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Portland is a PR machine for light rail & streetcar

Here are Some Facts About Portland Oregon          

“It must always be remembered how cost-effectiveness works in the public sector: the cost IS the benefit.” - author unknown




Planning Failures - Cascade Station


2001: CascadeStation

Bechtel Enterprises, in concert with Trammell Crow, will build the Airport MAX extension and develop CascadeStation, a 120-acre parcel along the light rail corridor. The site, located within the Port's 458-acre Portland International Center, is adjacent to I-205. Cascade Station Development Co., proposes an attractive high-density development and transit-oriented design to create a busy employment center anchored by two rail station plazas. The proposal emphasizes a pedestrian-friendly park block environment with open spaces and views of Mt. Hood. Full build-out is expected to take 15 years, creating up to 10,800 new jobs. (bold added; from The TriMet web site Feb 2001)


July 2007


When big developer Bechtel Corp. pitched in $28 million to help TriMet extend MAX service to the airport in exchange for 120 acres zoned for retail nearby, planners had high hopes for an urban village.  The Portland Development Commission envisioned a walkable, tree-lined retail and dining paradise -- all accessible by public transportation.  (The Oregonian, July 27, 2008)