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Public Meetings for Riverfront Connector Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2018
St. Helens, Ore. – In January 2018, the City of St. Helens kicked off a grant-funded transportation study called the Riverfront Connector Plan. This plan will set the framework for a cohesive, multi-modal, inviting transportation loop from Highway 30 to the Riverfront District and along the waterfront. The public is invited to attend one of the two upcoming meetings that will both be held on June 12, 2018. Attendees will learn and provide feedback about preliminary design options for roads within the project area.
The same presentation will occur at two different times on June 12, 2018. The first meeting will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The second meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The second meeting will also include input from the Planning Commission, but both meetings will offer an opportunity for public comments following a 35-minute presentation. Both meetings will be held in the St. Helens Council Chambers, located at 265 Strand Street, St. Helens.
The presentation will include preliminary design options with potential intersection improvements for each section of the study area. Local business and property owners in the project area are encouraged to attend, particularly those along Gable Road, Old Portland Road, Plymouth Street, and St. Helens Street (within the riverfront area) to review and comment on the design options.
The materials to be presented during this meeting will be uploaded to the Riverfront Connector Plan project website (http://www.riverfrontconnectorplan.com/) under the Project Documents tab by June 5, 2018. The project website also contains general information about the project, goals, and study area. Comments on the preliminary design alternatives can also be provided via the project website. The plan is anticipated to be adopted by spring 2019, and there will be multiple opportunities to offer input before final adoption.
Anyone interested in attending future meetings can follow the City’s Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/cityofsthelens/) and subscribe to the City’s e-Newsletter (https://www.ci.st-helens.or.us/community/page/newsletters) where specific meeting details will be provided.
About the Riverfront Connector Plan
In 2015, the City of St. Helens purchased the former Boise Veneer Mill and White Paper sites and launched the Waterfront Redevelopment Project. In order to help with the costs of redevelopment, the City has applied for and received several state and federal grants. These grants have allowed the City to conduct site assessments, hold meetings to gather community feedback, and create a framework plan for development.
One important piece of the successful redevelopment of the St. Helens waterfront will be transportation improvements from Highway 30 to the Columbia River. In particular, key intersections have been identified as deficient along the main route from Highway 30 to the waterfront.
Overall project goals for the Riverfront Connector Plan include:
- Creating “streetscape” plans for the study area to help provide the foundation for orderly redevelopment that connects the various St. Helens neighborhoods together, brings people back to the Riverfront District, and creates a connection to the greater local region.
- Improving the aesthetics and function of the corridors to attract business and investment, provide better access, provide direction and signage to the Riverfront District, ensure multi-modal access, and improve desirability of the study area.
This planning project is funded with a $208,550 grant from the Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) Program, which is a joint program of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). This TGM grant is financed, in part, by the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), local government, and State of Oregon funds.
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For further information regarding the Riverfront Connector Plan, please contact Associate Planner Jenny Dimsho at jdimsho@ci.st-helens.or.us or 503-366-8207.
