Lents, Portland, Oregon
Encyclopedia
The Lents neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon
is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County
line or City of Portland line on the south (whichever is farther south), SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert
neighborhood. In addition to Powellhurst-Gilbert on the north and east, Lents also borders Foster-Powell
, Mt. Scott-Arleta
, and Brentwood-Darlington
on the west and Pleasant Valley
on the east.
The neighborhood is one of the larger in the city at 3.75 mi² (7.86 km²); one of its oldest; and one of its most diverse, with many Asian, Russian/Eastern European, and Latino immigrants, although among locals Lents still has the reputation of being white and lower class.
Lents is six miles (10 km) southeast of downtown Portland
and lies within the 97266 ZIP code
.
Lent's town was originally built as a self-sufficient town and suburb of Portland. In 1912, with a population nearing 10,000, Lents was annexed into the city of Portland. Because of its distance from central Portland and lower income class, it was repeatedly neglected by the city in terms of street and sewer improvements. The I-205 Freeway
was originally destined for 39th Avenue, but the powerful residents of Portland's Laurelhurst
neighborhood successfully lobbied to have the path changed to 52nd Avenue. By the time it came to final planning the city had grown and decided to move the freeway's path further out to 95th Avenue, effectively cutting the Lents neighborhood in half. In contrast, Maywood Park
was able to establish itself as its own city and sued to stop construction of the freeway and a compromise was eventually reached.
and three of Portland's important arterials—Powell Boulevard
, Foster Road and 82nd Avenue—pass through the neighborhood, as well as the MAX Green Line
and the Springwater Corridor
pedestrian and bike trail.
I-205 freeway cuts through the center of the original town, where SE 92nd Avenue, which was the original road to Oregon City
, met SE Foster Road, which led to Foster's Farm
. Beginning in 1892, a streetcar ran from downtown Portland. The route traveled from downtown across the Hawthorne Bridge
to SE 50th Avenue. At SE 50th, an extant curve in the road shows the route going south. SE 50th Avenue runs into SE Foster Road. The trolley continued on SE Foster to SE 72nd Avenue, bearing south. Another extant curve to the left at Gray's Corner sent the trolley east on SE Woodstock Boulevard. This road was followed through to the curve at 97th which sent it into the neighborhood south of SE Foster Road. After several more blocks, the line ended at SE 100th Avenue where it met the Springwater Interurban Streetcar. The Springwater continued to points east, ending in Estacada
.
Lents is served by the TriMet
bus lines 10-Harold, 14-Hawthorne, 17-Holgate, 19-Woodstock, 71–60th Avenue/122nd Avenue and 72–82nd Avenue.
has been expanded southward from the Gateway hub
, along I-205 to the Clackamas Town Center
.
In September 1998, the City Council established a Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area (LTCURA) in order to accomplish community goals. These include generation of new family wage jobs, assistance to new and existing business, improvements to local infrastructure such as streets and parks, new housing construction and improvements to existing housing. Implementation of the plan began in fiscal year 1999–2000.
On May 8, 2007, PDC staff presented an overview of the plan amendment study process to the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (URAC and requested their project ideas for consideration, concerns, and feedback.
Moving forward, the Lents Town Center Plan Amendment Study revisited the existing urban renewal boundary (2,472 acres) and explored an increase in maximum indebtedness to fund community development projects. The study area for the expansion included three areas centered along major transportation corridors: Foster Road, Powell Boulevard, and 122nd Avenue.
On May 14, 2008, the PDC Board unanimously approved the Lents Town Center Resolution. On Wednesday, June 25, 2008, the City Council approved the following amendments with a 4–0 vote. The First Amendment to the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area will expand boundaries by 140.05 acre (0.566762743 km²), increase maximum indebtedness by $170 million and extend the expiration date to June 30, 2020.
The PDC is working in Lents to:
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
line or City of Portland line on the south (whichever is farther south), SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert
Powellhurst-Gilbert, Portland, Oregon
Powellhurst-Gilbert is a neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon. It borders the neighborhoods of Montavilla, Hazelwood, and Mill Park on the north, Centennial on the east, Pleasant Valley on the east and south, and Lents and South Tabor on the west.According to the Neighborhood...
neighborhood. In addition to Powellhurst-Gilbert on the north and east, Lents also borders Foster-Powell
Foster-Powell, Portland, Oregon
Foster-Powell is a neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon. The triangular neighborhood is bounded by three major transit arteries: Powell Boulevard to the north, Foster Road to the south, and 82nd Avenue to the east...
, Mt. Scott-Arleta
Mt. Scott-Arleta, Portland, Oregon
The Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood of Portland, Oregon is located in the city's southeast section. It is bounded on the north by SE Foster Road, west by SE 60th Avenue, east by SE 82nd Avenue, and south by SE Duke. Mt...
, and Brentwood-Darlington
Brentwood-Darlington, Portland, Oregon
Brentwood-Darlington is a neighborhood on the southern edge of Portland, Oregon, bordering Woodstock to the west, Mt. Scott-Arleta to the north, and Lents to the east. The county line separating Multnomah County from Clackamas County forms most the neighborhood's southern boundary, though small...
on the west and Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley, Portland, Oregon
-External links:*...
on the east.
The neighborhood is one of the larger in the city at 3.75 mi² (7.86 km²); one of its oldest; and one of its most diverse, with many Asian, Russian/Eastern European, and Latino immigrants, although among locals Lents still has the reputation of being white and lower class.
Lents is six miles (10 km) southeast of downtown Portland
Downtown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
and lies within the 97266 ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
.
History
Lents was originally platted as the Town of Lent by Oliver P. Lent (1830–1899) in 1892. The original town was bounded by SE Foster Rd., SE Duke St., SE 92nd Ave, and SE 97th Ave.Lent's town was originally built as a self-sufficient town and suburb of Portland. In 1912, with a population nearing 10,000, Lents was annexed into the city of Portland. Because of its distance from central Portland and lower income class, it was repeatedly neglected by the city in terms of street and sewer improvements. The I-205 Freeway
Interstate 205 (Oregon-Washington)
Interstate 205 is a loop route that serves the Portland—Vancouver metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. I-205 is officially named the War Veterans Memorial Freeway, and is also known as the East Portland Freeway...
was originally destined for 39th Avenue, but the powerful residents of Portland's Laurelhurst
Laurelhurst, Portland, Oregon
Laurelhurst is a neighborhood of vintage homes and undulating streets surrounding a park of the same name, straddling the NE and SE sections of Portland. Stone markers flank the entrances to the area...
neighborhood successfully lobbied to have the path changed to 52nd Avenue. By the time it came to final planning the city had grown and decided to move the freeway's path further out to 95th Avenue, effectively cutting the Lents neighborhood in half. In contrast, Maywood Park
Maywood Park, Oregon
Maywood Park is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. The name came from a comment made by the wife of the man who developed the original subdivision, E.F. Taylor, who remarked one winter night how attractive the woods were in May...
was able to establish itself as its own city and sued to stop construction of the freeway and a compromise was eventually reached.
Demographics
As of the 2010 Census, Lents had a population of 20,156. It was 60.1 percent white, 14.1 percent Asian, 4.5 percent black, 1.0 percent Native American, with 3.7 percent of census respondents identifying as two or more races. 15.8 percent of census respondents identified as Hispanic or Latino.Transportation
Lents is a transportation hub for the Portland region. Interstate 205Interstate 205
Interstate 205 is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 5:*Interstate 205 , a connector in the San Francisco Bay Area...
and three of Portland's important arterials—Powell Boulevard
U.S. Route 26 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 26 is a major cross-state state highway, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No...
, Foster Road and 82nd Avenue—pass through the neighborhood, as well as the MAX Green Line
MAX Green Line
The MAX Green Line is a light rail route in the MAX Light Rail system in Portland, Oregon, United States, extending to Clackamas, Oregon. Construction began in early 2007, and the line opened on September 12, 2009. The average daily ridership in June 2010 was 19,500 increasing to 23,200 by April...
and the Springwater Corridor
Springwater Corridor
The Springwater Corridor Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian rail trail in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It follows a former railway line of the same name in its route from Boring, through Gresham, to Portland, where it ends near the Eastbank Esplanade. A large segment...
pedestrian and bike trail.
I-205 freeway cuts through the center of the original town, where SE 92nd Avenue, which was the original road to Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
, met SE Foster Road, which led to Foster's Farm
Philip Foster Farm
Philip Foster Farm is a historic site in Eagle Creek, Oregon, United States, near the city of Estacada. The farm is on a land claim purchased in 1847 by American pioneer Philip Foster. Foster built a store, house, and barn at the farm...
. Beginning in 1892, a streetcar ran from downtown Portland. The route traveled from downtown across the Hawthorne Bridge
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland...
to SE 50th Avenue. At SE 50th, an extant curve in the road shows the route going south. SE 50th Avenue runs into SE Foster Road. The trolley continued on SE Foster to SE 72nd Avenue, bearing south. Another extant curve to the left at Gray's Corner sent the trolley east on SE Woodstock Boulevard. This road was followed through to the curve at 97th which sent it into the neighborhood south of SE Foster Road. After several more blocks, the line ended at SE 100th Avenue where it met the Springwater Interurban Streetcar. The Springwater continued to points east, ending in Estacada
Estacada, Oregon
Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Portland. The population was 2,695 at the 2010 census. -History:The Estacada post office opened in February 1904 and the city was incorporated in May 1905...
.
Lents is served by the TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
bus lines 10-Harold, 14-Hawthorne, 17-Holgate, 19-Woodstock, 71–60th Avenue/122nd Avenue and 72–82nd Avenue.
Future
In recent years, Portland has seen the potential value of the Lents neighborhood and established it as an Urban Renewal Area, which allows the city to bond on future increases in property tax revenues to fund capital projects throughout the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area. Many new homes and businesses have been established and more are planned. The MAX light rail systemMetropolitan Area Express (Portland, Oregon)
Metropolitan Area Express is a light rail system in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is operated by TriMet and currently has four lines: Blue, Green, Red and Yellow, with an Orange line currently under construction....
has been expanded southward from the Gateway hub
Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center (MAX station)
The Gateway/Northeast 99th Avenue Transit Center station is a light rail station on the MAX Blue, Green and Red lines in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is the 15th stop eastbound on the Eastside MAX, and it is where all three lines split eastbound....
, along I-205 to the Clackamas Town Center
Clackamas Town Center
Clackamas Town Center is a shopping mall in Clackamas, Oregon . It opened in 1981. It is managed and co-owned by General Growth Properties and is currently anchored by J.C. Penney, Macy's , Nordstrom, and Sears...
.
Urban Renewal Area
With the completion of the Outer Southeast Community Plan, the Lents Neighborhood Plan, and the Lents Revitalization Plan, community stakeholders worked together to craft short and long-term objectives for public and private partners to guide an ambitious and comprehensive neighborhood development agenda. As a designated "Town Center," the future of Lents is also an important component of the Metro 2040 Framework Plan.In September 1998, the City Council established a Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area (LTCURA) in order to accomplish community goals. These include generation of new family wage jobs, assistance to new and existing business, improvements to local infrastructure such as streets and parks, new housing construction and improvements to existing housing. Implementation of the plan began in fiscal year 1999–2000.
On May 8, 2007, PDC staff presented an overview of the plan amendment study process to the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Advisory Committee (URAC and requested their project ideas for consideration, concerns, and feedback.
Moving forward, the Lents Town Center Plan Amendment Study revisited the existing urban renewal boundary (2,472 acres) and explored an increase in maximum indebtedness to fund community development projects. The study area for the expansion included three areas centered along major transportation corridors: Foster Road, Powell Boulevard, and 122nd Avenue.
On May 14, 2008, the PDC Board unanimously approved the Lents Town Center Resolution. On Wednesday, June 25, 2008, the City Council approved the following amendments with a 4–0 vote. The First Amendment to the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area will expand boundaries by 140.05 acre (0.566762743 km²), increase maximum indebtedness by $170 million and extend the expiration date to June 30, 2020.
The PDC is working in Lents to:
- Assist in fulfilling community goals to facilitate the emergence of Lents as a key Town Center within the Metro Region.
- Provide support for the revitalization of commercial and residential areas in and near Lents.
- Stimulate business development and investment in the area.
- Provide increased opportunities for residents to compete for new quality jobs.
- Provide housing opportunities for the Lents community’s diverse income and tenure needs.
- Improve local streets and parks.
Parks
- Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery (1909)
- Lents Park (1914)
- Bloomington Park (1940)
- Glenwood Park (1941)
- Lents Community Garden (1976)
- Ed Benedict Park (1986)
- Earl Boyles Park (1986)
- Springwater Corridor Trail (1990)
- Tenino Property (1994)
- Beggars Tick Natural Area
- Zenger Property
- I-205 Bike Path
External links
- Lents Neighborhood Association Weblog and Forum
- Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area Information
- Lents Food Group
- Lents Food Buying Club
- Lents Neighborhood Plan (Portland Bureau of Planning, 1996)