Up by the riverside: the Corvallis Riverfront Commemorative Park is the centerpiece of a riverside revival - Ore - Great parks: the Corvallis Commemorative Riverfront Park

Parks & Recreation, June, 2003 by Mauricio Villarreal

Area farmers driving trucks stacked with organically grown eggplant, tomatoes, herbs and produce of all varieties arrive at the new Corvallis (Ore.) Commemorative Riverfront Park by 6:00 a.m. each Saturday. Vendors set up booths near Jackson Plaza in the adjacent parking stalls designed with metal markers delineating booth locations. Seasoned customers, knowing that shopping early is key to getting the pick of the crop, wait impatiently for the market's official 9:00 a.m. opening time.

Just before the market opens, downtown's First Street is temporarily closed by a series of artistic, sculptural gates. A major thoroughfare all other days, First Street is filled on Saturdays with vendors and their wares, drawing visitors out of the city's historic core and down to the revitalized waterfront. Inline skaters and cyclists move past the market scene, enjoying the nearby multi-modal trail as it traces the river's edge through this award-winning park.

Jackson Plaza is a center of activity as children play in the interactive fountain, while parents lounge on the basalt seating that frames the fountain. People stroll on the path along the water's edge, sharing views of the newly restored riverbank with runners, skaters and cyclists. Basalt benches underneath a grove of trees provide quiet, contemplative places to read books, watch people and enjoy the Willamette River's scenic beauty.

To a casual visitor, the Corvallis Riverfront Commemorative Park is full of vibrant activities that respond to the context of the river and its surrounding environment. Residents of Corvallis, however, appreciate the newly completed park on a deeper level, as the project sparked nearly two decades of heated public debate that, in the end, contributed to both the park's final character and its ultimate success.

Community Context

Corvallis is nestled in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley, within 90 minutes of the metropolitan Portland area, world-class skiing and the spectacular Oregon coast. Corvallis has a residential population of 52,450, and is home to Oregon State University.

Efforts to improve the downtown's riverfront have been underway since the 1970s, when public outcry squelched plans for a riverfront vehicular bypass. Corvallis Parks & Recreation was given permission to develop a master plan for a park in its place. The site, however, stretches 4,300 linear feet between the downtown business district and the river's edge, and remained relatively unimproved until the 1990s.

After years of review and public process, the Corvallis City Council adopted a park master plan in December 1996. The plan outlined the vision for the park as a downtown showcase, featuring commercial and park use while highlighting the Willamette River's natural features. In 1998, voters approved a $9.5 million bond measure to fund the riverfront park and riverbank restoration project.

The design team of Corvallis-based CH2M HILL civil engineers and the Portland-based firm of Walker Macy landscape architects and planners was chosen in 1997 by the city to develop detailed design and construction documents for the new Corvallis Riverfront Commemorative Park. CH2M HILL and Walker Macy were charged by the city and the community to design and implement the new park as an urban gathering place to enhance the community's enjoyment of the riverfront.

After languishing in planning stages for decades, the $14.5-million, 10-block riverfront redevelopment project was finally going to realize the community's desire for new park amenities, First Street improvements, and stabilization and restoration of the riverbank as a tribute to local personality, art and materials.

Public Process

Walker Macy and CH2M HILL worked throughout the design process to achieve community consensus on this high-profile project. The design team worked hand in hand with a community-based design review committee to ensure direct community feedback as the plan evolved. The public process included regional, state and local agencies, community stakeholders, Oregon State professors, the Corvallis Arts Council and local downtown business leaders. The firms helped the city with a variety of public outreach activities, including design workshops, open houses, public meetings and a project newsletter.

Corvallis Mayor Helen Berg says that the sometimes strident debate over the project's direction may have resulted in a better park. "It was very thoughtfully done," she says of the public process. "I'm fond of saying that every square inch of the riverfront was deliberated upon and voted upon. You can view that as very considerable citizen participation. Maybe that is how come it turned out so well!"

The greatest challenge of the project was designing in the narrow area available a linear park that could balance the various visions of the community members. The design needed to provide park and pedestrian amenities, protect the natural features of the river and support the newly developing retail businesses on First Street.