Old Town businesses reflect on progress as city continues 90-day reset plan on east side

PORTLAND, Ore. — Last March the city of Portland launched a 90-day reset plan for the Old Town neighborhood. Now a similar effort is underway on the Central Eastside.

Jessie Burke is the chair for the Old Town Community Association. She tells KATU after setting goals to improve safety, cleanliness, and accessibility, things are looking better.

"I feel optimistic. I feel like we’re committing to being in the same boat and rowing in the same direction. We’re gaining some momentum, but it’s going to be really important that leadership stays on task with what we’re working on," Burke said.

Amir Morgan owns the Barnes and Morgan tea shop. Morgan said several businesses worked together to expand on the city's cleanup efforts to draw in foot traffic.

"We’re trying to use our own network of people to get people to the area, to kind of see that it’s not a terrible place. It’s a place you can come and shop, you can be active," he said.

Burke said she's hopeful the work in Old Town can be a blueprint for other neighborhoods in Portland.

"Truthfully, this is something that can happen in any neighborhood. Any neighborhood can do this work. I’m very optimistic this will work. Truthfully, this is like a micro-version of saving the city," she said.

Kurt McCanles owns Cycle Portland. McCanless said for his business, the 90-day plan made all the difference.

"I think the re-set really was a catalyst for us to even consider staying in this neighborhood in the first place when we were thinking about moving to a bigger space. That really gave us some hope in the leadership in the city," he said.

McCanles said he's seeing new owners in the area too.

"More businesses brings more light at night and brings a lot more it just feels a bit safer with other businesses open nearby. So, I think that’s really helped as well. That could have also been piggy backing off that re-set last year," he said.

Now on the east side, Mayor Wheeler said the city will add tools like more trash cans, lighting, and city contractors for graffiti cleanup.