‘Unapproved’ or outdated crosswalks on the Heights face improvements, such as this one at 12th and Pine streets, or removal. ODOT officials will talk about the plans for crosswalk updates at the Hood River Armory on June 4. This summer, ODOT will add “Crosswalk Closed” signs at several locations.
‘Unapproved’ or outdated crosswalks on the Heights face improvements, such as this one at 12th and Pine streets, or removal. ODOT officials will talk about the plans for crosswalk updates at the Hood River Armory on June 4. This summer, ODOT will add “Crosswalk Closed” signs at several locations.
Planning is underway for improvements in the Heights Urban Renewal District, and near-term and longer-term projects will be the focus of a community meeting on Tuesday, June 4 from 6-7:30 p.m. The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency will facilitate the meeting at the Hood River Armory to provide information on redevelopment plans, some occurring this summer.
On June 4, representatives from Oregon Department of Transportation will discuss scheduled crosswalk modifications to the district planned for this summer.
“It’s all an effort we hope will direct pedestrians to the safest possible crossing points,” said Katelyn Jackson of ODOT.
Refreshments will be provided and representatives from all groups will be available afterward for questions at the June 4 meeting.
Three organizations will participate with informal presentations: ODOT, Streets Alive!, and Greenworks PC, the landscape architecture and urban design firm hired Monday to guide the Heights URA Design and Engineering contract in 2019-20.
Heights design contract awarded
The Heights Urban Renewal Agency awarded the $128,821 contract on Tuesday to Greenworks of Portland.
The Portland firm will oversee prioritization, selection and design of streetscape and other improvements on the Heights, and promise extensive public involvement in those decisions.
The project area is generally bounded by May and Belmont streets on the north and south, including the Armory and neighboring commercial areas along Belmont; to the east, commercial areas on 10th and 11th streets; to the west, commercial areas on the west side of 13th street, encompassing the commercial properties on 14th between C Street and Belmont.
(Details below.)
ODOT: Crosswalks
ODOT has announced it will install three marked crosswalks on 12th Street, five marked crosswalks installed on 13th Street and five crosswalks installed on side streets.
ODOT plans to remove existing crosswalks that don’t meet current standards, including closing an existing unapproved marked crosswalk at 13th and Taylor streets. Under Oregon law, every intersection is a crosswalk, whether marked or unmarked, unless it is signed “crosswalk closed.” For details on crosswalk modifications, visit tinyurl.com/heightsxwalks2019.
Streets Alive! Projects
Demo crosswalk designs for last September’s Streets Alive! event in the Heights were installed and remained for a period of a few weeks, with generally positive feedback, according to city officials.
A second set of demo projects by Hood River Streets Alive!, will be presented at the meeting.
Streets Alive!, formed in early 2018, is an independent community group that fosters safe streets and public spaces, and hosted a bike- and pedestrian-friendly event in September on the Heights. Streets Alive! is planning a second Heights event featuring temporary street closures and demonstration projects in 2019. The organization plans a voting exercise on potential demo projects at the community meeting, and Urban Renewal staff will discuss opportunities to apply through ODOT to retain portions of demo projects for up to 11 months.
Urban Renewal
A team led by Greenworks PC, which includes urban planning and design, traffic, public involvement and engineering services, was selected by the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee to create an implementation plan for Heights redevelopment projects. An implementation plan will include enhanced streetscapes, traffic calming measures, pedestrian/bicycle and other functional or decorative features, said a press release. Greenworks’ planning project kicks off this summer and future opportunities for public participation will be scheduled for longer-term Heights urban renewal projects.
The Heights Urban Renewal District is the youngest of three urban renewal districts in Hood River. It encompasses approximately 96 acres along State Highway 281 in Hood River. The district’s maximum indebtedness, or the limit on the district’s borrowing, was set at $8,495,000 when the district was established in 2011 through Ordinance 1999. After the initial years of accruing tax increment revenues, the Heights District is now well positioned to make large redevelopment investments, said a press release.
In anticipation of this available funding, several well-attended community meetings were held in late 2017 to prioritize projects identified in the original Hood River Heights Urban Renewal Plan. The recently awarded contract with urban design and engineering team, led by Greenworks PC, will create a concrete implementation plan based on community input.
The Hood River Armory is located at 1590 12th St. in Hood River, at the intersection of Belmont and 13th Street. Overflow parking is available at Anderson’s Tribute Center.
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