South Waterfront » Parks & Trails

Name the South Waterfront Neighborhood Park

South Waterfront Residents — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:20:18 +0000

Over the weekend our friends at Portland Parks and Recreation put up a notification on the South Waterfront Neighborhood Park projects web page asking for public input to name the neighborhood park.

Please go to the PP&R Website to submit your name recommendations.

South Waterfront Neighborhood Park - May 2008 Update

South Waterfront Residents — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:19:45 +0000

Here is the latest update from Portland Parks & Rec. regarding the SWF Neighborhood Park.

Community Questionnaire Results

Thanks to all of you who shared ideas and comments with us in April. We appreciate your help to complete the preferred design for the district’s first park. The design team has used your input to improve the overall design and refine the features of the park’s three unique areas. You can find a summary of the responses to the Community Questionnaire at http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=197308.

Neighborhood Park Design

We invite you to view the refined park design to see how public comments have been addressed. The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) considered community input and discussed the preferred design at their final meeting on May 13. A summary of the PAC meeting and the slide show presented to them by the design team are both available on the project Webpage at http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=46111&.

Don’t forget to visit the scale model of the preferred design, currently across from the Neighborhood Park site at Umpqua Bank on SW Bond!

Next Steps

The next steps are to further refine the design with preliminary details, and to select materials and products. Once all the park elements are thoroughly specified, bids and permits will be sought to build the park. Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2009. The Urban Gardens area, Naturalized Landscape area, and park pathways should be completed and open for use by July / August 2009. The lawn will require an 8-12 week establishment period with no foot traffic, but should be open by October 2009.

Questions?

If you have questions about the Neighborhood Park, or want to request paper copies of project materials, contact Sandra Burtzos at Sandra.Burtzos@ci.portland.or.us, or 503-823-5594.

SWF Neighborhood Park

South Waterfront Residents — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:41:57 +0000

See the model of the preferred design

Visit Umpqua Bank to view a model of the future park. The preferred design includes three main areas: an Urban Garden (with Community Gathering, Environmental Play, and Garden Retreat areas), an Open Lawn with raised slope, and a Naturalized Area with denser plantings. Stop in for a closer look while Umpqua has the model on display at 3606 SW Bond Avenue.

Find project materials and information like meeting summaries, design presentations, and event details online at http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=45404

The next Project Advisory Committee Meeting will be Tuesday, May 13, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the Portland Building, 1120 SW Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, Room B

South Waterfront Greenway Code Update

South Waterfront Residents — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:22:41 +0000

This was recently posted on the City’s Bureau of Planning website, to view the original post please click here.

Project Overview:

In December 2004, the Portland City Council accepted the South Waterfront Greenway Development Plan (GDP) schematic and directed the Portland Development Commission (PDC), Portland Parks & Recreation (Parks), and the Bureau of Planning (Planning) to create an implementation strategy for the GDP.

PDC and Parks were to create an implementation strategy that addressed governance, maintenance, and capital costs, whereas Planning was directed to amend the Portland Zoning Code to allow for smother implementation of the GDP than code allows in its current state. Planning was asked by the Council and other stakeholders not to begin this process until the other elements of the implementation strategy were nearly complete.

Project Basics

The South Waterfront Greenway Code Update focuses primarily on code amendments that will make the implementation of the GDP easier to review when applicants choose the GDP as their preferred option to address required Willamette Greenway improvements in the South Waterfront District. (Applicants also have the option of meeting the base-line development standards presented in Section 33.510.253 or creating a plan consistent with the approval criteria of Chapter 33.851 of the Zoning Code.) The project will also propose new design guidelines applicable to the review of the GDP.

At the same time, the project may propose a few minor amendments to elements of the South Waterfront subdistrict that should be considered. These include a lifting of a prohibition on hotel uses in the district above a certain size and the removal of the required residential development area.

Legislative Process

The plan will be reviewed and approved by the Portland Design and Planning Commission in advance of final adoption by the Portland City Council. As the plan is developed, a series of briefings will be conducted with the Planning and Design Commissions (mostly with the Design Commission) and periodic public briefings will be conducted with the South Waterfront Greenway Partnership Group (a stakeholder group involved in the implementation of the GDP) as well as the North Macadam Urban Renewal Advisory Committee. Updates on the progress of the plan and draft versions of the plan will be periodically posted on this website.

It is anticipated that the Design and Planning Commissions will be asked to hold formal hearings adopting the plan in September of 2008 with City Council review following in October or November of the same year.

If you wish to be added to a mailing list for this plan effort please send or email your mailing address to us at the addresses below. Also, please contact either of the staff below if you have questions about this plan.

Project Schedule

April 3, 2008: Design Commission Briefing
June 5, 2008: Design Commission Briefing/Work Session
August 2008: Planning Commission Briefing, Design Commission Briefing
September 2008: Planning Commission Hearing, Design Commission Hearing

Contact Information

Project & Code Development Manager:
Troy Doss, Senior Planner
troy.doss@ci.portland.or.us
503 823-5857

Design Guideline Project Manager:
Lora Lillard, City Planner
llillard@ci.portland.or.us
503 823-7721

Heron Viewing with the Audubon Society and Urban Green Spaces

South Waterfront Staff — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:09:51 +0000

Visitors to South Waterfront and residents alike have a ringside seat from which to watch nesting Great Blue Herons at the South Waterfront. Join Mike Houck, Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute and Bob Sallinger, Audubon Society of Portland’s Conservation Director, who will have spotting scopes on hand for close-up views of herons in their nests. Please bring your own binoculars and spotting scopes if you have one. The herons start their courtship and nest building in mid to late February, lay eggs in early April and the young are ready to leave their nests in early to mid-June. These spring and early summer nest viewing sessions will provide a great opportunity to track the Ross Island herons from egg laying, feeding young, and young trying out their wings, and finally observing first flight from their nesting colony. All heron nest watches are free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. Nest watches will go on rain or shine.

The viewing area is just east of the Meriwether Condominiums on the temporary greenway path. The following is the schedule for the Heron viewings, which are also listed on the Community Events page of this website.

Saturday, March 22nd, 2 pm to 4 pm
Saturday, March 29th, noon to 2 pm
Friday, April 4th, 4 pm to 6 pm
Saturday, April 5th, 9 am to 11 am
Saturday, May 10th, 1 pm to 3 pm
Wednesday, May 14th, 5 pm to 7 pm
Wednesday, May 21st, 5 to 7 pm
Monday, June 2nd, 5 pm to 7 pm
Saturday, June 7th, Noon to 3 pm

Last chances to comment on South Waterfront park design

South Waterfront Staff — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:15:26 +0000

Hello Neighbors,

In case you weren’t able to attend the open house last week when Hargreaves Associates unveiled the 4 conceptual plans I would encourage you to visit portlandonline.com and review the PDF of Hargreaves Power Point :http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=187572.

All of the options were generally well received - I think most neighbors that I talked to liked the Hybrid option that most. Review them for yourself and go online to give the architects your feedback here: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=45697&

There will still be a few more PAC meetings and open houses during April for both the Greenway and the Neighborhood Park - mark your calendars now because these could be our last chances to give input.

Tuesday, April 1, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Neighborhood Park Project Advisory Committee Meeting
Portland Building (1120 SW 5th Ave.), 2nd Floor, Room B

Tuesday, April 8, 5:45 - 7:45 p.m.
Greenway Project Advisory Committee Meeting
1900 SW 4th Ave, 2nd Floor, Room 2500 B

Tuesday, April 22, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Neighborhood Park Community Open House
OHSU Center for Health & Healing
3303 SW Bond, 3rd Floor, Paul Kirk Conference Center, Rms. 1A/1B

Mtg. Notes from the Feb. 26th Neighborhood Park PAC Meeting

South Waterfront Staff — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:29:20 +0000

The draft summary for the February 26, 2008 PAC meeting can be found here: draft-summary-02-26-08-neighborhood-park-pac.pdf.

Be sure to attend the next Neighborhood Park PAC meeting: April 1, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Portland Building, 2nd Floor, Room B, 1120 SW Fifth Avenue.

REMINDER
OPEN HOUSE
South Waterfront Neighborhood Park
March 11, 2008
5:30-8:00 p.m.
OHSU Center for Health and Healing
3rd Floor, Paul Kirk Conference Center, Rooms 1A/1B
Presentation at 6:00 p.m.

SWF Neighborhood Park update.

South Waterfront Staff — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:13:59 +0000

Hello Neighbors,

Everyone who is available should come check out the neighborhood park open house - a week from today over at the Center for Health and Healing. Here are the details:

Neighborhood Park Open House
Schematic Design Options
Tuesday, March 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Presentation at 6:00 p.m.
OHSU Center for Health and Healing
3303 SW Bond
Paul Kirk Conference Center, 3rd Floor, Rms 1A/B

See how the Neighborhood Park design team has translated community ideas and priorities into three preliminary designs. Tell us what you think about the early design choices. Your contributions will help shape a preferred park design. We look forward to seeing you there!

Community Questionnaire Results
Thanks to all who participated in the Open House on January 29 for the Greenway and Neighborhood Park! We appreciate the thoughtful feedback provided in the 78 completed questionnaires. A summary report of the results is now available at http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=185429.

Greenway development committee meetings

Toliy Ioffe — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:03:56 +0000

Dear Resident,
Do You Want to Keep Your Access to the River?

The South Waterfront Nature and Greenspaces Committee needs your support!

What kind of visual access and view of the Willamette River would you like to have upon completion of the Greenway Trail construction?
Would you like to maintain, or even improve, physical access to the river?
Can you help keep the City committed to the existing plan?

Some background:

The Greenway Development Plan is a three-stage development of our riverfront that includes habitat restoration, jogging/bicycling paths, and various river access or view points
In 2004 the City Council accepted the Greenway Development Plan
In 2006 the City Council dedicated $6 million in funds
During 2007 the City had repeatedly revised the plan due to insufficient funding, cutting out some very important design features:
- The small boats dock
- Wildlife viewing platform
If the dock is not built, we may not have any access to the river—not even a path to the water—after the Plan moves into its implementation stage
By March, 2008 the City will finalize the project and will begin implementation. The time to comment is NOW

Here is how to comment:

January 22nd, 6:00 – 8:00 pm: Project Advisory Committee Meeting
January 29th, 5:00 – 8:00 pm: Open House with the Greenway presentation at 5:30 and the Neighborhood Park presentation at 6:30 pm
Both meetings will be held at the OHSU Center for Health & Healing, 3303 SW Bond, 3rd Floor, Rooms 1A/1B

Make your voice heard about the future of your neighborhood!

Please post any questions or comments on this blog.

Call for Input on South Waterfront Neighborhood Park

South Waterfront Staff — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:03:30 +0000

On December 11th the Project Advisory Committee met to discuss the future of the South Waterfront Neighborhood Park. I was unable to attend, however I have obtained a copy of the committee meeting notes, here: Neighborhood Park PAC Notes. A very interesting beginning to the planning process - there will be 3 more Public Open Houses regarding the Neighborhood Park. I’m going to read up on these minutes from the first meeting and be sure to include my 2 cents in the coming meetings. Here are the dates for the upcoming Open Houses:

Tuesday January 29th, 6 - 8 p.m.

Tuesday March 11th, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Thursday April 22nd, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

All of these meetings will be held at the OHSU Center for Health and Healing (3303 SW Bond) in the 3rd Floor, Paul Kirk Conference Room.

These are also listed on the South Waterfront Community Events Calendar as well.

South Waterfront Greenway Plan Revisions

South Waterfront Staff — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:16:52 +0000

Patty Freeman, the project manager for the Greenway Project in South Waterfront recently supplied me with a link to the Portland Parks & Rec page that has the Revised 2007 Plan, compared to the original plan from 2004.

Be sure to stay up to date on the status of the Greenway so we can help to shape the future of our neighborhood. Keep watching for more posts related to this subject.

Lawn Games

Toliy Ioffe — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:45:46 +0000

Lawn games, such as Croquet, Golf, and Slinky Ball (the image below illustrates the game, as it was played in the Mt. Hood Wilderness area) have fascinated competitive and recreational players for centuries.

Croquet - tracing its origins to France in the Middle Ages - requires a level playing field and set boundary conditions. The game inspires images of quaint cocktail parties and wickets proudly adorning an impeccable lawn.

Golf - Scotland’s gift to the world, with the first recorded game taking place at Musselburgh Links in 1672, places a set of strict demands upon the gardener: perfect grooming of fairways, tee boxes, and greens are a key subset to any successful course.

Slinky Ball - a game spotted on campsites, backyards, large lawns, and beaches - is a great way to spend an afternoon on a field with an unobstructed throwing line. Deriving its rules from Horseshoes and Shuffle Board, this game is a great addition to a lawn party.

So what do these great games have in common with the South Waterfront? The answer is that we have our own very large lawn between Bond and Moody.

Another, equally important opportunity, is the one to participate in the process of planning the park’s layout. The South Waterfront Nature & Greenspace Committee is engaging Portland Parks and the City of Portland in the planning and design process. Now is the time to let the us know what features are important to you as the SWF Community resident!

On a more general note, I am very excited to make this first post on behalf of the Nature & Greenspace Committe. I will keep you updated both on the outdoor activities in the neighborhood and on the committee’s participation in the planning and development processes of both the Neighborhood Park and the Willamette River Greenway projects. I look forward to your dialogue!

A Spectacular South Waterfront Greenway

South Waterfront Staff — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:32:37 +0000

There has been a lot of buzz lately about our Greenway here in South Waterfront since the story in the Oregonian on November 24th reporting a 76% increase in the cost to build the Greenway due to rising material prices. You can read the article here.

Now the original proposal costs were done in 2004, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the overall price of the project rose, the longer you wait to begin a project the more the price tag increases due to inflation and other market factors. Did they actually think the price would decrease?

An excellent editorial was written in the Oregonian yesterday titled “Portland deserves something spectacular” and I couldn’t agree more. Not only do the citizens of our city deserve this green space for recreation, but our down trodden river (one of the most polluted in the USA) and ecology deserve this restoration and revitalization as well. The editorial said it best:

Restoring a working river, revitalizing industrial lands that have complex histories, is an immensely complicated task. What’s at stake here is a regional amenity that will serve, both recreationally and environmentally, a community far larger than that inhabiting those high-rise condos. As a community, we committed here to creating something spectacular.

Portland deserves nothing less.

Row to Ross Island

admin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:40:07 +0000

The Friends of Ross Island and Portland Audubon Society would like you to get “Wild in the City’ with light watercraft tours of Ross Island. For more information on tours, visit www.friendsofrossisland.org or www.audubonportland.org for tour dates.

Botanical Minds Think Alike

South Waterfront Staff — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:24:25 +0000

If you’re like me it’s about the journey, not the destination. Or rather, it’s the vegetation that makes the outdoors fun. The Leach Botanical Garden (www.leachgarden.org) is a great place to start for those of you with a nascent interest. There are so many trails and parks around Portland that have interesting species and varieties. Let’s start a log book of finds and locations.

A Dog’s Eye View

South Waterfront Staff — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:07:36 +0000

Never was there a better city for dog owners than Portland. Those of you new to the city have probably already seen the bowls and treats out on sidewalks, but there’s much more to the dog culture here than the free snacks. I’ve had a lot of luck with this website (www.portlandpooch.com). It’s got a very well organized list of good dog parks that you can sort by rating, location, etc.

Favorite Hikes

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:29:28 +0000

We’re an active lot, and why not? Portland is home to Forest Park, the largest natural urban forest in the country. That’s right, even bigger than Central Park. Trail heads off of Thurman Ave. are just a few minutes from downtown; 70 miles of recreational trails in the reserve in all. Adjacent to that is the Audubon Society of Portland sacntuary, which has an additional 143 acres and four miles of trails. Here are a couple of websites to get you started on your outdoor adventures.

portlandhikers.com

www.trails.com/activity.asp?area=10404

Birding

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:28:42 +0000

Ah, the elusive Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, or the seldom spotted Summer Tanager. This is the place to record bird sightings in the annals of history. Or just gloat over other, less fortunate aviary enthusiasts. Migratory routes, nesting locations, anything else you can think of.