Mississippi Avenue Streetscape

Recent attention to the N Mississippi Avenue streetscape has raised a lot of interest and questions about City policy on streets & sidewalks, the street itself, and how, when and why street improvements are made.

What follows is hopefully a comprehensive look at the N. Mississippi Avenue streetscape. Feel free to submit your questions below and I or someone with more knowledge than I will post answers.

Contents

• The basics
• Street Classifications
• How are sidewalks defined in City Code?
• What are Portland's Pedestrian Guidelines?
• What are the recommended sidewalk widths for Mississippi?
• But the sidewalks are currently 10 feet!?
• What's the difference?
• Funding sidewalk/street improvements
• What is a streetscape plan?
• Does Mississippi have a streetscape plan?
• Informational Meeting Materials

The Basics

In terms of width, Mississippi has 60 feet of public right-of-way: 40 feet of roadway with 12 foot travel lanes and 8 foot parking strips on both sides, and 10 foot sidewalks.

Street Classifications

There are numerous classifications that a street receives in Portland's Transportation System Plan. (The Transportation System Plan (TSP) is the long-range plan to guide transportation investments in Portland.)

Streets are classified for six types of movement: motor vehicle
traffic, trucks, transit vehicles, emergency vehicles, pedestrians, and
bicycles.

In the TSP, Mississippi is a:

• Local Service Traffic Street
• Transit Access Street
• Local Service Bikeway
• Local Service Walkway in a Pedestrian district
• Local Service Truck Street
• Minor Emergency Response
• Community Main Street

Alberta is a:

• Neighborhood Collector
• Community Transit Street
• Local Service Bikeway
• City Walkway
• Truck Access Street
• Minor Emergency Response
• Community Main Street

SE Milwaukie at Bybee is a:

• Neighborhood Collector
• Transit Access Street
• Local Service Bikeway
• City Walkway
• Truck Access Street
• Major Emergency Response
• Community Main Street

What do these classifications mean? For a detailed definition, see the TSP Chapter 2, beginning on pages 2.6. Basically, Alberta and SE Milwaukie are designated (and designed) to carry more traffic, more transit and more trucks, but the same amount of bikes as Mississippi.

How are sidewalks defined in City Code?

• Sidewalk is defined in Titles 16 and 17 of the City's Code, and
  the definitions are slightly different. In Title 16, the term refers
  to the area between the curb or roadway edge and the property
  line, whether or not it is improved. In Title 17, the term is used
  to refer to the sidewalk improvement itself.
• Under Chapter 17.28.020, responsibility for the construction,
  reconstruction, and repair of the sidewalk, as well as liability for
  any damages or injuries resulting from defective conditions, is
  assigned to the adjacent property owner.
• Authority is delegated to the City Engineer to require the repair or construction of the sidewalk where it is needed, as well as determining the width of improved sidewalks.(See Title 17.28.060)
• In Title 18, Chapter 18.03, Nuisance Abatement, notes the adjacent property owner's responsibility for ensuring that the sidewalk is kept clear of debris and projecting bushes and limbs.
• Chapters 17.25 and 17.26 spell out the regulations for sidewalk
  cafes and sidewalk vendors. Such uses must leave a 1.8 m (6'-
  0") clear width for the Through Pedestrian Zone.

What are Portland's Pedestrian Guidelines?

The Pedestrian Design Guide (PDF) integrates the wide range of pedestrian design criteria and practices into a coherent set of new standards that promote an environment conducive to walking.

From the Portland Pedestrian Guide, page3:

The Portland Pedestrian Design Guide is issued by the City Engineer. Every project that is designed and built in the City of Portland should conform to these guidelines.

Site conditions and circumstances often make applying a specific solution difficult. The Pedestrian Design Guide should reduce the need for ad hoc decisions by providing a published set of guidelines that are applicable to most situations.

Throughout the guidelines, however, care has been taken to provide flexibility to the designer so that she or he can tailor the standards to unique circumstances. Even when the specific guideline cannot be met, the designer should attempt to find the solution that best meets pedestrian design principles.

What are the recommended sidewalk widths for Mississippi?

According to the Pedestrian Design Guide (table A1), the recommended sidewalk width for Mississippi, which is a local street in a Pedestrian District with 60 feet of right-of-way, is 12 feet.

But the sidewalks are currently 10 feet!?

The historic width of sidewalks on Mississippi is 10 feet. According to the Pedestrian Design Guide (section A2.2), when the existing right-of-way is too narrow to accommodate both street and sidewalk improvements, the following steps to allow room for a sidewalk improvement should be pursued:

• acquire additional Right-of-Way or Public Walkway Easement
• narrow existing roadway in accord with established minimum roadway standards

What's the difference?

Acquiring the additional right-of-way when new buildings are built would provide 12 foot sidewalks in front of new buildings, but not necessarily along the full block or pedestrian corridor.

Narrowing the existing roadway would provide 12 foot sidewalks throughout the pedestrian corridor. This would reduce the travel lane width throughout the corridor as well.

Funding sidewalk/street improvements

The City of Portland does not generally pay for the construction of streets and sidewalks. These improvements are paid for by adjacent property owners.

There are three ways for adjacent property owners to go about building a street or sidewalk:

• Street Improvement Permits - the public street improvement permit program supports new development / re-development projects. The city requires that developers make certain public street improvements in conjunction with construction projects on private property.
• Local Improvement Districts (LID) - The LID is a method that allows a group of property owners to share the cost of street improvements. In addition, the City provides a long-term, low-interest financing to help property owners pay for improvements in a manner that they can afford.
• Substandard Street Improvements - The substandard street improvement permit allows residents of an existing neighborhood to grade and/or pave their street. This doesn't really apply to Mississippi, as it is not a substandard street.

What is a streetscape plan?

A streetscape plan is a plan for street improvements that can include pedestrian crossing improvements, enhanced transit stops, bicycle route improvements, sidewalk improvements, street trees, stormwater management solutions, and signal and intersection improvements. Upon adoption by City Council, streetscape plans guide transportation investments triggered by new development, local improvement districts and other public and private funding sources.

Some examples of streetscape plans:

• Killingsworth Street Improvements Planning Project
• Division Green Street / Main Street Plan
• N Russell Street Improvement Planning Project
• Alberta Streetscape Project
• More plans here

Does Mississippi have a streetscape plan?

No. In 2001, the City of Portland worked with residents and consultants to produce the Mississippi Historic District Target Area Main Street Design Project. While the project explored various street treatments and improvements there was no formal recommendation or adoption of identified improvements. However, pages 33-45 are a great summary of issues explored by the community at the time.

Informational Meeting Materials

On May 19 & 22nd, PDOT provided a presentation for the neighborhood and business association on the elements of a streetscape plan process. You can download the presentation, the meeting notes for the 19th and the feedback the neighborhood & business associations received on the 19th & 22nd.

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