November 17, 2010

On Thursday, Nov. 18 the Portland Development Commission (PDC) and Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation will host the third of three public meetings for community members on the development of a new three-acre park and one-acre redevelopment site in the Gateway neighborhood. The meeting will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Avenue.

“The design of the park and redevelopment site is a direct result of what we’ve heard from community members over the past six months,” said PDC Project Manager Justin Douglas. “This meeting will provide neighbors with opportunities to view the various design elements, ask questions of project staff and provide written comments.”

The agenda for the public meeting includes:

  • 6:00 – 6:15 Welcome
  • 6:15 – 6:45 Detailed presentation of the final design
  • 6:45 – 7:00 Question and Answer session
  • 7:00 – 8:00 Open house style meeting and discussion with project staff

Next Steps
The design will be finalized by late December and will be presented to City Council in early 2011. City and PDC staff will then work to secure funding for construction of the park. When complete, the park will be the first in the Gateway neighborhood and the redevelopment site will help revitalize the Halsey/Weidler commercial corridor.

Site History
At various times over the years, the future redevelopment and park site has been a restaurant, a bingo hall, a drycleaner and a bowling alley. The site is currently designated as a brownfield. A contractor hired by PDC removed contaminated soil and replaced it with clean soil. PDC received a $200,000 Brownfields Clean-Up Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to help pay for the site cleanup. In early 2011, PDC expects to obtain a No Further Action determination by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which basically gives the site a clean bill of health.

For more information on the project and to view the complete open house schedule, visit: http://www.pdc.us/ura/gateway/project-areas/neighborhood-park.asp