East County Transportation Needs

Overview: Rockwood Area Demographics:

ECOS/Weed and Seed geographical definition of Rockwood:
Area bordered by I-84 on the north, 162nd on the west and 202nd on the east. The south boundary used to gather census track data is Division. The actual southern boundary for planning and service delivery is Powell.

"Rockwood is Gresham's poorest and most diverse neighborhood, a place where problems and promise intersect. Annexed in the 1980's when Gresham and Portland split a neglected chunk of unincorporated Multnomah County, Rockwood is dissected by high-speed boulevards that discourage pedestrian traffic and afflicted with jammed, run-down apartment complexes that breed crime and despair." The Oregonian: 1-08-02

2000 Census statistics:

• Per capita income in Rockwood was $12,435 in 1996, compared to $27,435 in all of Multnomah County
• Rockwood census tracts show a 37.5 percent increase in teen pregnancies since 1990
• The average household size in Rockwood is 2.8 people, compared to 2.67 city-wide and 2.37 county-wide
• Commercial space in Rockwood rents and sells for half the price per square foot as in comparable areas
• Police calls in the Rockwood neighborhood accounted for 16.7 percent of the Gresham department's responses in 2000
• Domestic violence reports in Gresham as a whole were 30 percent higher per capita than in Portland, and "significantly" higher in Rockwood
• Three Rockwood census tracts have the county's highest concentration of people who speak limited or no English
• In one Rockwood census tract, bordered by SE 181st and Birdsdale Drive on the west and east and by Stark and Division on the north and south, 38 percent of the population is Latino, 22 percent are foreign born, and nearly 26 percent are living below the poverty level

Future Vision For Rockwood:

• An area of quality, affordable housing, a variety of housing choices, and increased home ownership
• A permanent, self-sustaining community-building effort underway
• A viable, vital business district that is pedestrian-friendly, connected to the neighborhood, visually attractive, inviting to investors
• A sense of shared neighborhood pride, personal security, and an area where citizens are actively involved in their community

• The existing MAX rail line, and opportunities for transit-oriented development near rail stations
• Existing, strong residential neighborhood that create the right environment for new residential options
• A core of existing businesses that serve local neighborhood needs
• Developable and re-developable sites available in many parts of rock wood-West Gresham
• An exciting, multi-cultural community that represents a unique focal point of future markets and economic development opportunities
• Good access to transportation resources: proximity to MAX, PDX airport, highways and rail

• More housing opportunities including: diverse, affordable housing choices, increased home ownership, and rehabilitation of existing housing
• Economic development and jobs for area residents
• Streetscape improvements, public spaces to support a more pedestrian-friendly environment
• Quality public facilities and services: including parks, community centers, street improvements, and social services

• A low-income area continuing to experience decline - with vacant storefronts, a decline in homeownership, and a lack of cohesive identity
• Concern in the community about high crime rates or a perception of crime, and increased gang activity
• In the words of some observers: "Rockwood - West Gresham is the most challenging part of the region," which will require a comprehensive, sustained effort to revitalize

• The legal requirement to gain support of citywide voters for urban renewal - a major challenge
• Crime and/or the perception of crime
• A shortage of family-wage jobs: The area has a poor jobs/housing balance, and many Rockwood are residents must commute long distances to jobs
• High levels of poverty - one-third of area households are affected. Incomes average $10,000 - $12,000 below the citywide median
• A record of past studies, plans and actions that were never implemented