Thanks to community input, three visions lay out possibilities for the future of Blue Lake Regional Park –from cabins to a zipline, from food carts to a community kitchen, from bocce ball to a bike skills course. Next week, you have an opportunity to weigh in on the three scenarios, helping Metro choose a path forward for one of its oldest and most popular parks.
Nestled south of the Columbia River in Fairview, Blue Lake has been a public destination for more than 50 years. Metro is working with the community to develop a master plan that guides future investments, making sure the park stays fun, safe and relevant.
From Nov. 16-20, you can participate in an online open house at oregonmetro.gov/bluelakeplan. You’ll have an opportunity to share which scenario you prefer, how you would make it even better – and enter to win one of 10 annual passes to visit Metro parks.
Over the summer, Metro staff connected with hundreds of visitors at Blue Lake to ask about their experiences in the park, what they love, what they would change and what they would like to see in the future. With this information, park planners developed three scenarios reflecting the community’s ideas.
In the first scenario, “A Day in the Park,” you’ll see examples of Blue Lake as a place for every day, all year round. The concessions building is the hub of activity where you can borrow equipment for bocce ball, flying a kite, horseshoes, Frisbee, croquet, water and sand toys and more. Lakeside swimming pools would be created by enclosing and refurbishing the docks. A new boathouse and food cart area, an expanded forest, a practice disc golf area, and rentable event space at the Lake House Gardens are all a part of this scenario.
The second scenario, “Port of Entry,” envisions Blue Lake Regional Park as a learning landscape where people can enhance outdoor skills while exploring nature. Four rentable cabins, an outdoor skills area, a climbing wall, a bike skills course, a net tower climber and a zipline are features for this option. A boardwalk promenade connects people, activities, and programming along the waterfront. Swimming would not be allowed in the lake, though there would be an enhanced water play area in the park. There would be flexible community rental space along with a paddling hub and park office.
In the last option, “Natural and Cultural Life,” Blue Lake is a venue for bringing together people of all backgrounds around food, agriculture, nature, cultural expression and music. There would be no swimming in the lake. Rather, a river-like water feature would weave and connect places through the park. This option also highlights a large community garden, a destination nature play area, a music garden, a technology-free daydreaming forest and picnic spaces with specialty ovens for cooking. This option also includes a community gathering space with a community kitchen and a food cart pod.
Picnics, large event space, sand and water play, and fields and trails to explore are a part of each scenario and continue the legacy of what Blue Lake Regional Park has to offer.
Two of the three scenarios do not include swimming in the lake, reflecting Metro’s commitment to public health and safety. Regular visitors know about the challenges of frequent lake closures during warmer months due to bacterial growth. Because water is a focus of the park, the two scenarios that do not allow swimming showcase signature water features that can be maintained for cleanliness and safety — keeping people splashing, cool and having fun.
You can RSVP now to be reminded of the online open house.