buying a home off Foster road - good idea or not? (Portland: neighborhoods, theater)

[pdxic12]

I've decided to look for kind of the next up and coming spot and buy a house in that area. I'm a SE type of person (lived in Sellwood in past) and so would prefer to be in this general vicinity of Portland.

Any thoughts and ideas of living off around Foster and 60th? It seems a bit seedy but I can live w/ some of that especially if the neighborhood cleans up more in next few years.

General impressions about living there now and the future of this area much appreciated!

[davemess10]

I think as long as you are willing to be okay with the area for a few more years there is a great upside to the coming changes. I have heard rumors that the city is looking to reduce auto traffic to one lane each way on Foster and really push to get more businesses in and create a nice "neighborhood" feel.

We live a half mile off Foster and 72nd and really think the area is on the upswing. It's already made great strides from 5-10 years ago. One major plus is that it is one of the few remaining cheap areas in Portland. There are also lots of new businesses going in on Foster, and one of the theaters is reopening (though I'm not sure if they're going to do movies or not). I think Foster and 65th will be in the epicenter of this revival. I also think the area will especially flourish if Jefferson Smith gets elected mayor.

So yes, I think it would be a good buy, especially if you're looking to the future.

[SETabor]

The big downside to living near Foster Road is the traffic. If you can be at least a block off, I would go for it. I live a block off Powell in that area and can't usually hear the traffic at all (I can hear emergency vehicles). My street doesn't go through and that makes a huge difference in the number of cars going up and down my street. I wouldn't buy a house on 72nd.

When I did tree planting with Friends of Trees a few years ago, we covered that area and the number of people working on making their homes and neighborhood nice is incredible. You should look at the Foster-Powell neighborhood association, they're pretty active.

Bar Carlo has excellent brunch.

[Kronicle]

Originally Posted by SETabor

I wouldn't buy a house on 72nd.

Why? The homes and neighborhood between 72nd and Holgate and 72nd and Foster are beautiful. And the Maple Leaf restaurant on the corner of 72nd and Foster serves great Chinese food (and traditional American fare, too).

[davemess10]

Yeah, I live on Duke and can't really see 72nd being any busier than my street. They are both kind of arterials (although 72nd between holgate and Powell is not that main of a road).

I think Foster trumps any of the surrounding streets (Powell excluded) for traffic. But as I was saying, that may be changing a bit in the future.

[Minervah]

I would say to go for it. Some of the worst neighborhoods in Portland have become some of the most sought after to live in. If you get in on the bottom but can see indications of things moving up, you may be getting into the ground floor of something that will be pretty nice as time goes by.

[pdxic12]

Thanks for the insights. I have a feeling being down in the area and seeing all the storefronts waiting to be done nicely that indeed this area has big upside. So with that said I put an offer in on a place today. I'll be in the NoFo soon

[SETabor]

I drive 72nd all the time as a quicker way to get around so I consider it a somewhat busy street. It's at least an order of magnitude less than Foster or Powell so it wouldn't be horrible but I'd prefer something less busy like 73rd.

[davemess10]

What's NoFo?