is a Portland Parks facility.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Yesterday, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to adopt a new “system development charge” (SDC) package that will raise roughly $240 million for parks, bike/ped trails, and natural areas over the next 12 years.
SDCs are one-time fees assessed on new development (commercial and residential) to cover a portion of the cost required to build specific types of public infrastructure required as a result of the development.
Local parks advocates laud the support for this financing package and say the money is needed to help implement their Parks 2020 Vision.
Bike advocates also pushed hard for these Parks SDCs and the result is that 7.6% of the funds generated will go toward trails.
Many trails in Portland (like the Springwater Corridor Trail) that are managed by the Parks Bureau, are not just popular for recreational riding, but they provide invaluable connections in the city’s bikeway and have a major transportation component (stay tuned for an interesting look at bike commuter counts on off-street trails).
Local parks advocates estimate that the new SDCs package will help them purchase approximately 15 to 22 miles of new trailway and that the new funds will also help them leverage state and federal dollars to acquire and develop hundreds of acres of additional parkland and many more trail miles.