By Sarah Taylor
The River Trail is part of a statewide Greenway land use planning rule. The City of Portland placed most of the Willamette Greenway on the west side of the river in the “North Reach” along Highway 30. The Highway 30 bike path is your Greenway Trail.
The one exception is the short length of a future planned trail along the river from NW 107th north to the Kinder Morgan oil tank farm. When property owners along the river ask to develop riverfront changes to their property, they are required to create a Greenway, and if a trail is assigned there, they are required to allow the construction of a path. This has happened in many places.
Harmer Steel signed an easement agreement with the City in 1999 to allow the trail on their property. Harmer Steel was obligated to build a trail if they made any improvements to the property. They were obligated to maintain the area as a Greenway.
When the Linnton Neighborhood Association received funding for the trail, the City agreed to help facilitate the construction of the trail which meant accessibility for all people.
The LNA agreed that the funds would include a fence. The Parks and Recreation department is working to come to an agreement with Harmer Steel regarding the trail.
The easement belongs to the city and is managed by Parks. You can see where the trail is by walking down the 107th and looking towards the left (or North). You can see where parks intended the trail to go. You can look up online the Oregon Greenway Trail System, Portland’s River Overlay System to learn more about the big picture.
The Linnton Neighborhood Association voted to pursue this project in this place. The grant included the Linnton Community Center. They will continue to work on their seismic upgrades. LCC was also on the grant and is able to act as the fiscal sponsor for this project.
You may email sarahsojourner@mac.com anytime for more information. I am happy to send you the easement agreement.
The LNA Board will be updated on any progress we make. The whole LNA community will be informed when the easement agreement is finalized with parks. Thank you for your patience on a very difficult journey.
Here is a link to the original 1999 easement agreement between the City of Portland and Babcock Land Company LCC: https://tinyurl.com/4sezw3a9