Future of Waterfront Park

[maccoinnich]

HB2291 would set up a state fund specifically to support events at Waterfront Park:

Digest: The Act would set up a grant program for organizers of festivals and other public events at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. The Act would fund a study of options for the operation and maintenance of the park that will improve the livability and economy in the city and the state. The Act would require a report of the study to be turned in next year.

Appropriates moneys to establish a revolving grant program for organizers of festivals and other public events at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Funds a collaborative study by the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies at Portland State University of options for the long-term, cost-effective operation and maintenance of Tom McCall Waterfront Park that will improve Portland’s and Oregon’s livability and economy. Requires the institute to submit a report to, among others, the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to economic development.

The bill has passed out of the Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade committee, and is now in Ways and Means.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

HB2291 would set up a state fund specifically to support events at Waterfront Park:



The bill has passed out of the Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade committee, and is now in Ways and Means.

Hopefully for free/unticketed events to allow to attend, but this language makes me think it's not:

Require the grantee to share the proceeds from events described in subsection (1)
of this section with the institute in an amount or by a method determined by the parties to
the grant agreement.

The carnivals are in town now! Nebraska state fair, or Downtown Portland waterfront?

[maccoinnich]

Pre-Application Conference scheduled:

Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is one of Portland¿s most iconic public spaces, stretching along the west bank of the Willamette River from the Steel Bridge to the Bowl. The park is an essential Portland public space and attraction that park draws locals and tourists to Downtown, playing a key role in boosting the local economy and serving city and regional residents. However, the park has not received significant investment in many years. Its amenities and infrastructure have deteriorated, limiting its appeal, accessibility, and ability to host the full range of activities Portlanders and regional residents expect. The Bowl area, located north of RiverPlace and the Marina and south from Salmon Street Springs, is especially underutilized. In 2025, Portland Parks & Recreation received $750,000 from Metro¿s 2040 Planning and Development Grant Program to address this need. The Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park Bowl Redevelopment Project is a national design competition to reimagine the Bowl and create the foundation for future improvements to the entire park. This project, in combination with multi-bureau coordinated efforts, is one of the mayor¿s priorities for the Downtown Revitalization. The process will invite national design teams to propose bold ideas that reflect Portland¿s values and priorities. Through community engagement, the project will identify a preferred design that balances cultural heritage, ecological restoration, and public use. The outcome of the project will be a design, cost estimate, phasing and implementation strategies, and an economic analysis outlining feasibility.

[downtownpdx]

^^
Sorry to bump this thread, just wanted to thank you for sharing this and all the other development news in Portland. It is very appreciated.

I’m excited to see what designs come forth for this area. As stated in the link, a refresh/reinagining of this park is long overdue. We don’t need to inundate it with commercial uses or anything, but some focal points of activity that keep it attractive and inviting year round are desperately needed. Replacing a freeway with a park was a visionary and bold move in the 1970s, and it’s time to honor this park with a 21st century upgrade.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Pre-Application Conference scheduled:

CoP has an RFP out for the Competition Manager:

https://procure.portlandoregon.gov/bso/e...d=00002645&external=true&parentUrl=close

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

CoP has an RFP out for the Competition Manager:

https://procure.portlandoregon.gov/bso/e...d=00002645&external=true&parentUrl=close

From the RFP:

Metro Council awarded Portland Parks & Recreation a 2040 Planning and Development Grant for the transformative Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park Bowl Redevelopment Project. The Project proposes a Design Competition to create a new vision for the expanse of the park with a specific focus on the Bowl section, located north of RiverPlace and the Marina to the south of Salmon Springs, as a first step to a full revisioning Waterfront Park.

The Design Competition will focus on two areas. See Exhibit D – Location Map for the Site Areas:

• Site 1: Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park south of the Steel Bridge, approximately 30 acres
• Site 2 – The Bowl: Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The Bowl is a subsection of Site 1, roughly from Salmon Street Springs and north of Riverplace Hotel and SW Clay, bounded between SW Naito Parkway and the Willamette River, approximately 6 acres.

Site 1 is approximately 30 acres owned by PP&R. The Tom McCall Waterfront Master Plan (2002) envisioned a series spaces, described within Park sections, to accommodate events and daily year-round activities, including an opportunity to touch the water at the Bowl. In the 20+ years since the plan was written, the context of Downtown has changed, but many of the aspirations of the plan remain relevant.

For the Design Competition, the scope of work for Site 1 will be more conceptual, while Site 2 should serve as a catalyst and first phase of the larger park redevelopment.

The outcome of the Design Competition will be the selection of a finalist to move forward with the City to produce 30% design development drawings, a cost estimate, and phasing and implementation strategies for Site 2.

The Design Competition will challenge design consultants to participate in reimagining an iconic downtown park with outdoor entertainment, in-water access, habitat restoration, flexible open space, and trail connectivity along the waterfront. The design competitors will produce design options reflecting the community's vision and
values, and the Design Competition will ultimately lead to the selection of a design for a uniquely visible public space in downtown Portland.

I'm glad to see that Site 2, which will be taken to a further stage of design, includes not just the bowl, but the area around the former Visitors Information Center by John Yeon. There's a real opportunity to better use that building, and the grassy area between it and the Hawthorne Bridge, without any impact on the big events that take place between the Hawthorne Bridge and the Burnside Bridge.

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

From the RFP:



I'm glad to see that Site 2, which will be taken to a further stage of design, includes not just the bowl, but the area around the former Visitors Information Center by John Yeon. There's a real opportunity to better use that building, and the grassy area between it and the Hawthorne Bridge, without any impact on the big events that take place between the Hawthorne Bridge and the Burnside Bridge.

Yeah that building once had a restaurant, McCall’s in the 90s which wasn’t great and obviously didn’t last long even in downtown’s more vibrant years. But if the whole area is reimagined I could see that building serving a more exciting purpose. That area has such potential.

[eric cantona]

Portland Waterfront Pavilion group is a stakeholder in this. Check out the concept from Allied Works and Walker Macy:

https://www.portlandwaterfrontpavilion.com/concepts

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

Portland Waterfront Pavilion group is a stakeholder in this. Check out the concept from Allied Works and Walker Macy:

https://www.portlandwaterfrontpavilion.com/concepts

Looks like someone from Allied Works took a trip to Chicago before designing this

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Looks like someone from Allied Works took a trip to Chicago before designing this

lol

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by eric cantona

Portland Waterfront Pavilion group is a stakeholder in this. Check out the concept from Allied Works and Walker Macy:

https://www.portlandwaterfrontpavilion.com/concepts

Is this a new concept, will it be part of the design competition ? Certainly looks better already.

[eric cantona]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

Is this a new concept, will it be part of the design competition ? Certainly looks better already.

I believe this was just a recent design exercise. It will certainly be part of the background materials as will a number of recent studies in and adjacent to the park.

Bid opening for the competition manager RFP is Thursday (12/11). Once that person/firm gets notice to proceed the format for the competition, and what the scope will be, will start to gel. Everything about the competition thus far is mostly guesswork. NTP should happen in February.

This is the current scope:

The objective of Round 2 of the Design Competition is to produce a Schematic Design for Site 1, focusing specifically on Site 2. The purpose and level of design for each site is described below:

• Site 1: Tom McCall Waterfront Park, from the Steel Bridge to Salmon Street Springs
  The purpose of the Schematic Design for Site 1 is to set the foundation for the larger park in broad strokes, focusing on major spatial relationships and features, general design elements and programming, and conceptual sketches and plans that can be the basis for future funding following the guidance set forth in the Design Brief. Site 1 will not be moved forward past Schematic Design under this project.
  
• Site 2: “The Bowl”: Tom McCall Waterfront Park, from Salmon Street Springs to SW Clay/SW Harbor Drive
  The purpose of this schematic is to present a high level of design intent and purpose through site plans, diagrams, sketches and illustrations following the guidance and programming set forth in the Design Brief. This area will be the focus of the winning design team after Round 2.

[maccoinnich]

Looks like the competition will be managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants

[maccoinnich]

Could a Waterfront Park Makeover Revitalize Portland?



On an overcast Tuesday after-noon in August 1969, a few hundred adults and kids gathered with balloons and sack lunches on a barren strip of land on the west bank of the Willamette River. Wedged between two four-lane roads, the group staged what Oregon Journal columnist Doug Baker described as a “consciousness-raising picnic.” They opposed plans to widen one of those thoroughfares, Harbor Drive, which ran directly along the water. The Willamette’s west bank, wrote Baker, “should not be allowed to become, like the east bank, one of the Oregon State Highway Commission’s concrete mystic mazes.”

As far back as 1903, Portland’s park plan had called for a downtown waterfront green space. But since the construction of Harbor Drive in the early 1940s, west-bank river access had been completely blocked. The 1969 picnic signaled a turning of the tides: Harbor Drive was decommissioned in 1974; four years later, a grassy expanse called Waterfront Park opened in its place.

Over the years, the park gained new attractions. The Salmon Street Springs fountain opened in 1988, and two years later the north end added 100 cherry trees, which draw huge crowds for their annual spring bloom. Today, the 37-acre Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park (renamed in 1988) has times of bustle: the Rose Festival, Cinco de Mayo, the Waterfront Blues Festival. Some spots, like Salmon Street Springs and the plaza that hosts the Saturday Market, are consistently busy. But swathes of the park—including its vast central lawn, intended as a blank canvas for events—sit empty much of the time. Portland Metro Chamber president Andrew Hoan, who runs here daily, calls it “a Canadian goose landing strip.”

...continues at Portland Monthly.

[2oh1]

Waterfront Park is amazing.

The challenge of revitalizing it is that it's cut off from the city by Naito, not to mention that huge chunks of SW 1st & 2nd aren't pulling foot traffic toward Waterfront Park.

My hope of hopes is for those streets to get as much redevelopment as possible... but that's a huge task.

[colossalorder]

Conceptually, I love the idea of closing and using Naito for special events. Is that really logistically possible? Maybe not all but some events? Getting rid of Morrison bridge ramps would also potentially free up event space to free the park, but that has to be a more costly and consequential change.

I'm sure we have all been to waterfront events where its either a mud pit or a dust bowl. It feels very un-Portland to be trampling the grass to death.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Looks like the competition will be managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants

Confirmed:

PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION APPOINTS MALCOLM READING CONSULTANTS TO MANAGE UPCOMING DESIGN COMPETITION FOR GOV. TOM McCALL WATERFRONT PARK

Portland, OR. May 6, 2026 – Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) announced today that it has engaged architect search specialist Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) to manage the forthcoming design competition for the Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The open competition is expected to launch in Summer 2026 and run for six months.

PP&R aims to create a vibrant, sustainable space that strengthens the connection between the community, visitors, and the Willamette River that defines Portland, including improved river access, flexible and welcoming park spaces and a restored river edge ecology.

‘The City is excited to see Portland Parks & Recreation launch this open design competition as a way to invite bold, creative thinking and attract exceptional talent to one of our city’s most cherished public spaces,’ says Portland Mayor Keith Wilson.

‘The Waterfront Park Bowl Project represents a unique opportunity to reimagine how Portlanders and visitors connect with the Willamette River – ecologically, culturally, and socially. As Portland continues to evolve, this effort reflects our commitment to inclusive, sustainable design and to strengthening the distinctive character that sets our city apart.’

Malcolm Reading, Competition Director, Malcolm Reading Consultants, said:

‘We are delighted to manage this competition for Portland Parks & Recreation, and excited to start preparations.

‘What a fascinating design challenge for ambitious and talented teams led by architects and landscape architects. The site at the epicenter of the city brims with civic and cultural promise – it’s poised for change.

‘A key message to competitors will be that this creative renewal needs to resonate with Portlanders, speak to their pride in the city, and must be theirs to own.’

To achieve PP&R’s ambitions for a design that reflects Portland’s values and priorities, Portland-based social impact consultancy Interplay will lead the competition’s community engagement strategy, including focus groups, public events and feedback sessions.

Camille E. Trummer, Founder and Principal, Interplay, said:

‘This project represents a rare opportunity to shape one of Portland’s most iconic public spaces at a moment when the city is actively redefining its relationship to place, community, and the river.

‘Interplay will ensure that community voice is meaningfully integrated at key moments throughout the competition. Through inclusive and thoughtful engagement that is grounded in lived experience, we’ll help translate Portlanders’ aspirations into insight that strengthens the design process and ensures the future of the waterfront reflects the values of the people it serves.’

PP&R has also formed a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) to help inform project decisions. PAC membership will soon be posted on PP&R’s website: www.portland.gov/parks/waterfront

Stretching along the west bank of the Willamette River, Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park plays a key role in boosting the local economy and serving city and regional residents.

When complete, the redeveloped park will permanently enhance the Portland waterfront by strengthening connections between downtown and the river, celebrating Indigenous and cultural heritage, and creating a unique Portland destination that supports community life, economic growth, housing, transportation, and tourism.

This project, in combination with multi-bureau coordinated efforts, is one of the mayor's priorities for downtown revitalization. In 2025, Metro Council awarded PP&R a $750,000 2040 Planning and Development Grant to support the Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park Bowl Redevelopment Project and partnership development through an intergovernmental agreement (IGA).

The competition’s first stage will be an open call and is expected to launch in Summer 2026. Interested firms will need to propose a design team, including a qualified Architect/Landscape Architect of Record (registered in the State of Oregon). Those who would like to be notified at the competition’s launch can sign up to receive information about the competition online at: competitions.malcolmreading.com/portlandwaterfront

Interested firms will need to register via the City of Portland’s online portal.

The leading global specialist in design team selection for museums and arts, heritage and non-profit organizations, London-based MRC has recently worked with Houston Endowment, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City), the Queen Elizabeth II National Memorial Masterplan, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Powerhouse Parramatta, Sydney, among others. Overall, the consultancy has handled more than 250 design team selection processes worldwide and has attracted a dedicated following of top-tier established and emerging designers.

Led by a fourth-generation Portlander, social impact consultancy Interplay will help translate Portland’s lived experience into actionable insight that gives the design competition clarity, depth, and legitimacy grounded in community values.

[maccoinnich]

Early Assistance requested by PP&R:

Exterior repair and maintenance of existing the Historic Landmark designated "Portland Visitor Information Center", interior renovation of the 3,800-sf building converting from current use to a full-service restaurant and associated exterior site and landscape alterations for pedestrian access, building operations, and outdoor seating.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Early Assistance requested by PP&R:

Bring back McCalls!

[maccoinnich]

A Restaurant Might be Coming to Tom McCall Waterfront Park
The Portland Spirit is cooking up plans for a restaurant in the park’s only commercial building.



A restaurant may be coming to the former Rose Festival headquarters in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Last week Dan Yates, president and cofounder of the local cruise line Portland Spirit, filed an early assistance application, to convert the park’s only commercial building—a one-time visitor center designed by famed local architect John Yeon—“from current use to a full-service restaurant.”

Reached by phone, Mandy Morgan, the Spirit’s director of marketing, cautioned that the project is in preliminary planning stages, saying there are “big steps” to take before breaking ground.

The Rose Building sits just south of the Salmon Street Springs splash fountain at SW Naito Parkway and Salmon St. It’s a glassy, modernist structure, structure with a sizable patio. The Portland Spirit’s main dock is in the same area of the park, and expanding its presence is a logical move—especialy in a moment when a public design competition to renovate the park’s grassy bowl is underway and a number of entities are working to revive the city’s waterfront.

...continues at Willamette Week.