“I’m Already Here” – ADX & Lents

March 2, 2012

ADX is proud to announce a partnership with the Lents neighborhood in SE Portland in order to nurture a stronger, more competitive business climate. At almost 3,000 acres, the Lents Town Center, Urban Renewal Area (URA) is one of the largest urban renewal areas in the state but it has not seen the same rate of growth as other and this isn’t the first attempt to come up with a game changing idea.

For the GOOD Ideas For Cities kickoff event, the Team ADX was charged with coming up with an effective solution to this problem.

After many years, tons of plans and millions of dollars, little has changed for this struggling neighborhood. The Portland Development Commission manages 11 Urban Renewal Areas across the city. The goal of a URA is to spur localized economic and development growth which can create new opportunities for residents and build more livable communities.

We set out to find an idea that could utilize the resources and support of the PDC to realize the needs of the people in the area.

We worked through a lot of ideas, mainly focusing on bringing business and resources to the community.

Then, as we began to identify existing assets, we discovered a community rich in character— hardworking people, diverse demographics and hope.

Lents has many underutilized resources, willing collaborators and centrally located
available space— everything it needs to revitalize and thrive. This, coupled with the well aligned goals and resources of the PDC, Lents is primed for success and could be the model for other communities ‘on the fringe’across the country.

Joining forces with a team of partners, we envision a physical hub to bring together all of the amazing community assets we have uncovered. Our solution will link the existing assets of the community into a unified network. To energize from within, and connect the community through a centralized locale and project so that the aspirations and ideas of the people who live there have a place to grow and succeed.

This is the Marshall Campus — as a high school it was also was hub of innovation:
BizTech High School,
Pauling Academy of Integrated Sciences and
Renaissance Arts Academy all operated here.

The school and it’s programs were closed in 2010. It now sits vacant.

A true loss for community, but this vacancy also presents a stellar opportunity, and an anchor asset for this project.

The large campus facility and surrounding green space make it a prime location for existing and emerging initiatives – enter The Marshall Project.

Everything this neighborhood needs is already here.

Here’s the idea:

Support business development and vitality in the area by utilizing the school to provide a place to learn, work and grow. It’s a match made in Lents.

This hub would be a co-use of space between small businesses,an experiential learning center,and community spaces. Large gardening operation that could supply produce and eggs to a restaurant run out of what was the cafeteria and a fleet of mobile food carts. An Innovation incubator that gives young entrepreneurs the opportunity to thrive. Space for small retail, service and professional businesses to launch out of without the overhead associated with typical start up capital costs like space and equipment. And it is all possible.

Starting this summer!

- An ADX Summer Camp for Kids (which is already in the works)

- A business incubator and training center for The New Economy trades

- An annual outdoor music festival that celebrates working class heroes

It is a place where health, wellness and prosperous ideas flourish.

We envision this as a center created and maintained not by one entity but through a collaboration between people, their government, non profit organizations and businesses – all sharing the work, risk
and glory together.