Across greater Portland, unused and underused lands could become locations for activities that generate employment and benefit the region’s economy. Comprised of the five task documents in the carousel below, the site readiness toolkit provides a guide to prepare these lands for investment and active use. It is a collaboration between Metro, the Port of Portland, Greater Portland, Inc., and various regional partners. Cascadia Partners LLC provided support as a consultant to the team.
The toolkit, published in September 2020, stems from previous collaborations with regional partners, going back to 2017 and the Regional Industrial Site Readiness Inventory. It provides analysis and references data available in Metro’s Economic Value Atlas and Equitable Development Index Tool. It incorporates models that consider how to advance equity outcomes in connection to the development of employment lands. It confronts seven specific site readiness challenges:
- Site assembly/aggregation
- Infrastructure
- Natural resource mitigation
- Local entitlements
- Redevelopment
- Brownfield remediation
- Gravel pit conversion.