PORTLAND, Ore. – On Friday, SE Division Street was officially “reopened for business” following several years of major redevelopment, and the conclusion of the Division Streetscape Project.
To celebrate the occasion, the Division/Clinton Business Association held a party at 31st and Division. In the morning there were speakers, including Commissioners Nick Fish and Steve Novick, and later on there was music and a beer garden.
There was also a group of protesters, who were voicing their concerns with the major developments. The group marched from 34th to 31st, and gathered in the party space.
“Green means $ for parks and gardens, not $ for profiteering developers,” read one protester’s sign. “Stop demolition, stop destroying Portland’s character,” read another.
Fish and Novick briefly spoke with the demonstrators. One woman voiced her irritation with the increased traffic on neighborhood streets, as a result of the new development. She told Fish she’s seen the impact of increased traffic on street parking, adding that some cars have even run over children’s toys while parking.
The protest remained civil.
On stage, the commissioners spoke about the numerous development projects that have reshaped Division. Fish briefly acknowledged the issues protesters and others have raised regarding the “new” Division Street.
“There are concerns about traffic and parking,” he said. “That’s real. People are also concerned about the design of the buildings.”
He also mentioned the Division Design Initiative, which will attempt to give the public a better way to provide input about design and development.
Novick gave a special thanks to the construction crews and developers, praising the developers for providing protected pedestrian walkways during construction.
After they spoke, they joked that they had initially asked if Division could be closed off to hold a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, but people seemed to have had enough street closures for a while.
Instead, they turned a construction sign around, the back of which read “Open for Business.”
The event was sponsored by many local businesses and organizations, including Urban Development Partners, a development firm responsible for three new large apartment complexes on one block on Division.