Portland knows how to develop a certain kind of neighborhood — manicured and ritzy, with expensive housing and commercial space.

The Pearl District's and South Waterfront's gleaming towers and elevated eco terraces offer a stark contrast to the Rose City's cozy, squatty residential neighborhoods.

City leaders, though, see Portland's next signature place neighborhood in the gritty Central Eastside Industrial District, a neighborhood now known for warehouses and delivery trucks, and designated by the city in the 1980s as an industrial sanctuary.

It's here Portland planners and politicians envision something different from the Pearl and South Waterfront: a neighborhood that maintains its long history of blue-collar jobs and middle-wage employers. Planners, preparing to change the district's key zoning rules for the first time in decades, believe they can protect existing industry while embracing new types of commerce.

Some neighborhood occupants aren't buying it. They're convinced Portland, like so many other cities, is too eager to trade its warehouses and factories for glamorous office, entertainment and residential districts.

A $1 billion light-rail line with two stations serving the Central Eastside opens in 2015. Trendy restaurants and retailers are already setting up shop. Real-estate investors are circling, snapping up old industrial properties and fueling commercial gentrification.

"There's a very big wave that's going to happen when these stations open," said Michael Tevis, a Bay Area venture capitalist who owns six acres and some 200,000-square-feet of space near the two new stations.

The results of that wave will be vital to the entire region's economic fortunes. So in the Central Eastside, Portland faces a central question: Can it build a neighborhood that supports middle-class jobs in a new-world economy?

Stay tuned for stories, videos and photos analyzing and explaining the decisions elected officials, planners, business owners and residents face Portland's Central Eastside. Look for the first installment Saturday on Oregonlive.



-- Andrew Theen and Elliot Njus