Portland's Pearl District and South Waterfront Areas (apartment, condos)

[jaxontwinz]

I've been google mapping Portland lately. I'm not planning to relocate there or anything, but 've heard a lot of hype about Portland. Google Mapping, I was blown away at Downtown Portland: the livability, the foot traffic, the light rails, and the shopping/restaurants options.

Two areas that also caught my eye were the South Waterfront and the Pearl District. They look like extremely new, new urbanist communities. But I've never seen such a large new urbanist area before. How new are these areas to Portland? What were they before? How many people live there? They seem really cool and really awesome to live and work in, and you can take the light rail pretty much anywhere from them.

I would love it if you share current pictures of these areas and even downtown. How did Portland get so lucky to have these great districts and to make these districts so livable and walking and biking friendly?

[hamellr]

Both areas are about 15 years old, and were built in the boom.

Pearl was warehouses before that. South Waterfront was ship building.

South Waterfront isn't that livable. The two condo buildings that were going in have been cancelled. The buildings that are left belong to OHSU.

[Nell Plotts]

I wouldn't be as critical as hamellr about the South Waterfront but it is, shall I say, a work in progress. Several condo buildings on the drawing boards (and one under construction) have been halted in most cities because, frankly, there were more than enough to meet demand.

As an old, old Portlander it struck me as hilarious that the warehouse district was anointed 'The Pearl'. It has turned out well, generally speaking, one of our better urban renewal efforts. At least is didn't disrupt much low cost housing or homes.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Both areas are about 15 years old, and were built in the boom.

Pearl was warehouses before that. South Waterfront was ship building.

South Waterfront isn't that livable. The two condo buildings that were going in have been cancelled. The buildings that are left belong to OHSU.

I'm not a superfan of either of these neighborhoods, but this claim about the South Waterfront is utterly inaccurate. Also, conflating the South Waterfront and The Pearl as to have been developed at the same time...I dunno, that's just utterly wrong too. Maybe the OP should just ignore this.

[HonuMan]

Some people deride the Pearl as being trendy, gentrified, and expensive. Personally, I love it, because a good chunk of Portland is within walking distance. I work in the northern tip of the Pearl, and I love walking around during my lunch hour. If I could afford to live in one of the Pearl condos, I would, but all except the tiniest ones are outside my financial reach.

The South Waterfront is a bit south of downtown Portland. You can't just step outside your condo or apartment and be in the midst of the city -- it requires a short drive, a streetcar ride, or a long walk or bike ride. As others have said, they started building it during the housing boom, and stopped when the crash hit. A high percentage of condo units were empty, but a couple of auctions last year at lower prices sold a lot of those units. Most of the retail space, though, remains empty, so it isn't the self-contained community it was meant to be. That said, if you're in it for the long haul, this probably is a great time to buy, because most people predict that development will resume when the economy improves (I'm going under the assumption that it will someday). My wife and I have friends who own a condo there. We've condo-sat for them, and we love it. The area is on the river and across from Ross Island, which has a nature preserve, and it's very quiet and peaceful, which is a draw for many people. (The Pearl, being in the heart of the city, is noisier.) There is a walking trail that extends a long way beside the river. The Pearl is the better choice for those who want an urban lifestyle, but the South Waterfront is less expensive, and it's still very close to the city if you're coming from a house in the suburbs.

[JayDick]

I believe the Pearl is given the nickname "Alimony Alley" in some circles (take from that what you will). My parents lived there for about 2 years, enjoyed the restaurants and art, but quickly realized that their rural roots didn't engineer them for spending their golden years in a Pearl apartment. I did love visiting them there. The Pearl is the kind of place where they film nationally released Ford commercials and romantic comedies. Cool place. But spendy.

[turquoise1]

I love the Pearl. To me it feels like a tiny SoHo, except compared to SoHo, it's practically deserted!

[Nell Plotts]

Many look at "The Pearl" and the "South Waterfront" neighborhoods in the abstract. From a land use planning and community development standpoint they make sense.

For example: the City of Portland was required to separate sewer and storm runoff systems. That meant that the streets in "The Pearl" would be dug up. The tax value of those properties were low. That was an opportunity to consider how that area could be upgraded to serve both tax base and community development.

The South Waterfront was, in part, driven by the fact that OHSU was out of space. The decisions about how to accommodate their needs by developing the area along the river are still the subject of heated discussion.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by khyron

Also, conflating the South Waterfront and The Pearl as to have been developed at the same time...I dunno, that's just utterly wrong too. Maybe the OP should just ignore this.

Perhaps you were not aware that the Pearl District and South Waterfront were both part of the same urban renewal plan, but the EPA forced cleanup up the South Waterfront area (which is still ongoing,) before any buildings could be constructed there?

[amerrill8]

The South Waterfront is essentially dead and a failure to date. There is absolutely nothing to do, and the people tend to be more anti-social than in the Pearl. The Pearl is a wonderful location, lots to do all within walking distance, and just a really fun, relaxing place to be. Easy to walk to downtown, etc. I'd highly recommend it.