Quote:
Originally Posted by sopdx
I believe the City of Portland historically, has frowned on river docks etc...
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Historically, there was a highway where Waterfront Park is, which cut the city off from the river. Connecting a restaurant to the outer-shoulder of a highway with no way for people to cross the highway to reach it and nowhere for them to park wouldn't have made any sense.
Realistically, the only way to turn Portland's waterfront into a restaurant and shopping sort of destination would have been to tear out Naito when Harbor Drive was being removed to create Waterfront Park, or at least, turn Naito into a typical 2 lane city street instead of a major throughway, but that would have meant rerouting most of that traffic elsewhere. It would have been great if it happened, but it didn't, so the city continued growing away from the river rather than toward it.
Anybody remember McCall's restaurant? It had a location that, on paper, seems like it should have been magnificent. It was right on Waterfront Park in the middle of downtown next to Salmon Street Springs fountain. What a location! But it was always struggling, barely getting by 9 months of the year because there's not enough foot traffic, even there. Why not? Naito. All that traffic creates an inhospitable environment for pedestrians.
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