June 18, 2010
On Tuesday, June 22 the Portland Development Commission and Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation will host an open house for community members to gather information and provide feedback on the development of a new three-acre park and one-acre redevelopment site in the Gateway neighborhood. The open house will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. at the future site of the park, NE 106th Avenue and NE Halsey Street.
“In a neighborhood of Portland known for being parks-deficient, we are very pleased to commence work on a project we believe will transform Gateway,” said PDC Project Manager Justin Douglas. “This open house gives neighbors an opportunity to talk with the design team and provide input that can be incorporated into the overall design and functionality of the park.”
The meeting will feature information stations to encourage individual and small group conversations. Representatives from PDC, Portland Parks and Recreation and the design team, led by Mayer/Reed Landscape Architects, will be on hand to discuss project details.
Next Steps
Following the June 22 meeting, the design team will use the information received at the open house to develop several design alternatives, which will be presented to the community at a second open house in late September. A third and final open house will be held in mid-November to review the final design with the community. 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
The future park site has, at various times over the years, 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 is working to remove contaminated soil and replace 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. Once the soil replacement work is done, PDC will work 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
