Michael DeMarco first became involved with the NE 42nd Avenue business district through his masters program in planning at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Michael and his wife moved to Portland before he completed his degree, and so it was here that he chose to do his capstone project and finish out the program. Michael was interested in working on a project that posed some challenging planning questions: How do you energize a commercial district that serves a diverse demographic and is located on the fringe of a city? How do you add value to a place without making it unaffordable for those who live there? Michael saw the 42nd Avenue district as a place with a lot of “leakage”, meaning people who live and work in the area have to go outside the district for their various needs such as groceries, shopping, restaurants, and so on. He also saw a commercial strip with great potential to better serve its community.
Initially, Michael was working with the 42nd Avenue Main Street Collaborative to secure a grant through the Portland Main Streets Program, a Portland Development Commission (PDC) initiative that provides funding to help revitalize commercial districts and foster economic development. Ultimately, they were not chosen as grant recipients; however, the process of applying for the grant raised awareness and fueled a community effort to find other sources of funding. That effort led to the launch of the 42nd Avenue Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative (NPI), another PDC program that helps business districts strengthen their ability to provide for their neighborhoods. According to the 42nd Avenue NPI website, the initiative is “a program through which property tax dollars derived from the area immediately surrounding the business district are reinvested in the district as determined by community members.” Importantly, especially to local residents, the NPI doesn’t increase taxes; instead, it operates on the existing tax base. Although the NPI uses tax increment financing, it does not issue bonds to pay for improvements, as is the case in many urban renewal areas. The benefit to this approach is that the community is not pressured to make decisions based solely on impacts to tax revenue. Improvements funded by the initiative will therefore be focused on those that will promote prosperity and quality of life for all community members.
Participation in the NPI program helped the community fund Michael’s work in the neighborhood, this time with an emphasis on community outreach, fundraising, organizing and other pre-planning activities in preparation for the official launch of the 42nd NPI, which happens this July. Michael said there has been a lot of interest in the program and committees are already being formed. An important first step in this process will be to develop a clear vision for the program that reflects the needs and desires of residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the district. From there, an action plan will be created with specific goals for the district and benchmarks for success. According to the website, these tasks will be completed by the end of February 2012. Actual tax increment financing is not expected to be available for improvements until 2014 because it takes several years for the funds to accrue. This provides time for the community to plan, organize and raise additional funds so that when development does begin to occur, it is aligned with the community vision and the supporting policy framework is in place.
Michael’s other role in the 42nd Avenue neighborhood is with the Central Northeast Neighbors, the organization that provides support and technical assistance to the eight northeast Portland neighborhood associations. Michael is helping CNN compile and organize information related to Portland’s current Comprehensive Plan update process. The update process is an opportune time for communities to consider land use and zoning issues and provide input to the city. CNN, with the help of Michael, is taking the lead in soliciting and summarizing concerns from northeast Portland neighborhoods so they can provide a cohesive and inclusive statement to the city for consideration while they update the Comprehensive Plan. You can find additional information on CNN’s website at: http://cnncoalition.org/
As the NPI enters the preplanning and training phase, community members will be assuming more responsibility for the initiative’s progress, though Michael will continue in his coordinating role as a volunteer. He says that he has a soft spot in his heart for the 42nd Avenue community and will continue to be involved on some level regardless of funding. It’s clear that the work he has done and the relationships he has built will continue to provide value to the neighborhood as it moves forward with this new initiative. If you would like more information, or would like to get involved, you can visit the 42nd Avenue NPI website at: http://ne42pdx.com. If you would like to contact Michael directly, he can be reached at: michael.p.demarco@gmail.com.