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Residents, board and staff spar over First Street design and historic retaining walls
Summary
Public commenters and board members urged more community input on First Street reconstruction, and neighbors raised concerns that proposed gabion ‘basket’ walls will not match the historic basalt walls and could shorten longevity and harm aesthetics.
Public comment at the Feb. 18 Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency meeting focused on the First Street reconstruction project, with residents and downtown stakeholders urging more public engagement and questioning the planned use of gabion (wire cage) retaining walls in place of historic stacked basalt.
Eric Gleason, a downtown resident and frequent commenter, told the board that First Street has not had substantial public design input in years and recommended phasing the work so that essential underground infrastructure is replaced first while sidewalk, trees, lighting and other streetscape details are developed with public input. “Maybe the first phase would be to redo the infrastructure in the streets and redo the streets themselves. And then the second phase would be to work on the sidewalks and the design and the trees and the lights,” Gleason said.
Residents and building owners said the current engineered plans for gabion walls clash with the downtown’s historic character and that gabion cages — described by some as “wire baskets of rock” — are less attractive than the century‑old stacked rock walls they replace. Attendees also raised concerns about the longevity of gabion walls compared with preserved stacked‑stone walls.
Urban renewal staff and the project engineer said the gabion design was selected early in the process because it was less expensive than a poured concrete or engineered masonry wall and had been included in the project plans advanced to the 95% stage. Staff said they have continued to explore options and that adding historical veneer or a different wall design remains possible at a later date but would require redesign, additional right‑of‑way in places and higher cost and longer schedule.
Director Josh Chandler explained the technical choice: the gabion approach was the direction chosen by the internal project team and engineers at the time and was reflected in the 95% plans. Chandler said the walls could be finished with a basalt face or other veneer in a later phase, or constructed with a front layer of basalt rock to better match existing materials, but those approaches would increase cost and potentially require additional land acquisition.
Several public commenters urged the board not to “do it cheap” on aesthetic elements. “I would say it’d be better if it took longer and it caused more to do it right, rather than do it cheap,” said Victor Johnson, a nearby property owner.
Staff told the board they expect formal plan review to start the following week and that some tweaks — such as upsizing a sewer or water line to 12 inches to accommodate future development — had already been incorporated. Staff also suggested sharing consolidated information for the Federal Street Plaza, First Street and an adjacent development site so the public could better understand how the projects interlock.
The board did not take a formal vote on First Street during the meeting; staff said they will continue to work with stakeholders as the project proceeds.
