The Slabtown Plan: Neighbors Collaborate to Redesign Historic Area of Northwest District

UPDATED 11/16/2011

It is a rare opportunity to be able to redesign an area from the ground up—especially in the middle of a city—but that's exactly what's happening in the section of Portland's Northwest District historically referred to as Slabtown. The once bustling neighborhood has been buried under asphalt and industrial-use buildings for decades, but is now poised for a serious comeback. Through a collaboration between the Northwest District Neighborhood Association (NWDA), Con-way Freight and members of the community, plans are underway to redesign the area, considering both its rich history and the modern needs of the people who live and work there.

Historic Slabtown

Nearly a century ago, Slabtown teemed with residents, many of whom were
Croatian, Irish and Italian immigrant mill and cannery workers. Guild's Lake
was a marshy area occupying 400 acres of the most Northwest corner of Slab
town, until it was transformed into the site of 1905 World's Fair.

NW 23rd Avenue and NW Thurman, 1920s. Photo: Slabtown Picture Shows

Lewis & Clark Exposition and Guild's Lake, 1905. Photo: OSU Archives on Flickr

The origin of the Slabtown nickname comes from a byproduct of squaring off lumber—called slab wood—that was produced in the lumber mills that dotted the neighborhood and used as fuel in the early 20th century. Over time, the area lost its mills and canneries, and subsequently a large portion of its population. From the 1940s until the 1950s, there were 2,500 homes in the area, mostly occupied by shipyard workers.

“People moved away as the jobs and the amenities left the neighborhood,” explains Northwest District historian and lifelong Nob Hill resident Mike Ryerson.

Slabtown Today

Con-way Freight moved into Slabtown in 1929 and grew to become the area’s largest single landowner. The company needed not only large buildings, but also large parking lots to accommodate its shipping fleet. As the company expanded, the residents, businesses and diversity of the neighborhood dwindled.

Con-Way headquarters and parking lots.

Con-way has since evolved, and has buildings and parking lots that it no longer needs. Craig Boretz, vice president of development, says that the time has come for Con-way to sell some of its property for development. Though one of Con-way's objectives in this sale is, understandably, to realize a profit, he says that they are also interested in seeing the neighborhood around them thrive.

“We’ve been here for 80 years,” Boretz says. “We have a sense of responsibility.” He goes on to say that Con-way is anxious to work with neighbors and other business owners to revitalize the area.

The Slabtown Plan Committee

The area being considered for development is slightly larger than the historical boundaries of Slabtown, but the group involved in the planning process is utilizing the name. The NWDA's Slabtown Plan Committee is made up of residents and business owners (including Boretz) whose focus is to lead a “public, community-driven urban planning and place-making process” for the neighborhood.

Through a survey of residents and a series of public workshops, the group sought to understand what plans might best suit the needs of the neighborhood. With the gathered information, the group then called on the talents of architectural design students at the University of Oregon. Under the guidance of professor and co-chair of the Slabtown Committee Don Genasci, the students created design graphics and standards from the group’s ideas.

Slabtown's boundaries run approximately from Northwest Lovejoy to Northwest Vaughn (and the river), and I-405 to Northwest 23rd Avenue, and affords the group a lot of space with which to work. But Slabtown Committee co-chair Ron Walters assures me that they're in no hurry to jump in and finalize a plan.

"This is a process. It’s a great collaboration between private landowners and neighbors. Everyone puts ideas on the table,” Walters explains. “The Slabtown Committee is leading a public process, stimulating thought about how the area will eventually be developed.” He makes it clear, though, that the community vision and masterplan that emerge from the Slabtown Committee are not binding on anyone. The actual process for planning and developing the area has yet to be determined, but will certainly include NWDA, Con-way and the City of Portland, among others.

St. Patrick's Church is a Slabtown treasure.

It stands to reason, though, if the Slabtown Committee presents prospective developers with a well thought out and cohesive plan representing the ideas of neighborhood residents and business owners, its input will hold weight. Ryerson says he is optimistic about the Slabtown planning process. He sees the plan as a bit of a return to the way the area looked when he was growing up.

“There were beautiful Victorian houses intermixed with affordable war housing and there was a real sense of community. That’s what the area needs the most.”

Typical Slabtown architecture peppered throughout the district.

The Slabtown Survey

The survey opened the dialogue, and the workshops helped participants fine-tune their vision. The basic ideas that emerged from the survey were that the participants are interested in development that would foster pedestrian and bike friendliness, incorporate an ample amount of parks and squares, and offer a range of housing options (including affordable and workforce housing, live/work lofts, and an overall eco-friendly approach in construction). The majority hope for a variety of transportation options (bus, street car, Max) that would encourage a reduction in automobile traffic. Many liked the idea of the twenty minute neighborhood. Participants hoped a sustainable neighborhood could evolve, without adding to the problems of congestion and the already insufficient street parking issues that Northwest Portland endures.

Boretz says these ideas are in alignment with what Con-way hopes for the area as well.

“Mixed use development appeals to a mixed income community, which creates an engaging space,” he says. “We want to attract the best and the brightest at Con-way. [Being part of] a great community will help attract them.”

organic Slabtown development

The Workshops

The ideas collected from the survey were further developed during the first workshop; at the second one, the students presented their initial interpretations. During the third workshop, the group did a final review of the designs, to choose the one they most wanted to use. At the last workshop, held on March 18th, the students presented their final plans and design standards document.

“I was impressed by the level of detail,” Walters says of the designs. “[For the public] to see the plan in a form they can visualize is so much better than reading the 150 page [written] plan!”

Boretz agrees. “It’s great to see what they put out because it creates so much dialogue between all of the stakeholders and allows us to make [choices that are] best for everyone.”

University of Oregon masterplans for Slabtown. View the presentations.

Next Steps

Between now and early June, eight University of Oregon students will design a specific building in one of the three Slabtown masterplans (as part of their class requirements). The community will be invited to a public presentation of masterplans and building designs in early June. Then, the committee will need to distill the three masterplans to one vision and masterplan. That process has yet to be determined.

Throughout the planning process, Con-way has kept potential developers in the loop, enlisting them to help determine the real-life feasibility of the designs.

“We want to engage them to participate,” Boretz asserts.

The developers can help them decide what plans will work; what the market will support.

“We want to examine if [these plans] can be done under code, if they meet the spirit of what we’re trying to achieve, and if it can succeed.” He admits that the plans Con-way has had for the development of the area have changed over the past couple of years, as the market has dramatically dipped. Different types of housing, scaling back on the retail components of the area have been necessary, but the area residents and business owners are also in alignment with these changes.

University of Oregon student's masterplan for Slabtown.

In the Slabtown Plan survey, there was plenty of space for participants to write comments. One such comment read, “Build slow. Build quality. Build around people. Start with parks and transportation and not buildings.”

It seems to echo Boretz’ sentiments, “We’re not starting this project until we’re prepared. We want to undertake the right project. We want neighborhood support, and we already have a lot of alignment in our objectives.”

The transformation of Slabtown will not happen overnight, but it stands to act as a model for city development in a new era.

View the slideshow for more images of Slabtown or visit our Flickr gallery: