A storefront with a cause Faculty, students and an alum work for the future of downtown Milwaukie by Cynthia D. Stowell With the spotlight on downtown Portland and its successful revitalization efforts, the needs of smaller surrounding cities can be eclipsed. Downtown areas swallowed up by Portland's expanding boundaries are further compromised each time the larger city makes its core more appealing. Milwaukie is one such city facing a crisis of identity. Once separated from Portland by open fields and a long streetcar ride, the 130-year old city is now-nearly indistinguishable from Portland's southward sprawl. And yet Milwaukie stiU has a distinct downtown area and a number of old-timers who remember the city as something more than a suburb of Portland. "Milwaukie is a community in transition," said Sheldon Edner. principal investigator for the Milwaukie Storefront Project, a joint revitalization effort of Clackamas County, Milwaukie and PSU's Center for Urban Studies. "lts downtown core is declining, or at least not growing, its population is getting older, and its economic base is limited." Edner, a professor of urban studies at PSU and assistant director of the Center, sees the Storefront's mission as "knitting together the business community" 50 downtown merchants can begin to address their common problems and plan ahead. "We're working with today's residents toward tomorrow's future," said Edner, pleased with his impromptu slogan. The Milwaukie Storefront Project, staffed by five PSU graduate students and an intern from Clackamas Community College, opened last September in leased office space on 21st Street in downtown Milwaukie. Among the staff's plans for the yearlong project have been to analyze Milwaukie's economic base, make suggestions for development, help merchants make aesthetic improvements, and stage promotional events, such as an outdoor market, to draw attention to downtown. In their regular one-on-one visitations to merchants, students have uncovered other concerns--such as parking- which they've also tried to address. "The team has done a super job," said Topaz Faulkner ('82 MUP), Milwaukie's Director of Planning and Community Services and graduate of PSU's School of Urban and Public Affairs. "And they came with such ambitious expectations." It was clear from the start that the Storefront would be "adion-oriented," said coordinator Mark Clemons, a third-term student in PSU's masters of urban studies program. "This project will only work if you're on the street-visible, accessible and responsive. You've got to offer them something." Clemons offers not only his classrooom knowledge, but also years of experience in community and neighborhood action groups in the Portland area. Another student, Jane Altier, was an intern in Faulkner's office when the idea for the project began to take shape. "She and I talked about downtown revitalization," said Faulkner, who had recently reestablished the downtown business association. When the city received a PSU students Tom Harry and lane Altier (above) k»ok over plans for foJcade improvement oJt storefront project in Milwaukie. At an e v ~ i n , meetin" storefront coordina· tor Mark Clemons (rishl, al cenler) talks with businessmen about downtown issues. 3-year block grant for building improvements it became apparent that the merchants needed some direction. Faulkner and Altier then began to look for funding for a kind of "Mainstreet" project inspired by the 7-year projects launched across the country by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Funding came principally through a federal community development block grant to Clackamas County, matched with hard and soft monies from the city of Milwaukie and a pledge of personnel and services (beyond the contract terms) from Portland State. local businesses even showed their support by donating furniture and printing services to the Storefront. The 12-month project differs from Mainstreet operations in its short duration and the absence of a downtown manager. "What can five students from Portland State do? We're considered temporary," said Clemons on the day after a Storefront workshop on facade improvement failed to attract any interest. Despite his discouragement, Clemons had a practical answer to his question. "My goals are to come up with a solution for the parking problem, have three or four businesses improve their facades, and leave them with a feeling that something can happen." The Storefront's parking study may well be its biggest contribution to Milwaukie. At the kick-off meeting for the project's "let's Get Physical" visual improvement campaign, business owners listened politely to presentations on awnings, planters and other aesthetic considerations, but discussion didn't get off the ground until the parking study was summarized. The study, which indicated that over 60% of prime downtown parking was being used by business employees, offered down·to-earth recommendations to the merchants. By the end of the meeting, they were talking about forming action groups to come up with solutions block by block. "Design was an issue we came to town with on our agenda," remarked Clemons. "Parking is theirs." "Neighborhoods organize around problems and issues that they're concerned about," he continued on an academic note. "Planners try and draw from the people what their goals are for themselves and mesh them with their own vision. It's a subjective process; planning is value-laden." Clemons is dearly excited about seeing his classroom experience echoed in his Storefront work. 'We sit in class and talk about planning and problems and citizen participation and values. It's purely academic. Now I'm seeing those things in practice. It gets frustrating, but I can see a few successes." The planner's biggest challenge, feels Clemons, is to convince townspeople that "change is not negative." A planner has to tell people, "Your town is not going to stay the same. What do you want your town to bel You can just let it happen or you can manage it and plan for it." Change is an "organic process" that without planning can result in sprawl, traffic pollution and other common urban problems, says Clemons. In Milwaukie, change has come to be viewed negatively. Platted in the 18505, Mi Iwaukie developed a strong commercial identity based on farming. forest prooucts and the Willamette River. In the last few decades. Milwaukie has Continued on p. 12 3
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