Portland Parks & Recreation News

[MarkDaMan]

This is a really cool idea!

http://www.pdc.us/pdf/ura/gateway/ga...al-5-27-08.pdf

[pdxtraveler]

Thanks for posting Mark. Great plan.

[360Rich]

$1 million might get bike park on track
by James Mayer, The Oregonian
Monday April 13, 2009, 8:34 PM

A private backer has pledged $1million to help build a new destination bike park in a 35-acre no-man's land between Interstates 84 and 205 near the former Rocky Butte jail.

For now, the supporter wants to remain anonymous, but the promise of money gives the "Gateway Green" project a much-needed push, said developer and area landowner Ted Gilbert, a major supporter of the plan.

"Momentum is building, but I don't pretend it can happen overnight," Gilbert said.

The proposed park, which is on state land, would link to Portland's extensive bicycle commuting network and contain mountain bike trails, a cyclocross course and a free-riding area, he said. The trails would be in a wooded area of the site, while the southern end, with its rolling hills, is ideal for the gravity-fed activities, he said.

Gilbert said he sees the park as a "rebranding" tool for East Portland, an area of neglected neighborhoods that lack basic amenities such as sidewalks and parks.

"We want the public to take a fresh look at East Portland," he said. He said he hopes the park will offer bicycle tourism with national-caliber events. A national cyclocross championship, for example, could draw 2,000 entrants, he said.

A concept plan was created by trail designer Chris Bernhardt of Alta Planning & Design, based in California with offices in Portland. It was paid for with a small grant from REI and $45,000 from the East Portland Action Plan.

The project features a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over I-205 to link up with publicly owned property on Rocky Butte, leading to a combined site of 120 acres.

"It's a significant project in our eyes," said Tom Archer, a board member of Portland United Mountain Pedalers, a mountain bike advocacy group that has been involved in developing the plan.

"Areas dedicated for off-road cycling are very limited in Portland," Archer said.

There is about a third of a mile in Forest Park and some limited riding areas in Powell Butte, he said. But nothing dedicated to free riding (a bicycle sport that uses varied topography for a challenging ride) or skill building.

"It's an ambitious project, it's a long-term project," probably three to five years, Archer said.

Non-bicycle transportation into the area could be a challenge because there are no roads into it, but Gilbert said the Airport MAX Red Line runs through the property.

The next steps will be to sort out operational details, estimate costs and find more money to develop the park. The land is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation, but ODOT doesn't want to run the park.

Regional operations manager Karla Keller said ODOT supports the idea, but she stressed that backers must find a partner to operate the park. She said the state wants to retain right of way in case it ever decides to widen I-205.

Conversations are under way with Oregon State Parks, the Portland Bureau of Parks & Recreation, Metro and biking groups, Gilbert said, but supporters have no commitments.

-- James Mayer; jimmayer@news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index...bike_park.html

[zilfondel]

bikeportland had some stories on the progress so far. Neat stuff.

[sowat]

sowa this bright spring morning







Some general park forms are starting to take shape. Also, it's a little hard to see in this photo, but there is scaffolding around the rooftop mechanicals on Riva [Alexan], so thankfully, it looks like those will be screened.

[cronked]

Park update! More digging and general moving of dirt. There is a new strip of gravel along the bottom there.

[urbanlife]

is there a design for that park? I was thinking they were gonna leave it as a sheet of grass for a while.

[RoseCtyRoks]

^^ Yeah, here's the park plan website. The design is growing on me.....I think this is one of the touches that will make SOWA seem more complete.

http://www.hargreaves.com/projects/P...ghborhoodPark/

[cronked]

They put a lot of effort into the planning process. They took a lot of things into account like wind, sunlight, views, noise, etc. There were a lot of open meetings where they took input from the public and the public demand really drove the design priorities. I thought they did a great job on assembling this design. The only things we really didn't get that was in big demand was a water feature ($500,000) and a bathroom (really expensive, can't remember the price) due to budget constraints.

[urbanlife]

quite the impressive landscape architecture firm working on this.

the design for this park reminds me of the design of the smaller park next to the Encore buildings next to the waterfront. Which I really like that little park.

While I have my issues with this district and what we are getting out of it as a whole, I must say there are things like this that I have to just like about that area. It will be great seeing this park when it is finished.

[Okstate]

If you haven't been around Tanner Springs in a while, they are currently installing a giant leaf canopy with colored glass panels. Should be an interesting addition.

[Okstate]

A Portland public "loo" is proposed to go in Jamison Square.

image by neighborhood notes.

[ue]

I'm sure it is somewhere in the thread but does anybody know when the Fields Park near the Encore development or whatever it's called is expected to be done?

[Eco_jt]

I live in Lexis Condos and noticed them building this rainwater pavilion a little while ago, looks almost done

[edirp]

Great to finally see the rainwater pavillion, which was delayed 4 years because of lack of funds.

[Eco_jt]

Article from the NW Examiner July 2010 edition.

More than two years after construction was to begin, no one knows when work will start on Fields Park, the final and by far largest of three Pearl parks.

The project is hung up on negotiations between the city and Hoyt Street Properties (HSP), the development firm that in 1997 agreed to donate land for the parks in exchange for removal of the Lovejoy viaduct, provision of streetcar service and relaxation of zoning rules.

City Commissioner Nick Fish has stepped into the negotiations, but there is no word on what kind of settlement will be reached or when.

Things began going sideways a year after Hoyt Street President Homer Williams closed the 1997 deal with the city and Portland Development Commission.

No one foresaw that within a year the Parks Bureau would institute system development charges (SDCs), a citywide system of fees on new construction to underwrite creation and maintenance of public parks.

One estimate puts these charges at about $2,800 per unit for typical Pearl buildings.

Hoyt Street Properties got full credit for the value of its land donated for Jamison Park, a credit it used against SDCs applied to the new buildings it was churning out…

(the rest of the article is on a pdf here)

[MarkDaMan]

Good news on the park and Centennial Mills!



Fields park advances; land owner bites bullet
POSTED: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 05:35 PM PT
BY: Nick Bjork
Daily Journal of Commerce

Portland City Council on Wednesday accepted Hoyt Street Properties’ donation of a 3.2-acre property that will be used for proposed Fields Neighborhood Park, ending a nearly two-year negotiation between the parties.

Hoyt previously donated two other properties to the city, and in exchange, received considerable breaks in city fees on other properties the firm owns. However, a city code adopted in 2009, after Hoyt promised to donate the 3.2-acre property, prevents the city from guaranteeing fee waivers for the present deal.

The Fields Neighborhood Park property is the third, and final, Pearl District property that Hoyt donated to the city. But the three properties are yielding different returns for Hoyt.

When Hoyt donated the Jamison Square property, slightly less than an acre, to the city in 2000, the company received a break on all future system development charges worth up to the value of the property. A typical Pearl District SDC costs more than $2,000 per unit in a multiuse building.

A few years later, when Hoyt donated 0.9 of an acre for Tanner Springs Park, it received fee breaks worth up to 25 percent of the value of the property, due to a cap the city had put on SDC waivers.

Hoyt accepted both offers and applied the waivers to projects the company was working on when the donations were accepted.

But a city code adopted last year no longer allows SDC waivers to be granted before a project is planned. The waiver can’t be approved unless the recipient has a building permit for the project where it will be applied and the waiver is approved by an SDC credit review committee.

“Both parties have been supportive of getting the park done, but the process has been caught up until now because the city can’t truthfully guarantee that Hoyt Street Properties will get any SDC breaks,” said Jim Blackwood Jr., policy director and parks liaison for Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees Portland Parks and Recreation. “We are supportive of the company getting them, and we will be supportive of it, but we can’t make decisions ahead of the process.”

Hoyt and the city recently agreed to terms of the donation, following a long process. Hoyt will be allowed to apply for up to $650,000 in future SDC credits in exchange for the donation. The Portland Development Commission will reimburse the Portland Parks and Recreation for any SDC credits granted beyond $250,000.

However, according to the ordinance signed by the council to approve the donation, “the city cannot guarantee the outcome of the SDC application procedure and review process … nothing in this agreement constitutes any promise, representation or guarantee by the city that any credit or any particular amount of credit will be approved.”

Portland Parks and Recreation will take a financial hit if the SDC credit is granted, said Riley Whitcomb, manager of SDCs for the parks department. But as the terms are set now, the department and the city feel very comfortable, he said.

“I think we’re all singing the same tune now,” he said.

The city has little doubt that Hoyt will get SDC credits in the future, but Blackwood noted that the company will benefit from the park financially regardless. The Encore, a family-designed apartment complex owned by Hoyt, overlooks the planned park and will make the apartments much more attractive, he said.

“I’m thoroughly happy because this (donation agreement) was the last impediment standing in the way of this project,” said Patty Gardner, Pearl Neighborhood Association member and a member of the citizens’ advisory committee steering the Fields Neighborhood Park project. “I’ve kept my stance throughout this entire process that I’m on the side of whoever can move the park forward.”

Gardner pointed out that the delays could actually be positive because the project is now synced with the neighboring Centennial Mills redevelopment project. The PDC plans to connect the two with a pedestrian bridge over Naito Parkway.

The developers of Centennial Mills, Lab Holdings of Costa Mesa, Calif., is in the process of putting together a development disposition agreement that will transfer ownership of Centennial Mills from the PDC to the company. Lab hopes to have the agreement done by the end of the month, said Shaheen Sadeghi, president of Lab Holdings.

Tiffany Sweitzer, president of Hoyt Street Properties, failed to return numerous phone calls by press time.

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/08/18...-bites-bullet/

[MarkDaMan]

Portland Japanese Garden looks to expand with help of renowned architect Kengo Kuma
Published: Friday, January 14, 2011, 9:50 PM Updated: Friday, January 14, 2011, 9:53 PM
Matt Buxton, The Oregonian

Tucked into the forested hills of west Portland, the Portland Japanese Garden is internationally recognized as one of the top gardens of its kind outside of Japan.

But with that success, the garden has also become crowded, and its offerings are beginning to fall short with visitors.

To alleviate crowds and enhance the garden, the not-for-profit grounds will soon finalize an expansion design that will include more room for classes and enhanced ways of experiencing Japanese culture -- while keeping the garden's authenticity intact.

"Japanese gardens are based on the idea of tranquility, and the challenge of this is how do we add these modern amenities in a way that's consistent with the current feel," said Steve Bloom, the garden's chief executive officer.

The garden has called on world-renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to lead the project.

Kuma has designed buildings throughout Asia and Europe. His notable designs include the Great (Bamboo) Wall House, built near the Great Wall of China, and the Tiffany & Co. flagship store in Tokyo. The project will mark Kuma's first public design in North America.

"Slowly over the last couple of years, he began to understand the important role the project plays," Bloom said. "It was a really long process, and at the end it was clear that his passion for this project stands above his other projects."

Kuma will work within goals set out by a master site plan designed in 2007. The plan leaves the existing gardens alone.

"The expansion plan includes some new garden spaces, but that's not the focus," said garden spokeswoman Melissa Wilmot. "Our focus is on enhancing cultural experience."

That includes more room for classes and shows on Japanese culture, primarily focusing on gardening but also on art and cooking.

Bloom said the garden offers classes but they are limited and often filled well in advance.

Joining the teahouse outside the walls will be a new gift shop, replacing the garden's tiny 160-square-foot shop.

Overall, Bloom hopes the new space and services will establish the grounds as a unique combination of a garden and cultural center, something that's not present in Japan, where many gardens are private.

Soon, Kuma and the garden's staff will work together to finalize the design. Then the garden will start community fund-raising efforts.

Bloom said he hopes to break ground in 2013 -- the garden's 50th anniversary.

"I likened this to the first time Frank Lloyd Wright went to Japan," he said. "We're going to look back at this 50 years from now, and it will be just as notable."

- Matt Buxton; twitter: @mattbuxton;
Related topics: architects, kengo kuma, portland japanese garden
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i...den_looks.html

[MarkDaMan]

Good Lord, picture copied from the Oregonian. Not sure why it's SUPER HUGE!

[RED_PDXer]

did they choose to show the gardens and buildings covered in snow at night time? that's an odd choice for displaying a design.