Planning and Design Currently Underway for Gateway Green Open Space

Gateway Green is a 35-acre parcel of mostly vacant land and located at the intersection of two interstate highways in Portland, Oregon and adjacent to the Gateway Urban Renewal area. The land is owned by the City of Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation. Planning and design is currently underway for Phase One development of the property. The project began as an effort of local land owners and open space advocates in an effort to catalyze economic growth in outer east Portland. On a pro-bono basis, designers collaborated with local stakeholders to create a program and vision for Gateway Green. Through conversations and input from technical experts and the community a vision for the site was developed that identified the following project goals:

• Improving environmental conditions, especially water and air quality, and wildlife habitat.
• Providing a regional recreational destination, especially for bicycle and pedestrian opportunities.
• Providing open space and a possible branding opportunity for adjacent Gateway Regional Center and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Highlighting Portland’s evolving sustainable marketplace and expressing our region’s use of sustainable design solutions.

As part of the six-month project the design team conducted a one-day community charrette to develop the design of the initial concept plan. After development of the preliminary vision the team conducted technical review meetings to ensure the technical viability of concept options, approaches, details, and strategies. A final presentation of the revised vision plan was then presented to the community. The Gateway Green vision plan demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, puts the property to better use for the good of the community, and sets an example for reclamation and reuse of surplus or underused properties around the country.

Mike Faha Wins National Award for Sustainability

Mike Faha has been awarded the American Public Works Association (APWA) 2016 Sustainability Practices Award for an Individual. The award recognizes individuals that have made outstanding contributions to promote sustainability in public works. Mike will accept the award at the APWA National conference in Minneapolis. This isn’t the first time Mike has been celebrated for his contributions as an individual to sustainable infrastructure. In 2015, he received the APWA Oregon Chapter’s Sustainability Practices Award for an individual. With over 30 years of projects and a career dedicated to creating livable, sustainable communities that balance economic, ecological, and social needs, these awards are particularly meaningful to Mike.

Pictured here, Bob Patterson, Public Works Director from the City of Pendleton with Mike Faha at the APWA Awards in Minneapolis August 29, 2016. Bob was named one of the top ten public works directors in the U.S.

Spring Park Now Complete

GreenWorks recently completed this project for the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District in Milwaukie. NCPRD partnered with the City of Milwaukie to improve in-stream and riparian areas and add a new trail access at Spring Park. As the project Landscape Architect, GreenWorks analyzed the topography and sensitive areas to find the ideal location for a soft surface trail, boardwalk, and overlook that would improve access and provide excellent user experience within the restored riparian landscape. The area spans 6.9 acres and includes amenities such as a walking trail, picnic facilities, a playground and parking.

Washington Park International Rose Test Garden Accessibility Improvements Project

Now in the schematic design phase, the Washington Park International Rose Test Garden Accessibility Improvements project renovates a portion of the garden to increase accessibility and visitor enjoyment. In preparation for the Rose Garden’s Centennial Celebration in 2017, Portland Parks & Recreation tasked at team led by GreenWorks with this high-profile project. The primary goal is to ensure the public’s safety by removing barriers to access and provide accessibility upgrades to meet current ADA standards while maintaining and enhancing the historic character of the Rose Garden. GreenWorks managed a complex design team of engineers and accessibility experts providing site design, construction drawings and specification documents. An important component of the project was a 3-day design charrette with Portland Parks & Recreation and the design team, which GreenWorks facilitated. Additionally. GreenWorks provided 3D visualizations of design elements and developed presentation graphics for the public engagement process.

Oak Harbor Facility Project in Final Design Phase, GreenWorks completes the Windjammer Park Integration Plan

Gill Williams and Derek Sergison traveled to Seattle last week to take part in a team meeting for the Oak Harbor Wastewater Treatment Plant project. This project, now in its final design phase, will take advantage of technological updates to modernize the regional facility, integrate it with the surrounding environment, and reduce its visual and olfactory impacts. With the facility situated in Windjammer Park on the shores of Oak Harbor, GreenWorks is preparing planting and hardscape plans that will reflect the coastal setting with the inclusion of rolling dunes planted with coastal grasses and perimeter sidewalks that will emulate local wooden docks. Pedestrian and automobile circulation on either side of the facility provides primary access from downtown Oak Harbor to Windjammer Park and the waterfront. The site plan requires the creation of strong physical and visual links along these axes. The design allows for parts of the facility to be exposed to the public, offering opportunities for interpretation along the two main thoroughfares. Our work for the wastewater treatment plant spurred our involvement with the Windjammer Park Integration Plan. Funds from the renovation of the wastewater treatment plant were allocated to develop an integration plan for the park. The Windjammer Park Integration Plan provides the long-term plan to integrate existing and new program elements into this 28.5 acre waterfront park. GreenWorks led the design effort by working closely with the City of Oak Harbor, the Community Advisory Group, and the public to devise a preferred concept. The final concept plans for a renovation of the swimming lagoon, improved pedestrian walking trails, reconfigured parking lots, new events plaza and splash park outside the facility, as well as a performance stage, new playgrounds and multiuse fields. To aid implementation, GreenWorks developed a phasing plan to guide the future programming of Windjammer Park. The Integration Plan was adopted by City Council in May.

Paradise Under the Asphalt

Last weekend, GreenWorkers pitched in at Astor Elementary School’s depaving where a group of 100 volunteers spent a Saturday removing 5,000 square feet of asphalt. The demolition was orchestrated by Depave (depave.org) whose mission is to assist communities in transforming their pavement lots into neighborhood greenspaces. The asphalt removal is making way for a new playground which includes a turf mound, group swings, tree groves, and a custom log and boulder climber. GreenWorks was directly hired by Astor PTSO to design the playground which is on schedule for construction this summer.

Two GreenWorks Projects Honored by the Daily Journal of Commerce

Last week, the DJC held its 21st annual TopProjects awards to celebrate and acknowledge outstanding building and construction projects in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Two GreenWorks projects were honored: Portland – Milwaukie Light Rail East Segment won first place in the Transportation Category and Bend Whitewater Park (Colorado Paddle Trail) took second place in the Infrastructure Category.

These recent photos of the Whitewater Park show the new safe passage over the existing dam for many types of river users, including inflatable crafts and hardshell boats like kayaks and canoes. The park is made up of three distinctly different channels:

• the Passageway for people floating on the river with inner tubes;
• the Whitewater channel which offers whitewater wave features for whitewater recreation enthusiast;
• and the Nature Habitat channel, which is a special channel reserved for habitat.

In addition to the in-water recreational components, the design includes increased habitat diversity along the river by incorporating fish passage and on-bank habitat restoration, design improvements to McKay Park, and removal of the existing pedestrian bridge and replacement with a new, higher, pedestrian bridge.

Check out the City of Bend’s website for more on this exciting new park: http://bendparksandrec.org/bend-whitewater-park/

Orange Line Featured in May LAM Magazine

Check out the May issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine with a feature article about the TriMet Orange Line Portland –Milwaukie Light Rail (PMLR) project. GreenWorks was part of the team that assisted TriMet in the regional effort to extend light rail service from downtown Portland to downtown Milwaukie and North Clackamas County. The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project is a vital transportation element in the region’s strategy to manage growth and build livable communities for future generations. GreenWorks provided landscape architectural services for the final design of the Portland Milwaukie Light Rail including planting and irrigation design, green infrastructure, sustainability initiatives, and art coordination. The team also assisted in coordination and collaboration efforts with TriMet, Clackamas County, Multnomah County, the cities of Portland, Milwaukie and Oregon City, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Portland Development Commission.

The new bridge built for the Orange Line, Tilikum Crossing, is named after the Chinook word for people to promote this unifying vision for the project. The opening of the Orange Line poses a new manner of viewing the cities of Portland and Milwaukie as connected communities. Rail tracks are all too often a symbol of division. The design for the Orange Line rejects this archetype. Our landscape approach was informed by the connectivity that is inherent to the project and will strengthen the region over time. The project is a catalyst to fundamentally heal the urban fabric socially, culturally, and environmentally. This concept is manifested in every detail of the project, from the overall vision down to the plants selected. Our design team chose fast-growing, pioneer species that colonize and begin the process of natural repair to the site disrupted by the new infrastructure. These plantings quickly create mass and scape for an immediate recognizable identify. The design also includes stable, mature plant communities to support and achieve the long-term aspirations, which stich the neighborhoods and the communities to the station areas. The Orange Line PMLR project is above all about connecting people and bringing economic vibrancy to the Portland Milwaukie transit corridor.

https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/ (also available at Powell’s City of Books)

The Stormwater Green Wall at the Portland Expo Center has a new admirer!

A female mallard duck was recently photographed enjoying the Wall’s lush vegetation. Since opening in 2014, the Stormwater Green Wall has flourished. After a winter that broke rainfall records in the Portland Metro area, the ferns, star jasmine, sedge, and other plants are thriving. The Stormwater Green Wall was designed in partnership with the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) as a pilot project. The Wall manages and treats 9,400 square feet of roof stormwater runoff, and it continues to be monitored to better understand its performance and relevance to future projects. The Stormwater Green Wall was constructed as a freestanding custom metal structure with a gravity water distribution system that feeds stormwater to a series of vegetated channels that filter pollutants and absorb stormwater. We are delighted to learn that besides processing stormwater, it provides urban wildlife habitat too!

Meadowscaping Handbook Available!

UPDATE: The Meadowscaping Handbook has been posted to the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation website! You can find it here or by clicking the picture to the left. GreenWorks is very pleased to have worked on this publication with the West Multnomah Soils and Conservation District.