New parks coming to East Portland
January 31, 2014
On Thursday, Nick was proud to join Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Portland Parks & Recreation, and community members to celebrate a plan to build two new parks in East Portland!
The City will invest $12.4 million to build Beech Park and the Gateway Park & Plaza, bringing new playgrounds, ballfields, picnic tables, benches, and more to East Portland neighborhoods.
Because East Portland was incorporated into the city just 30 years ago, it lacks the rich history of park development that other parts of the city enjoy. But the need for parks facilities is high – 40% of families with children live in east neighborhoods.
When Nick was Parks Commissioner, he was pleased to help pave a path forward in East Portland. In 2009, we adopted the Master Plan for Beech Park. That same year, the City acquired the property to build Gateway Park & Plaza, and adopted a Master Plan in 2011.
But with limited resources, the two pieces of land remained undeveloped.
In 2011, Nick launched E205, which put a down payment on future improvements by making small (under $250,000) investments that would have a big impact. Over two years, we added things like community gardens, playgrounds, paths, and new seating to parks around East Portland.
Congratulations to Commissioner Fritz, the Parks team, and the community on this huge milestone!
Brad Schmidt in The Oregonian
Portland unveils plans for two East Portland parks
Amanda Peacher on OPB.com
Portland unveils plan for new east side parks
KGW News