November 20, at 7:00, come join our quarterly Greenway Commitee meeting. We want your input.

December 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the Willamette River Greenway legislation fostered by Republican Governor Tom McCall. Tom left office in 1975 and Democrat Bob Straub took over and we credit him with implementation and planning  rules and regs for protection of Willamette Greenway Trail along the Banks of the river from Eugene to Portland’s confluence with Columbia River. Additionally Bob, codified protection of the Greenway by including it as a State wide goal #15 of the LCDC program through out Oregon. A goal that at the time The Wall Street Journal wrote,  Oregon has become a communist nation. ( I’ll dig up exact quote)

I Chair the SPNA Greenway Committee and have worked on completing the Willamette Greenway Trail(WGT)  since 1995 in what we call the South Reach; River bank from N. of downtown (CBD) to the Sellwood Bridge.  I also am a member on the North Portland Greenway (NPG) advocacy group that works to build/complete the WGT from Lloyds Center to the Columbia River.

Some say that completion of the continuous WGT  has become a 100 year slog. In the last 7-8 years the rate of trail gap completion has  increased. In the South Reach we have completed the Greenway except  through Zidell Yards and a small property owned by OHSU. 16 months ago a major gap was completed by the Texas development firm,  Alamo Manhattan. I consider this 1/2 mile connecting to the S. Waterfront the Best Practices Model for our Greenway. 150 wide Bike/walker segregated trail, lighting, adjacent buildings stepped back from the river to allow maximum sunshine and wild-airy feel to the Greenway, enhancement of Habitats through natural tree plantings designed to cool the rivers water and importantly little mercantile activity along the Greenway. I

In the North, again we have made major progress and we can see this world class trail dream come true. Call it Portland’s Camino, Malecon in the North i like to refer to the Beaches abutting the NPG rivers Banks, S  of Mercedes Benz, Portlands French Riviera. One year ago University of Portland completed their section of the Greenway winding through the lower soccer fields and new  boat house. METRO has completed clean up of the Willamette Cove property and is now planning the Greenway Trail based on Public input over the last 6 months. The Polluted McCormick Baxter's old Telephone pole processing plant ( think creasote ) has a proposal in front of DEQ for a Botanical Garden abutting the Greenway. City of PDX, Metro and ODOT just completed a funding package of $13 mil. for a Bike pedestrian Crossing of Columbia Blvd, that will allow citizens to alight the Greenway on up to the confluence of the Columbia River at Kelley point Park.

A 50 year anniversary celebration should spark the completion of Portland's  unique, world class, continuous Trail ending at the  Columbia. Today, PDX needs some good news. Something to uplift our spirits. Tell the nation how our creativity, love of nature and engenuity produced a large asset to our community. For 50 years, 100 and 100’s of volunteers, politicians, advocacy groups and private stakeholders have tirelessly worked to keep this project going. The private - public partnership has worked better than in most public endeavors. Tourism, economic development through a new connection to well-paid jobs on Swan Island and finally many park starved neighborhoods will give residents a chance to commune with Nature along the Banks of the Willamette. A recreational Oasis free of noise and the hum-drum of the City within walking distance of PDX neighborhoods that abut the Willamette.

There are still challenges to overcome for completion of Portland’s portion of the Greenway trail. Over 50 years, There have been battles over hotel building heights, commercial buildings set back from the trail to allow sunshine and a open feel,  protection of trees and schrubs within the environmental zone along the greenway. Our challenge is to finish the greenway project with healthy riparian habitats, provide passive recreation, transportation and a magnet for tourism.