Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants And Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Metro outlines community-led Nature and Neighborhoods grant pilot for Clackamas County
Summary
Metro staff described a participatory pilot grant program to fund small, community-generated parks and habitat projects in District 2 east of the Willamette River, explaining timelines, eligibility, and past pilot results in Washington County.
Metro councilor Christine Lewis and Metro staff presented the Nature and Neighborhoods Community Choice Grants pilot and invited Oregon City to participate in the community-led program. Krista Gardner, the program manager, said the grants use participatory budgeting methods so residents generate project ideas, help develop proposals and vote on which projects should receive funding.
Gardner said Metro will focus its 2025 pilot in District 2 east of the Willamette River — an area that includes Oregon City — and that the program includes paid support for community engagement and consultant assistance. Metro’s process begins with idea collection in spring 2025, moves to vetting and project development in summer and winter 2025–26, and anticipates community voting and Metro Council awards in spring–summer 2026.
Gardner described the pilot’s structure and timeline and reviewed steps: public idea workshops and an online idea-collection platform, a feasibility review by jurisdictional partners, facilitated design workshops to turn ideas into proposals, and then a community vote. She said the maximum award per grant is $250,000 and Metro provides oversight and an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the public owner after council approval.
Metro staff referenced results from a prior pilot in Washington County: community design workshops produced 45 project proposals derived from about 18 submitted ideas, more than 1,000 verified votes in the focused community and a Metro Council award of about $2.3 million to 15 projects. Gardner said Metro will recruit an ad hoc review committee of local residents to oversee the participatory process in Clackamas County.
Councilor Lewis framed the program as an opportunity to engage communities historically underrepresented in bond investments and to deliver projects that reflect local priorities. She said voters’ parks-and-nature bond funds have supported acquisitions and site improvements and that the Community Choice Grants pilot is designed to ensure that community members help decide which small, local projects receive funding.
City staff said the city will coordinate with Metro and other local park providers; Metro staff said after council awards they will execute IGAs with public owners, and jurisdictions and consultants will manage final design and construction.
Why it matters: the pilot gives neighborhood-level influence over small parks and habitat projects and brings Metro funding and technical support into local planning discussions. If Oregon City participates, residents can propose and vote on projects intended to improve access to nature, water quality and habitat locally.
