Metro invites everyone in greater Portland to weigh in on three design options for renovations at Blue Lake Regional Park. The online survey, which is open until August 15, is posted on the Metro website and is available in English and Spanish.
Insights from community members will guide Metro park planners as they work to remodel the beloved park and keep it safe, welcoming and fun for future generations. The remodel is being funded by Metro’s 2019 parks and nature bond measure, which was passed with overwhelming support from voters.
The renovations will improve accessibility for mobility devices, and each of the design options keeps what is most loved about the park – the large picnic shelters, the swim beach, the fishing pier – while offering different options for bringing more nature and new amenities to the park.
“We want community members to share what they like and don’t like about each design,” says Olena Turula, a park planner at Metro who is leading the project. “The designs are based on lots of conversations with folks in the region, and we need your input to make sure were creating a park for everyone.”
Blue Lake Regional Park offers visitors opportunities to paddle, fish and picnic along the lakeshore, as well as enjoy a natural discovery garden and disc golf course. The park is one of the region’s only public parks that can host multiple large gatherings.
A top goal of the 2019 parks and nature bond measure was to update Metro’s oldest and most popular parks, Blue Lake and Oxbow Regional Parks. Work on Blue Lake’s remodel has been underway for more than a year. Multiple old structures were demolished and the park was closed last winter so a new water and sewer system could be installed.
Metro expects to begin construction on the facilities and amenities in 2026 or 2027. Construction will happen in phases, and community members will help prioritize the projects to be built first.