The public riverwalk at Willamette Falls is drawing one step closer to reality. After a delay causing the riverwalk project to fall behind schedule, Willamette Falls Legacy Project staff received Falls Legacy LLC’s signatures on multiple permit applications in March. This month, Clackamas County and Oregon City also received payments from Falls Legacy LLC for back taxes and utilities.
Elected officials from Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and the State of Oregon gave the go ahead to move forward with permitting, and project staff submitted applications to the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of State Lands and National Marine Fisheries Services on Monday. We’re optimistic about the latest project development and remain cautious as we move into the permitting phase.
Since unveiling a world-class riverwalk design last June, we’d been excited to move the project into the next phase, which included applying for permits and ultimately beginning construction. As we announced in September, however, the riverwalk project encountered a delay.
We are committed to transparency and responsibly delivering on Oregonians’ investments and vision to create a public riverwalk at Willamette Falls. If the project stays on track, we estimate we are 18 to 24 months from the beginning of riverwalk construction.
Together as partners, Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and the State of Oregon advance the project’s four core values: economic redevelopment, historic and cultural interpretation, public access and healthy habitat. Each of the four core values is as important as the others.
We are excited for the opportunity to work together to bring the vision of thousands of Oregonians to life, and the project Partners group is cautiously moving the project forward.
Previous updates
You can read past project updates here: