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Rooted Homes completes Simpson Avenue multimodal upgrades; committee asks about landscaping and project length
Summary
Rooted Homes presented completed multimodal work on Simpson and 18th Avenues — replacing a narrow sidewalk with a multiuse path, landscaping strip, ADA ramps and curb adjustments. Committee members asked about project length (roughly a quarter‑mile) and urged using pollinator‑friendly landscaping rather than gravel strips.
Griffin Gilbert of Rooted Homes presented a completion update for the Simpson Avenue project, which used MPO funds for paving, curb work, a multiuse path and ADA improvements.
"This is what was proposed with the funding...this is what was installed to date," Gilbert said, showing before/after images of Simpson and 18th Avenues. He described replacing a 5‑foot standard sidewalk with a multiuse path and adding a tree lawn and landscaping strip along the frontage that serves 40 units.
Committee members asked about the project length; Gilbert said it covers the Simpson frontage of the property and the full length of 18th, roughly a quarter mile. James criticized some landscape choices, urging alternatives to gravel infill and suggesting xeriscape or pollinator plantings. Gilbert responded that gravel is used between the sidewalk and path now but said more landscaping would be installed along the unit side of the multiuse path.
The committee praised the connectivity the project provides — including a pedestrian route through private development that connects to wider multiuse paths and a pedestrian island crossing — and acknowledged the project integrates with adjacent housing and OSU Cascades connections. The project was accepted as an informational update with no formal committee action recorded.
