At Commissioner Adams' urging, city council supported a request on December 5 for $50,000 to reevaluate the Steel Bridge site for the city's "anchor" skateboard park facility. After more than 18 months of evaluation in 2003 and 2004, Portland Parks & Recreation selected the site for Portland's premier skatepark, which will "anchor" its 19-skatepark system.
The site has long sat fallow under the west side of the Steel Bridge on- and off-ramps between SW 1st Avenue and Naito Parkway and Flanders. The private sector deems the site undevelopable due to its unusual shape and constraints withbridge columns, making it ideal for a creative public use adjacent to light rail, bus routes, and an underutilized public parking garage.
The $50,000 will be used to hire a consultant to craft a vision for the facility including a feasibility study and draft budget. The site was contemplated for skatepark development in 2001 under then Transportation/Parks Commissioner Charlie Hales but set aside due to the pending Big Pipe sewer project.