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KENTON NEIGHBORHOOD
A Brief History of Kenton
B y D avid M yers -E atwell
Very few areas of O regon exem ­
plify the wide scope of Northwest his­
tory as well as Kenton. At different
times it has been hom e to the Wa-kan-
is-sis-se Indian tribe, owned by retired
U.S. cavalrym en, old growth forest,
and the p rim ary ferrying p o in t be­
tween O regon and Washington. Dur­
ing its heydays, dust from E astern
Oregon’s cattle
range mixed in
the air with the
sharp bouquet
of sawdust. At
o n e tim e th e
se c o n d m o st
populace resi­
dential area in
O re g o n , th is
c o m m u n ity
has played a vital part in the economic
growth and cultural developm ent of
Portland. T h a t role is reflected in the
architecture of the homes and public
buildings of the old Kenton com m u­
nity.
ships w ith in th e local com m unity.
H aving met the major goals in those
plan s, th e K enton A ction Plan has
tu rn ed its focus to economic redevel­
o p m e n t of K en to n ’s retail d istric t
along D enver Avenue and the indus­
trial sanctuary along C olum bia Bou­
levard. A vibrant future depends on
recreating K enton’s past.
C onstruction of light rail with a
statio n ad-
ja c e n t to
the Kenton
B u s in e s s
D is tric t
would have
three added
impacts:
1. Stimu­
lation of ad­
ditional de­
velopm ent in the area;
2. Up-zoning of some areas to high-
density multi-family residential; and
3. Potential availability of rem nant
right-of-way parcels for redevelopment.
Light rail could add up to 150
re sid e n c e s, 620 jo b s an d 462,000
square feet of com m ercial/industrial
space to the K enton Business District
In 1906 Swift M eat C om pany
bought the U nion M eat C om pany,
planning to consolidate its regional fa­
c ilitie s in N o rth P o rtla n d . Sw ift by the year 2015.
formed the Kenwood Land Company, Who is the Kenton Action Plan?
In December of 1990, representa­
buying 3,400 acres on the Colum bia
tives
from four North Portland Neigh-
River to layout a new m eat packing
borhoods
(Kenton, Portsmouth, Cathe­
plant near its Union Stockyards and
dral
Park
and St. Johns) initiated the
build a company town (Kenton) on the
N
orth
Portland
Revitalization Project.
gentle rise overiooking the flood plain.
T
he
Target
Area
was bordered by C o
T he $3 m illion p lant opened in
lu
m
b
ia
B
o
u
lev
ard on th e n o rth ,
1909 and em ployed 1,500 w orkers,
Lom
bard
on
the
south,
Fenwick on the
most of whom rode the Kenton Trac­
east
and
Peninsular
on
the
west, but was
tio n C o m p a n y tro lley fro m th e ir
extended
to
include
the
Columbia
Boys
homes in blossom ing town of Kenton.
and Girls Club on N. Emerald.
T he extensive facility m ade Portland
T he Plan had five prim ary goals:
the dom inant livestock m arket on the
A. Prom ote com m unity empower­
West Coast by 1911.
m en t an d foster com m unity p rid e
K enton developed as th e place
where industrial and comm ercial de­
velopm ent can work to g eth er w ith
neighborhood interests an exemplary
way. All of the basic resources rem ain
in place. As one walks n o rth along
Denver Avenue from L om bard, a 5-
m inute stroll passes through m edium
density residential area, an
historic design zone over­
laying a commercial-retail
d is tric t, m a jo r ra il an d
trucking routes, a wetlands
natural resource area, and
the site of the single largest
annual event in Portland,
the Rose C up car races.
S in ce 1993, th e
K enton A ction Plan has
concentrated on the livabil­
ity of the Kenton Neighbor­
hood and building partner-
■
C. Facilitate an attractive and clean
neighborhood, free from abandoned/
inappropriately parked vehicles, debris,
were built before 1949. O ld houses
in K enton are often inhabited by eld­
erly residents. T h is old, b u t afford­
and other nuisances, while m aking the
neighborhood pedestrian friendly and
able, housing also draws young fam i­
appealing to hom e owners.
D. Facilitate a viable and attractive
business district, serving local needs,
providing a focal point, and encourag­
ing new business to locate in the area.
E. Prom ote an d /o r establish pro­
gram s to serve the needs of youth, chil­
d ren and seniors, plus assist adults
with job training/placem ent.
T h e 6 0 -b lo ck se g m e n t of th e
K enton N eighborhood (N. Fenwick
west to N. P eninsular, N. L om bard
no rth to N. C olum bia) was selected as
a target area because it includes a once
vibrant business district and a prim a­
rily blue-collar residential community.
Since com pletion of Interstate 5 in the
early 1960’s, major traffic and business
focus shifted away from In terstate
Avenue and the Kenton Business Dis­
trict. T he K enton com m unity fell into
a period of decline that carried into
the 1990’s.
O n the positive side, behind the
dumpsters on the sidewalk and
the soaped storefront windows
are co m m ercial b u ild in g s of
some historic significance that
are structurally sound and in step
with 2040 plans for increased
population density. A num ber of
the buildings were designed for
combined residential and com­
m ercial usage w hen trolleys
ruled the streets. A coordinated
program to draw public and pri­
vate developm ent dollars into
the business district will add af­
fordable housing and employ­
m en t o p p o rtu n itie s to th e
through increased citizen and business
involvement and cooperation, while
furthering the developm ent of the his­
toric business district.
B. Facilitate a safe and secure neigh­
bo rh o o d and business d istrict, per­
ceived as free, and indeed, free of crime
and drug'alcohol related problems.
Y2K
P re p a re d ?
liv e
G a te w a y
Kenton community.
T h e su rro u n d in g resid en ­
tial area m eets target area stan­
dards. T h e needs o f th e com ­
m unity are diverse. Single-fam­
ily h o u sin g e x h ib its a co m ­
paratively high ratio of ren tals
to o w n e r-o c c u p ie d h o m e s .
More th an 63% of the hom es
in
c o m m u n ity
sion to fruition
Photo:
M. Washington
Long ago, cowboys stayed a few days in Kenton. It was built to look
like an Eastern Oregon town. The roads of the business district are
wide because it was designed for cattle drives to the stockyards.
Kenton progressed to become the city largest city in Portland.
Because fish and w ild life
can't dial "9-1-1"
Streamside
C o n s e r v a tio n ,
P r o te c tio n
and
R e s to r a tio n
We need to hear from you
The federal government recently listed salmon and other native fish
as endangered species. Metro’s Streams.de CPR project responds to
state land-use requirements and the endangered species listings.
Join us at any of our Streamside CPR workshops
to discuss:
• What does the federal listing mean?
• What is the current health of streamside habitat in the region?
• What do we need to do, individually and collectively, to restore
streamside fish and wildlife habitat?
• Should stricter regulations he placed on future development.'
Workshops: I lolladay’s Market, 1200 NE Broadway, Portland
• 9 a.m. to noon or 6 to 9 pan. Tuesday, April 20
• I to 4 p.m. or 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 2 1
Com m on»
A transit oriented development near East 102 . Includes
attached houses, townhome and garden condos. One tk Two
bedroom homes, Priced $95,000 to $140,000
-
lies to K enton.
T h e la s t c e n s u s se t 24+% o f
K en to n ’s p o p u latio n as non-w hite.
Yet, since its c h arter in 1986, a n o n ­
w hite has yet to sit on the neighbor­
hood board. T hough Kenton has gar
nered a rep u tatio n for projects and
activism on abatem ent issues, it still
has a wav to go tow ard developing a
citizenrv involved in visualizing the
future K enton and b ringing that vi­
S p r ln a W ite r C om m on»
To learn more about the project, call Metro’s growth management
information line at 797-1888 or visit Metros webs at
www.metro-region.org
An elevated approach to responsible living near Johnson Creak,
includes 2 & 3 bdrm. Single level & Townhomes.
Priced from under $100,000 (cohousing design also possible)
M etro R e gion al Services
Creating livable communities
For Info, or to join a planning focus groups, Call:
^ Integrated JJrb anJlabitats^ ^ F ^ Z ^ S ^ T ^ T S^
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