Advance Portland Economic Development Strategy
At a glance
Based on uploaded (human-made) captions.
- What: Advance Portland, the city's five-year economic development strategy adopted in April 2023, and Prosper Portland's recalibration of its work plan for the final two years.
- Where it stands: presentation and discussion only, document 2026-360; no action. The four objectives are unchanged; initiatives are re-sorted into "recovery" (funded or ready) and "growth" (16 initiatives needing research, funding or approval).
- Contested: councilors pushed on focus and results. Councilor Ryan wanted concrete priorities (Broadway Corridor first) and better economic analysis; Councilor Avalos said East Portland is deprioritized; Councilor Pirtle-Guiney wanted public subsidy limited to family-wage employers and local wealth building; Councilor Morillo raised commercial rents and renters.
- Next: Prosper Portland board October 14; a new Advance Portland advisory committee convenes October 20; Council involvement in the next strategy over the coming year.
The recalibration
- Presenters: Donnie Oliveira and Cornel Wesley, with Andrew Fitzpatrick answering on examples and wage standards.
- Priority projects named: Broadway Corridor, OMSI district, Union Station, Lloyd Center, Moda, Albina Vision Trust and the 1803 project.
- An online dashboard now tracks every initiative.
- Wage benchmark cited for the enterprise zone: 150% of the county median wage, about $84,000.
Follow-ups promised
- Contact the East Portland businesses Councilor Avalos visited; name bureau partners per objective; send storefront program data.
Sources
- https://www.portland.gov/council/agenda/city-life-committee/2026/10/13
- Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qEmaYXt7MyI (uploaded human captions)
Discussion time
About 77 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 - City Life Committee | 77 |
Log
- 2026-10-13 - City Life Committee - Oliveira, Wesley and Fitzpatrick presented the update; Zimmerman, Ryan, Avalos, Pirtle-Guiney and Morillo asked about business mix, priorities, East Portland, family-wage jobs and rents. No vote.
- 2026-09-23 - Work Session - the plan calls for a refreshed citywide economic development strategy through Prosper Portland; Ryan asked for it; no vote.