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Residents tell commissioners Century Boulevard extension could harm Noble Woods habitat and student safety
Summary
Residents urged the Washington County Board of Commissioners to pause or re-evaluate the Century Boulevard extension, citing removal of trees, potential impacts to threatened steelhead habitat, alleged removal of an SNR designation and concerns about inadequate public engagement and out-of-date traffic studies.
Multiple residents urged the Washington County Board of Commissioners on July 28 to reconsider aspects of the Century Boulevard extension project, raising environmental, safety and public-engagement concerns tied to Noble Woods Park and nearby schools.
Leif Echols, a resident and parent, said the project will remove 267 established trees and warned that the resulting loss of shade could increase summer water temperatures in nearby Beaverton Creek — a stream he said supports threatened steelhead and other salmonids. Echols questioned why the county did not request an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement even if federal funds are not involved, noting he had learned in a work session that the project team had concluded federal review was not required. "Given overwhelming public concerns about the impacts to wetland wildlife and habitat," he told the board, "why did the county not request an EA or EIS?"
Talon Bevin described Noble Woods as previously designated a Significant Natural Resource (SNR) under Washington County rules and said that designation was removed to allow the road; he asked for transparency about the process used to remove the SNR designation and said the extension crosses multiple school zones without enhanced pedestrian crossings. Pam Cote said community members had collected "over 600 comments against the construction of the CBP" in less than two months and described a 2021 wildlife assessment that she said included 55 comments, 54 opposed. She urged consideration of protective measures such as bollards and asked how public engagement comments are evaluated and by whom.
Speakers also raised technical questions about project documents: commenters said traffic analyses were done in 2021 and posted only recently, and argued the 2021 models may not reflect current travel patterns. Residents requested updated analyses and stronger mitigation for wildlife, floodplain impacts and pedestrian safety near schools. Board staff accepted the testimony for the record; no board decision on changing project scope was recorded at the meeting.
