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Downtown revival projects, Buena Vista Clubhouse grant push and parking concerns after courthouse move
Summary
Speakers urged public support for downtown revival projects Wednesday, including a Metro grant push for the Buena Vista Clubhouse and new Main Street grant applications, and asked the commission to study parking changes after the courthouse relocated.
Public comment and presentations on May 21 focused on downtown economic support, a Metro community-choice grant application for the Buena Vista Clubhouse, and parking questions following the county courthouse’s move to a new campus.
Damon, representing the Oregon City Parks Foundation, asked residents to attend a June 7 cleanup at the Buena Vista Clubhouse and to vote in Metro’s community-choice grants competition; he said Metro has $3 million available and local projects may receive up to $250,000 each. Damon said the foundation submitted a project to make the clubhouse accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act and reopen it to generate community revenue.
Seth Henderson, a downtown business advocate, told commissioners that the courthouse relocation has increased available downtown parking and urged the city to study parking patterns and support downtown businesses through marketing and short-term programs. Mayor McGriff and staff said parking manager work is underway, including a proposal to convert part of the Thirteenth Street lot into employee parking and an effort to clear the waiting list for parking permits.
Juliana Allen, executive director of the Downtown Oregon City Association and an accredited Main Street program manager, presented the association’s annual summary and upcoming work. Allen said the association has applied for a Main Street revitalization grant that could bring roughly $400,000 into the district for façade improvements and an additional storefront, and that the group is pursuing two lighting projects, one art-focused and one addressing tree-base lighting to improve safety and visibility.
Allen said economic-vitality work includes vacancy tracking through the Main Street Booms Tracker program and continued work on messaging to draw customers downtown now that courthouse parking has increased. She listed partnerships with the Chamber of Commerce, OCBA, police, Fathers Heart and End of the Oregon Trail and said volunteers, event production (First City, wine walks, Last Thursday), design and organization are all active parts of the association’s work.
