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Waterfront business owners and tourism group press Oregon City for relief over Abernathy Bridge construction
Summary
Multiple business owners and Destination Oregon City told the commission that construction along the Abernathy/Abernathy Bridge corridor has cut parking, driven away visitors and reduced kayak business revenue, urging lease relief, marketing support and mitigation as commissioners prepared to discuss the matter in executive session.
A string of public commenters told the Oregon City Commission on June 3 that multi-year construction under and around the 205 (Abernathy) bridge has severely disrupted waterfront businesses and the city's on-water visitor economy.
Lee Belowski, operations manager for Energy Kayaking, said the business has seen participation and visitor rates “decline immensely” because of noise, restricted access and inconsistent parking closures that prevent customers from attending scheduled programs. He asked the commission to “consider the request that we have put before you,” describing lost revenue and safety and access constraints beneath the bridge.
Several other speakers, including Sam Drivo (Energy Kayaking staff) and Jacob Verhaeg (youth program manager), relayed similar accounts: parents and instructors must route young paddlers through construction zones, barges and cranes create safety risks for programs that use the 205 bridge corridor, and limited parking exacerbates the problem.
Alicia Johnston, a tourism industry consultant and interim executive director of Destination Oregon City, said the DMO’s visitor research shows seeing Willamette Falls from a kayak is Oregon City's highest-rated visitor experience. She told the commission Energy has "lost 50% of its business since construction on Abernathy Bridge began" and asked that the commission retroactively reduce SportCraft Landing’s lease so the operator can pass savings to impacted tenants. “The city has an opportunity to be a meaningful part of that story,” Johnston said, urging coordinated marketing and letters of support.
Kent Ziegler, speaking as a tribal community representative and long-time resident, emphasized the river’s cultural and economic importance and warned that losing services such as Sportcraft Landing (which he described as the only fueling station between the falls and the Columbia) would remove essential visitor services and ripple through the local economy.
Commissioners acknowledged the persistent impacts and noted staff scheduled an executive session after the meeting to discuss related deliberations. No formal relief measure was adopted that night; commissioners and staff discussed the legal and contractual limits on actions (including a signed letter of agreement between the city and ODOT) and asked staff to bring back options and clarifying language.
