing it with green infrastructure at schools, churches and public sites. Perez said DPAVE’s projects reduce urban heat and provide community benefits: “We are able to make reductions of up to, 7 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said, citing a NASA-linked study the group referenced.

DPAVE highlighted a seasonal plaza they organized at Southeast Seventh and Sandy in the Central Eastside, where organizers reported daily visitors ranging from 200 to 1,000 on some days this summer and said the site has hosted markets, skate and music programming and boosted nearby foot traffic. Depave and other presenters — including Portland Dream Plaza, Montavilla business leaders, St. John’s Boosters and GroundScore — described partnerships that combine city-provided furnishings and barriers with community programming, maintenance crews and horticulture support from Portland Parks.

Zoe Walker Aparicio of Depave urged the city to adapt technical standards that limit planting around underground water infrastructure so larger trees and planting can be used in green plazas. She also asked for a single point of contact at the city for community benefit projects to reduce the time nonprofit groups spend on permitting and compliance.

Sean Perez said DPAVE has grown from a volunteer organization to a staff-run nonprofit with roughly a $1 million annual budget and that over half of their projects include stormwater management. He said DPAVE prioritizes projects in historically underserved neighborhoods, partners with workforce development groups, and directs a large share of contracts to BIPOC and disadvantaged emerging businesses.

Kyle Leslie Christie of PDX Urban Gardens urged city officials to adopt policies that treat plazas, greenways and community orchards as essential infrastructure: “Why shouldn't the shade canopy trees also be producing food?” he asked, arguing that fruit trees and edible understory plantings can contribute to cooling, food access and neighborhood stewardship.

Committee members supported the goals but asked about how projects would be prioritized. DPAVE representatives said they now prioritize higher-impact sites and conduct targeted outreach to congregations and Title I schools. Councilors and PBOT staff noted that the bureau’s street plaza program already offers seasonal pilots and that grant-funded work (for example ARPA-supported pilot funding) helped start several plazas, but they agreed more coordination with parks, water, Prosper Portland and enhanced service districts will be needed for durable green infrastructure.

Requests to the city included: streamlining and consolidating permit and fee processes for community-led pop-ups and depaving projects; aligning water bureau setbacks with city planting goals so larger trees can be planted in plazas; and reforming conditional-use review and other land-use processes that limit reuse of surplus parking areas at schools and churches.

No formal vote was taken on these presentations. Committee members thanked the presenters and encouraged continued partnerships; several councilors said they would work with presenters on outreach and potential funding or pilot opportunities in districts that have fewer plazas.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Portland City Council Transportation & Infrastructure Committee 09/22/25","oneSentenceSummary","Depave, PDX Urban Gardens and other community groups told the committee temporary pop-up plazas and depaving can reduce heat, increase public safety and expand food access; they urged streamlined permitting and more cross‑bureau support.","taxTitle","Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon","taxId",2765,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6467180,"Committee sends PBOT street plaza package to full council after presentation on permanent program",2428,498000,2926000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5809584-8d8f2ff80544251bca1040851ce8245d&start=498&end=2926","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5809584-8d8f2ff80544251bca1040851ce8245d/thumbnail_498000.jpg","/articles/6467180/Portland/Multnomah-County/Oregon/Committee-sends-PBOT-street-plaza-package-to-full-council-after-presentation-on-permanent-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467180-eb10bfb0569312c7caadaf965e9a5771/orig.mp4?Expires=1770450294&Signature=NyNj3s6I2eYYD-xmcgucjnW1dAjJdDpxUmSQ904NRun9Swfw~L2ULrUA7Mkf5dLRRsuonDR2d9USkvosURq90yYHr59SbO6KnT7ekiyCnsOtkbYlDO9zE8PEuacsemlUc0yrkzE4hytc~m9afYz~shzKt9etCxvMLCNZUPNc6Jjg0prLA-PgxVG4kZaYGZZnM0PvObA3IBe4MbbEE~ABy46mBGHoWzsA8~TBHX5WVzRScKbB~OYc9TQgzBbXkDd7vXAMxarqvLqKgysFQ9vcCkoNIWAm~uXmhMXrOo~a93jYUmrQlGKbMHvS2nvMF9a1Hc1Ik-KdkSkLr2w0BXah3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Portland’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted on Sept. 22 to send a three-part package from the Portland Bureau of Transportation to the full City Council that would make the bureau’s pilot street plaza program permanent, amend the City’s wiring rules to allow decorative overhead lighting in designated plazas, and update plaza permit fees.

The package includes a resolution to adopt a Public Street Plaza Framework; an ordinance granting exceptions to Title 17 (underground wiring district code) to allow decorative lighting across designated PBOT pedestrian plazas and in the Skidmore/Old Town and Chinatown/Japantown historic districts; and an ordinance amending the transportation fee schedule to create plaza permit fee categories and change outdoor dining fees for plazas to a square-foot basis. The committee moved each measure to full council with a recommendation to pass: resolution document number 2025-361 and ordinances document numbers 2025-362 and 2025-363.

Why it matters: PBOT told the committee the plazas started as temporary pilots — many during the COVID-19 pandemic — and have become neighborhood assets that support small businesses, events and community connections. The formal framework is intended to set expectations for stewardship, clarify permitted uses and fees, and create a path for capital upgrades from seasonal to permanent plazas.

Priya Danapal, deputy city administrator for public works, called plazas “spaces for connection, small business vitality, cultural expression, and neighborhood pride,” and said the package “will establish a clear, transparent framework for how plazas are created, managed, and supported.” Art Pierce, PBOT deputy director for planning projects and programs, told the committee the bureau sees plazas as part of investing in Portland’s public realm and noted “about 30 to 40% of the city's land is streets and public space.”

PBOT senior planner Tiffany Swift said the bureau currently manages about 20 active street plazas and described a typology the bureau uses to stage plazas: seasonal (tested over months), exploratory (year-round, several years of materials) and permanent (materials designed to last up to 10 years). She said seasonal plazas cost about $7,000 per three-month pilot, exploratory plazas roughly $10,000–$20,000 per year, and permanent capital upgrades can be about $350,000 (citing Pride Plaza design as a current example).

Sarah Figliozzi, who leads PBOT’s public realm and street-activation team, described seven “key moves” in the proposed framework drawn from staff experience, plaza partner input and best practices. Figliozzi said proposed fee changes aim to simplify permitting for activations inside plazas — for example, creating one rate for outdoor dining based on square footage rather than parking-space counts — and to continue subsidizing nonprofit events (about a 50% reduction from standard fees). She told the committee the goal is to keep most plaza events free and to reduce administrative burden for community groups.

Committee members asked about accessibility, safety and capital costs. Councilor Koyama Lane asked how the program will ensure plazas are accessible to older adults and people with disabilities; PBOT staff said ADA review is part of the review process and emphasized co-design with communities to address lived experience. Councilor Green raised durability of perimeter devices, urging the bureau to favor hard bollards over long-term use of flexible posts in locations where safety requires them. PBOT Director Millicent Williams said the bureau is open to tactical urbanism partnerships but emphasized the need for coordinated review to ensure safety and appropriate engineering.

Funding and next steps: PBOT staff said the program has staffing and some baseline budget — the bureau cited $350,000 for plaza maintenance and amenity upgrades and roughly $6,000 average annual operating cost per plaza — but acknowledged that additional capital and interbureau investment (Parks horticulture, enhanced service districts, Prosper Portland, and others) will be needed to expand permanent plazas. Committee discussion acknowledged a citywide budget gap and signaled council will weigh additional investments in future budget cycles. The committee’s actions on Sept. 22 were recommendations to the full council, not final adoption by the council.

Voices from nearby neighborhoods and plaza partners appeared during the presentation: representatives from Montavilla, Dream Big City (Portland Dream Plaza), St. John’s Boosters, and GroundScore described local events and maintenance partnerships that they said drove foot traffic and supported nearby businesses. A public commenter from Depave urged the city to integrate temporary plazas with green-infrastructure planning and to make permitting easier for community-led projects.

The committee approved forwarding the resolution and both ordinances to the full council with unanimous committee recommendations for passage. The measures will next be considered at a full council hearing.","Portland’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to forward to full council a resolution and two ordinances that would formalize the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Public Street Plaza program, allow decorative overhead lighting in designated plazas and historic districts, and revise plaza permit fees.","actionData","errors"]

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Nonprofits urge more green plazas, depaving and streamlined permits to expand city green infrastructure

Committee sends PBOT street plaza package to full council after presentation on permanent program