In Tigard, a dash of green is set to sprout amidst the concrete jungle as Metro Council seals the deal on a new park development project, bankrolled by a hearty $1.3 million from Metro's Local Share fund. Goodbye grey, hello green. This comes as a boon to a northwest neighborhood of Tigard, that until now, had been left out in the great wide open.
City planners and eco-conscious residents have reason to celebrate, with the park's blueprints showcasing a mix of picnicking spots, community gardens and play areas both for the nature lover and the traditional park-goer. The plot on Steve Street, temporarily christened as the not-so-creative Steve Street Park, is slated to swing its gates wide open by late 2025, an exciting detail confirmed by Oregon Metro.
According to Oregon Metro, Carla Staedter, the City of Tigard project manager, laid out the blueprint of justice the city used to pinpoint which neighborhoods were park-poor. "We wanted to ensure that we were delivering our park services equitably," said Staedter, who led the charge in identifying a dozen areas left high and dry without a local park within a brief 10-minute stroll.
The upcoming Steve Street Park is more than just swings and sod; it's targeted at an area that's richer in diversity than in the wallet. Staedter noted that it's precisely these qualities—more multi-family homes, and lower average incomes than the city's norm—that catapulted the neighborhood to the front of the park line. "So that we can continue to balance the tables and provide equity," she asserted.
Pulling funds from the 2019-approved Metro parks and nature bond, Metro Local Share program manager Antonia Machado spotlighted the project's snug fit with goals like community engagement, racial equity, and climate resilience. "The city is really being very responsive to our criteria, both the community engagement criteria and the criteria around centering historically marginalized communities," Machado told Oregon Metro.
Adjacent to the park is a stream system flowing into Ash Creek, a natural perk that's not just for show. The park's eco-friendly layout includes restoration work to keep the water pristine, doubling as prime real estate for wildlife habitat in despite the urban backdrop. "It will also provide critical wildlife habitat within a highly urbanized neighborhood," stated Machado, emphasizing the ecological multiplier of this verdant venture.
This park-building crusade isn't confined to Steve Street. The City of Tigard has snagged a total of $3.1 million in Metro moolah, with half earmarked for Steve Street and the rest tagged for a potential Bagan Park in another under-parked pocket of the city. The city's dream is a dense network of parks, knitting together communities with nature's thread.
Since 1995, Local Share funding has been the fairy godmother for parks and nature projects across Portland's ever-sprawling suburban tableau, acknowledging the uneven spread of these green blessings. Now strategic planning is setting its sights on painting the town green, one equitable brushstroke at a time.
