Bike trails could begin construction in 2012.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Tomorrow the Gateway Green project will pass its most important milestone since citizen activist Linda Robinson and East Portland developer Ted Gilbert first unveiled their vision back in May 2008. A host of major electeds, supporters, and other bigwigs will come together for a ceremony to officially sign the project's "Declaration of Cooperation."
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The Gateway Green site as it looks today.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish announced earlier today that the City of Portland will assume an official leadership role in the Gateway Green project. It's been over a year since the project has moved significantly forward, but today Fish said the City's decision to step up with leadership responsibility and financial commitment will help "break the logjam."
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Parks advocate and Gateway Green
project backer Linda Robinson
outside City Council
Chambers this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Gateway Green project has taken a major step forward.

Friends of Gateway Green -- the non-profit group working to convert an ODOT-owned, 35-acre parcel between I-205 and I-84 into a bicycle recreation area -- has announced that Governor Kulongoski has selected the project to be part of the Oregon Solutions program.

Oregon Solutions is a process that grew out of Oregon’s Sustainability Act of 2001. Projects under this umbrella are seen as having a high priority for the state and they are selected because they have a strong sustainability component and bring together a wide range of community stakeholders. Oregon Solutions helps the Gateway Green project in many important ways -- from bringing its staff resources (to help find funding, etc...) to being a heavyweight facilitator to help navigate the extremely complicated route from vacant land to public recreation mecca. (more...)

Emily Hicks (L) from Commissioner
Fish's office, Mayor Adams' Chief
of Staff Tom Miller, and Steve Bryant
from Oregon Solutions.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Over 120 people packed into the Gateway Elks Lodge last night to learn about the Gateway Green project -- and many of them were elected officials or high-level agency or city staffers.

The open house event was a bit short on substance (especially for anyone who's been following our coverage here on BikePortland), but the big news of the night was how many notables lined up to throw their support behind the project.
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A shot of the Gateway Green Bicycle Concept Plan.

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Gateway Green supporters
gather at the north end of
the property during a site
visit in February.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The folks behind an effort to transform a 35-acre parcel of land between the I-84 and I-205 freeways in East Portland into an urban, off-road biking oasis called Gateway Green, will unveil a "Bicycle Concept Plan" next month.

Back in February, advocates and supporters of the project met on site to map out possibilities and brainstorm how the land could be put to best use for biking.

East Portland parks advocate and the project's main booster, Linda Robinson, got in touch recently to announce an upcoming open house to share the "Gateway Green Bicycle Concept Plan". Along with this concept plan, at the open house project backers will announce the newly formed Friends of Gateway Green organization and accompanying website, GatewayGreenPDX.org. (more...)

This story is part of our special 2009 National Bike Summit coverage (sponsored by Planet Bike). For more coverage, follow BikePortland on Twitter and browse the latest photos in our Bike Summit photo gallery.

Rich Edwards is a trail solutions
coordinator with IMBA.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Most talk about biking in cities revolves around commuting to work and urban biking culture. But there's another way to enjoy riding without leaving town that is just starting to get on the map in Portland -- urban trails, jump parks, and pump tracks.

The topic is very hot in Portland right now. Our Gateway Green project is rolling along, and discussions are afoot for more bike access in Forest Park and possibly even our first pump track/skills park near the Burnside Bridge.
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A show of momentum in and of itself, the invite-only group that showed up to the Gateway Green "Kick the Dirt" event included a wide range of stakeholders -- from agencies like ODOT and PBOT to citizen activists and trail planning experts.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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A view of proposed Gateway Green
property looking south on
the I-205 bike path toward
NE Halsey.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The effort to build turn 35 acres of vacant land in east Portland into an off-road trails park and bike recreation to be called "Gateway Green" is moving forward nicely.

Last week I bumped into parks and neighborhood advocate extraordinaire Linda Robinson at the Metro quarterly trails meeting. Robinson, along with developer Ted Gilbert, is spearheading the Gateway Green project.
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Gateway Green Vision Plan
Download it (3MB, PDF)

Gateway Green is an ambitious project to reclaim 35 acres of unused land at the intersections of I-84 and I-205 in East Portland.

Last week I shared a preview of the project after I had a sneak peek at the Vision Plan -- a 27-page document that lays out the design, funding, and other aspects of the project.

A key component of the project is to incorporate bicycle trails both for recreational (mostly unpaved) and transportation-oriented uses (it would be a pass-through for commuters connecting to I-205 path and future Sullivan's Gulch Trail).

Now the Vision Plan is available online on the website of the Portland Development Commission.

Once you download it, turn to page 11. In the chapter on "Design", the first heading under "The Plan" is "Bicycling". What follows are paragraphs on "Bicycle Commuting"; (more...)

Ted Gilbert and Linda Robinson -- shown here
at Gilbert's office in downtown Portland yesterday
-- share the newly completed Gateway Green
Vision Plan.
(Photos © J. Maus)

About seven miles east of downtown Portland, lies 35 acres of unused land between two interstate freeways.

Today, it's just another anonymous, ODOT-owned parcel, but that's about to change due to the unlikely partnership of an East Portland developer and a volunteer parks advocate. If their ambitious plans materialize, the parcel could become a hub if biking activity, a connection to nature for neighboring communities, and a catalyst for a long-awaited revitalization of East Portland.
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