Arch Bridge/Bolton Neighborhood Plan (West Linn)
The City of West Linn is within the Portland Metro area, along Interstate 805 on the western bank of the Willamette River. Anticipating closure of the local paper mill and a spate of I-805 interchange improvements, the City sought guidance on planning for the Arch Bridge and Bolton neighborhoods and the coming changes. The Arch Bridge area is the historic center of town, built to serve the paper mill and is immediately across the bridge from Oregon City. The Bolton neighborhood is immediately to the west, comprised of the town’s oldest residential district and bisected by Oregon Highway 43.
We sponsored a week-long “storefront studio” and a series of public workshops, walking audits, and open houses, engaging in hundreds of conversations with community members, local officials and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Changes in the local economy were not uniformly well received, but the plan established a popular framework the community could employ to manage its uncertain future. The plan won an OR APA award for community engagement, laying out a blueprint the adaptation the community is now implementing.
Client Reference:
Chris Kerr
Community Development Director
503-982-5246
chris.kerr@ci.woodburn.or.us
Dates of Involvement: 2014 – 2016
Cost: $60,000
