The time has finally come to grab our shovels and turn on the trail-building machine. If all goes according to plan we’ll be riding two miles of fresh singletrack trails at Gateway Green, a 25-acre parcel of land in east Portland between interstates 84 and 205, by this winter.
The Friends of Gateway Green have just launched a crowdfunding campaign that will allow them to finally build trails and other features that will open the site for public bicycling and hiking access.
Here’s the new promo video that explains the “Dirt Lab” concept:
The City of Portland’s Parks Bureau acquired Gateway Green from the Oregon Department of Transportation two years ago — and that big step came one year after advocates and volunteers kicked off this current planning and fundraising effort.
We first shared the vision for Gateway Green here on BikePortland over eight years ago.
A crowdfunding effort in 2013 successfully raised money to create the trail plans and public space designs. With that, the Friends of Gateway Green were able to apply for funding and received a $1 million matching grant from Metro. Now they’ve cleared all the hurdles necessary and all that’s left is to move some dirt around and start riding (or walking if that’s your thing!).
So, what exactly are the plans for this Dirt Lab? Here’s how the Friends group describes it:
We are creating a dynamic destination for our community to get kids and adults outside to explore nature, play, learn, socialize, and ride bikes.
Dirt Lab is all of the foundational elements of Gateway Green – it’s the new neighborhood dirt pile, the place you played as a kid. Like Gateway Green itself, these features are dynamic and fluid, and the trails, jumps, and tracks can grow, change and move as the whole park is developed. Gateway Green will create new homes for bees, bugs, birds, and bikes in Portland’s most nature-deficient neighborhood.
Here are a few more of the latest renderings and the full concept plan:
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As you can see in the renderings, the two-mile singletrack will loop around the property. They also plan to build a number of other features to appeal to a wide range of rider styles, ages, and abilities. There will be a jump line, a skills area intended for little tykes on balance bikes, a precast concrete pump track, and more.
The current crowdfunding campaign is hosted by Oregon’s Kitchen Table and has already raised over $11,000 toward a goal of $100,000.
Stay tuned for volunteer work party announcements and other developments. Learn more and find links to donate at the Friends of Gateway Green site.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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