March 2, 2011

We were excited and proud to bring the Master Plan for the Gateway Urban Plaza and Neighborhood Park to Council this afternoon.

The Gateway Regional Center, in East Portland, is one of eleven Urban Renewal Areas in Portland. Lots of exciting things are happening to beautify the neighborhood and improve its economic vitality - the vision for Gateway is a high-density employment center offering urban amenities to folks who live or work in the area.

This project is also part of our E205 initiative, our effort to  bring high-quality park facilities to East Portland, which has long been underserved in terms of park facilities and amenities. Gateway in particular is one of the most park-deficient areas in Portland.

Working with PDC, we'll bring a first-rate park and plaza to central Gateway. The 4-acre site will serve three neighborhoods - Hazelwood, Mill Park, and Parkrose - and will anchor the new Halsey "Main Street."

The City worked for 8 years to acquire this site, finally purchasing it in late 2009. Following the purchase, we worked with a project advisory committee including lots of community members to develop a plan for the site.

Our final Master Plan, which Council heard about today, includes an event space, a multi-use plaza, a children's play area, plenty of open lawn space, and a place to skateboard.

We're so excited to bring this vision to life in Gateway.