The City of Portland, its residents, and partners are working to develop and implement a vision for Franklin Street.

Reimagining Franklin Street will build on years of prior work to create an updated street design and land use plan that reintegrates Franklin Street into the city’s urban fabric. The updated plans will advance City goals for economic growth, housing, and resilience, and improve safety, accessibility and connectivity for Franklin Street’s users of all ages and abilities by all modes of travel.

The goals of Reimagining Franklin Street are to:

  • Integrate transportation and land use planning into a cohesive plan for the future of Franklin Street

  • Realize safety, equity, housing, and economic development benefits

  • Advance state-of-the-art transportation and urban design, including for active transportation and transit

  • Garner public support through robust public engagement

  • Position the project for federal funding opportunities.

Since the adoption of the 2015 Franklin Street Feasibility Study, the land use context around Franklin Street has changed.  There has been significant residential and mixed-use development at both the north and south ends of Franklin Street, and the area is poised for more. Portland recently adopted major revisions to the zoning ordinance that allow a broader range of uses, more residential density, and additional height.  The Franklin Street design has the potential to unlock new development sites, providing opportunities to capitalize on the robust new zoning.

Transportation patterns affecting Franklin Street have also shifted since the pandemic, as more workers and workplaces have embraced remote and non-traditional work. Peak traffic levels have dropped, and trips are now spread more evenly throughout the day. Even as travel characteristics have changed, standards for state-of-the-art bicycle, pedestrian, and street design have evolved. Regional transit plans have identified portions of Franklin Street as a potential future bus rapid transit corridor. And new federal funding opportunities for transformational transportation projects have emerged.

Now is the time for the community to re-engage and to reimagine Franklin Street.