Project Overview
Commissioner Dan Ryan has directed Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to make improvements to University Park, Columbia Park, and Columbia Park Annex. The improvements will cost $3.6 million, and will be paid for by Parks System Development Charges (SDCs).
Important Note: PP&R does not have funding to support every amenity option listed in the survey. Based on survey results, PP&R will prioritize community needs and balance new amenities with the available funding to best serve North Portlanders.
University Park
University Park, which is just over 11 acres, is located on N. Alaska St and surrounds PP&R's Charles Jordan Community Center. The park's neighbors include Rosa Parks Elementary School and Regence Boys & Girls Club, which are both important partners serving the Portsmouth neighborhood. Serving as the primary field for the North Portland Little League Organization, University Park is home to PP&R's only baseball and softball field with lights (outside of the Delta Park Sports Complex). The park has mature trees, open lawn areas, a small playground, and a restroom building.
Columbia Park and Columbia Park Annex
Northgate Park Rugby Field Relocation
Community Engagement
In June and July 2024, PP&R conducted a digital survey to hear community priorities around the North Portland Parks Improvements and the Northgate Park Rugby Field relocation site. The following key themes, summary, and data are the results of that effort.
Our survey participants recognize there are many amenities that would help PP&R better serve North Portland communities. Based on significant community feedback from North Portlanders (from survey demographic information and survey collector link data), PP&R was urged to invest heavily in the diverse and densely populated University Park neighborhood. Amenities added at University Park would have a greater impact based on proximity to Rosa Parks (preschool to 5th grade) Elementary School, Rosemary Anderson High School, Regence Boys & Girls Club, and several hundred federally subsidized housing units within a half mile of University Park.
Artificial turf infield visuals courtesy of North Portland Little League's University Park Diamond Field Project
General Summary
Over 800 community members responded to our online survey. Respondents from both the University Park group and the Columbia Park and Columbia Park Annex group overwhelmingly chose the “Active Recreation” amenities category over “General Improvements” and “Passive Recreation.”
Rugby Field Relocation
Survey Participation
- Total participants: 845
- Unique Collector Link Totals:
- North Portland Parks Stakeholders: 400 (primarily North Portlanders)
- Social Media: 420 (primarily citywide)
- In-person Engagement (at Cathedral Park Dock grand opening event on June 29, 2024): 25
- Unique Collector Link Totals:
Next Steps
- The Community Engagement team will share this report and summary with the PP&R project manager, design team consultants, PP&R maintenance and facilities staff, PP&R director, and Vibrant Communities deputy city administrator.
- Our design team consultants will draft a design scenario of the most popular new amenities at each site.