As much as we like to toot our own FoPo-horn, here at FosterPowellPDX, we recognize that there is much in common with other neighboring Southeast communities. Foster Road, for example, is a major artery that runs through Lents and Mt. Scott/Arleta. And for these neighborhoods, the health of the community, in many ways, mirrors the health of Foster Road.
It is no wonder, then, that there has been such a focus, in terms of redevelopment, on breathing new life into Foster Road as a means to improving the communities on either side of it. While the city has directed money and other resources to help revitalize these neighborhoods, specifically in Lents, and to a degree, Foster-Powell, the residents who make this area home are not necessarily waiting for the city to address all their needs. In fact, a lot of the progress we’ve seen in this part of Southeast Portland is the direct result of self-motivated and community-minded residents, not just a byproduct of urban renewal money and other incentives.
No doubt, much of what has been accomplished in Lents, and west along Foster Road, can be attributed to the hard work and attention of PDC. But we cannot discount the ambitions of the residents, and the will they’ve transformed into tangible change.
The neighborhood associations and community groups have made grass roots efforts to improve the livability in FoPo, Lents, and Mt. Scott/Arleta. When you couple this determination with affordable (relatively speaking) housing, it’s a wonder that the rest of Portland hasn’t yet taken notice.
We have, though. And it’s refreshing. But city-wide notice might not be far behind.
In last week’s ‘Homes and Rentals’ section of the Oregonian, Mt. Scott/Arleta was profiled, and much of what we point to as familiar and characteristic of FoPo, was highlighted. The article’s author, Jan Behrs, sees a community that revolves around an appreciation for the arts, proximity to small clusters of businesses, a diverse population, and affordable housing. She even mentions Foster Burger and Bar Carlo as neighborhood hubs, which we’re all familiar with in FoPo, as well as the Arleta Library Bakery Cafe.
It is the aforementioned qualities, though, that is bringing dramatic change to the neighborhood. Artists, young families, and others seeking an affordable place to put down roots, are the driving force behind the author’s characterization of Mt. Scott/Arleta as a “creative community.” Behrs goes further to assert, “cool people live here...and some of them even roller-skate.”
And yes they do. And we applaud them.
FoPo and Lents should relish in a similar excitement. As PDC provides funding and infrastructure to spur some of their desired changes, residents have already created a framework and buzz that has shifted the trajectories of these neighborhoods. So as much as we promote our own at FosterPowellPDX, we know that we have the ability to rise together, and that we are the same in many ways.
