Eastbank Crescent Habitat Restoration

The Eastbank Crescent Project is located between the Hawthorne and Marquam bridges on the eastbank of the Willamette River. The purpose of the project is to create a recreational destination and a fish and wildlife habitat refuge.  The project is a collaborative effort between City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), Portland Development Commission, Portland Parks and Recreation, GreenWorks, Mayer-Reed, and Flowing Solutions. Based on existing conditions analysis, constraints and opportunities, three concepts were developed including maximizing recreation, maximizing habitat and a hybrid of the two.  GreenWorks, with sub consultant, Inter-fluve Inc., was task by BES to enhance in-water nearshore habitat for ESA-listed fish, restore riparian and upland habitat for birds and wildlife, and incorporate river habitat education opportunities. An array of habitat treatments were considered including laying back the riverbank to create more habitat by vegetating with native plants, undulating the shallow water area with alcoves or backchannels to enhance fish habitat and creating viewpoints and access for education.  The concepts were presented to stakeholders and the public and a preferred alternative will be developed based on public input.

Bend Whitewater Park Colorado Avenue Pedestrian Bridge

On the Deschutes River, the Colorado Avenue Dam creates an impoundment that was once used to support lumber mill operations. The dam currently maintains water surface elevations upstream in the Mill District area, and is located in an area of the river heavily used during the summer months by people on inner-tubes and other inflatable craft that require little skill to operate. The current dam and footbridge configuration blocks downstream passage and requires all river users to exit the river and portage around the impediment. This requirement to portage around the dam exposes a high number of low-skilled users to the potential of being swept into the dam which creates a sieve-like, pinning hazard.

Teamed with OTAK, Pacific Habitat Resources, and River Restoration, GreenWorks provided a safe passage over the existing Colorado Dam for many types of river users including inflatable craft, and whitewater play features for hard shell boats including kayaks and canoes.

In addition to the in-water recreational components, the design proposes increased habitat diversity along the reach 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.

Mirror Pond Visioning Project

GreenWorks consulted with Bend Parks and Recreation District on alternatives to provide four different solutions for the community to consider for the iconic Mirror Pond on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. Each option, ranging from taking out a dam to dredging or something in between, will illustrate the visual impact, cost estimates, regulatory requirements, challenges and opportunities.

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Willamette Riverbank Design Notebook

Hired by the City of Portland, GreenWorks led a team of biology, engineering, and erosion consultants to investigate existing bank conditions along the Willamette River in downtown Portland. The banks were inventoried by category and then color maps were created using ArcView GIS. A “Design Notebook” containing innovative design options for the Willamette riverbank was developed for the use of both public and private developers. The options were designed to create new models for an urban riverfront while protecting threatened fish species. Incorporated into the analysis of existing conditions is a description of the defining characteristics of the Willamette River Downtown area. The notebook consists of 4 major chapters: Inventory and Background, Operating Instructions, The Design Worksheet, and Design Solutions. The Design Notebook process was carefully coordinated with the National Marine Fisheries Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Oregon Division of State Lands and various bureaus within the City of Portland. This project received a National ASLA Honor Award in 2002 and an Oregon Chapter ASLA Merit Award in 2000.

Portland Bureau of Planning Shared Courtyard Design Standards

Metro Habitat Friendly Development Practices

METRO’s Nature in the Neighborhood program utilizes education, restoration, monitoring and habitat-friendly development practices to ensure a healthy urban ecosystem. GreenWorks was contracted by METRO to conceptualize and develop watercolor illustrations depicting habitat -friendly design solutions for development adjacent to or near urban fish and wildlife habitat. Solutions depict various lands uses (single and multi-family residential; mixed-use; parking areas; and street ROW) and included greenroofs, raingardens, green streets, on-site / neighborhood / regional stormwater detention, treatment and  infiltration features, pervious pavement, reduced pavement surfaces, reduced lawn areas, and downspout disconnects.

Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design

GreenWorks was part of an inter-disciplinary team developing a long range sustainable redevelopment plan for a mixed-use, 35 block (54 acre) area in Northeast Portland. GreenWorks’ primary responsibility was developing an open space network strategy, sustainable streetscape design concepts, rainwater harvesting on a large scale, habitat creation, and dense urban forestry approaches for the area. We also looked at creating a connection between the Lloyd District and the Willamette River through Sullivans Gulch as it existed historically. In addition to developing guidelines for the entire project area, GreenWorks developed a sustainable site plan for the “Catalyst Project.” This is a financially feasible, two-block initial phase which implements the overall district plan on a smaller scale. The “Catalyst Project” also includes the schematic design of a new public park adjacent to the development. This project received an ASLA Honor Award in the Analysis and Planning Category, 2005; AIA Committee on the Environment, Top Ten Award, 2005; and Commendation Award, Seattle AIA Honor Awards, Washington Architecture Program, 2004.

La Grande USFS Laboratory

GreenWorks prepared a site analysis to identify areas of security venerability for this important US Forest Service research laboratory, as well as areas needing improved access for people with disabilities. Following this, we developed a site improvement plan that addressed security and access improvements for the compound.  In addition to improving security, the project will also improve public contact, provide improved opportunities for community use of the lab, provide improved outdoor gathering and recreation space for employees, and decrease landscape maintenance by increasing the number of native plant species.

Hangzhou Canal

GreenWorks as part of Team Oregon in collaboration with SOM, developed a Master Plan for the Historic Canal through Hangzhou, China.  The 1200-year-old canal flows over 100 miles north-south from Beijing to Hangzhou.  The canal will be redeveloped as a centerpiece of Hangzhou, celebrating the ecology, history and urban vitality of this historic city.  New stormwater facilities will be developed in each of four canal segments each with interpretive and recreational amenities to help cleanse and purify the water in the canal.

Cape Kiwanda Master Plan

With a multi-disciplinary team that includes GreenWorks, the project provides a sustainable blueprint to improve, locate, and develop tourism facilities and infrastructure within the Cape Kiwanda Focus Area. The goals were to create a framework for tourism facilities and infrastructure to protect the beauty and natural resource values; minimize and mitigate the adverse effects of visitors; improve the visitor experience; and attract and accommodate new visitors to the region. The team collaborated with over a dozen county, state and federal agencies, including Tillamook County Parks Department and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and hosted public information sessions with residents, businesses and community organizations to craft recommendations for improvements to existing infrastructure. Master plan work was completed in 2016.

TriMet Light Rail Blue Line Station Improvements

TriMet’s MAX Light Rail system connects Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro and the Portland Airport. As a part of TriMet’s commitment to build and maintain a safe transit system, GreenWorks is assisting the agency in reviewing its existing lighting and access control design standards for the MAX stations. The overall goal is to create a safe and secure system of transportation for its patrons. Initially, this process will review, analyze, design, and implement prototype improvements to the existing lighting systems and access control at two eastside LRT platforms, both located on the TriMet Blue Line the stations of 82nd Avenue and Gresham Central. Design illumination and access control improvements will complement the existing architectural character of these two platforms. The improvements will be completed in coordination with internal and external stakeholders, and TriMet’s leadership review board. GreenWorks provided documentation of the site review of the two stations and a report including mapping of existing site conditions, an inventory of site elements, mapping of site opportunities and site constraints, an illumination assessment and light readings from the two stations. Building on this field research, our work included schematic design and construction documents. After implementation, our services will include a post occupancy analysis to inform the design analysis and may contribute to the modification of the TriMet Design Criteria.

Wilsonville SMART Operations Fleet Facility

GreenWorks provided landscape architectural services for the City of Wilsonville South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART)  Operations Fleet Facility.  The project includes a 12,600 square foot Fleet and Administration Building located on an approximately 4.5 acre site. Site improvements include employee and bus parking, fleet maintenance, and administrative services, and is located on SW Boberg Road adjacent to the Wilsonville Westside Express Service (WES) Station.

Design services provided by GreenWorks, include Conceptual Site Design and Grading Coordination, type ‘C’ Tree Preservation and Removal Plans, and Final Construction Documentation. The design team developed a budget sensitive sustainable plan that embraces the natural characteristics of the site, and architectural design features. Habitat and buffering improvements integrated adjacent to the Significant Resource Overlay Zone (SROZ), provide a transition and embraced the landscape strategy of incorporating native and drought tolerant plants, in combination with a temporary irrigation system.  Stormwater is managed through on site conveyance in channels and basins, and is celebrated through roof rainwater capture and outfall at architectural scuppers along the building entrance.

TriMet Lightrail Station Redevelopment at Rockwood

GreenWorks provided conceptual planning and design for the redevelopment of TriMet’s Light Rail station at East 188th Street in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham, Oregon. A neighborhood in transition, Rockwood is part of Gresham’s first Urban Renewal Area. The 188th station in particular has the highest number of riders in the city. Station redesign focused on attracting redevelopment in the area through improvements to the 188th and East Burnside intersection, expanded access and capacity of the stations, pedestrian-oriented facilities, user safety, visibility and CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) design. The station design exceeded the local stormwater requirements and incorporated infiltration planters adjacent to the platforms as a terminus for the platforms. The approved design incorporated significant redevelopment of the transit platforms, shelters, trackways, signage, landscape plantings and other features. Final presentation drawings and perspective sketches were prepared and presented to the Urban Renewal Commission.

Sandy Public Works and Transit Operations Facility

GreenWorks, as part of a team, assisted the City of Sandy in the design of its new operations and maintenance facility which houses public works services and transit operations. The facility embraces sustainable design strategies by using a native plant palette and minimizing stormwater run off with a series of vegetated swales. Individual downspout features artistically accentuate the sheet flow activated by roof run-off. Our involvement included preliminary and final design for site improvements, overall grading and sustainable stormwater design solutions, low-maintenance landscape improvements, native planting design schemes and site screening for buffering requirements and hardscape design for public access locations.

Bingen Downtown Revitalization

GreenWorks analyzed the downtown area of Bingen, Washington which is a small community in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. It is a community which attracts tourists, recreationists and windsurfers in the Gorge. GreenWorks helped develop recommendations to revitalize the downtown core with streetscape improvements, pedestrian amenities and design of civic spaces. We compiled the analysis and recommendations in a comprehensive report which was used to seek funds for implementation.

Oregon City 7th Street Pedestrian Environment Improvements

GreenWorks provided Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Drawings for this nine block commercial and residential district in Oregon City. The primary focus of this project was improving the pedestrian environment including street furniture, street trees, paving and public art. Neighborhood participation was a critical component. GreenWorks provided public involvement services and property owner coordination.

Independence Downtown Revitalization

GreenWorks provided design coordination for the City of Independence Downtown Revitalization project. The challenge was to accommodate a high volume of traffic on Main Street, while enhancing the business and pedestrian corridor through downtown. By widening the sidewalks and providing curb extensions at intersections, the city was able to control vehicular traffic, and greatly improve a pedestrian friendly streetscape within the downtown core. Additional improvements included period street furniture, historic lighting with planted hanging baskets, and accent trees.

Gresham Main Street

GreenWorks developed concept plans and working drawings for pedestrian improvements related to a street renovation project in downtown Gresham. The project required citizen involvement meetings and coordination with utility companies and state officials. Pedestrian improvements were applied to five “core” downtown blocks including; bomanite crosswalks, new sidewalks of patterned concrete, street trees, benches, litter receptacles, and ornamental street lights. Considerable design time was spent evaluating various alternatives for streetscape layout. Reference: City of Gresham.

Boones Ferry Road

GreenWorks worked alongside HNTB Corporation and the City of Lake Oswego to develop an innovative streetscape and green infrastructure strategy as part of the Phase 2 Boones Ferry Road Improvement Project. Using the scope at hand, the design team identified multiple green street strategies and concepts from successful similar projects, ultimately concluding a center median based treatment concept would best manage stormwater runoff from the roadway and sidewalks.  The overall character of the streetscape has been designed to support the vision set forth in the Lake Grove Village Center Plan to reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding evergreen forest.

Damascus Green Street Concepts

Assisting the City of Damascus, GreenWorks recommended strategies using a system approach to meet the needs for parks and open space services while maximizing the preservation of natural areas, enhancing ecosystem services, and creating a sense of place. GreenWorks developed a preferred level of service approach with the quantity and quality of facility capacity that would determine the basis for developing and justifying specific capital improvements projects, the recommended level of service standards, and financing plans for each type of capital facility. The eco system service approach to the Public Facilities plan is a first for a municipality in the State of Oregon to consider how public facilities planning can effectively consider its natural resources as an economic and natural resources for the city and its residents. GreenWorks’ parks system planning efforts identify strategies for incorporating eco system services and the public infrastructure for a sustainable parks planning foundation.