The City of Portland’s North Reach River Plan is a comprehensive update of Portland’s Willamette Greenway Plan, code and design guidelines. Within the North Reach, largely from the Broadway Bridge to the mouth of the Willamette, the vision and strategy strives to balance economic development with environmental conservation,restoration and public recreation.
The balancing act between industrial economic activity and natural resource preservation and enhancement is proving to be the most challenging in the planning process. Businesses in the Portland Harbor want a balanced River Plan that will create an improved ecosystem, streamline the permit process, and help to retain and create new jobs.
The US Corps of Engineers Corps is proposing to dredge a portion of the Lower Willamette River federal navigation channel (LWR FNC) at Post Office Bar in 2010. Although the LWR FNC extends 11.6 miles from the mouth of the Willamette River to the Broadway Bridge, the proposed dredging includes only one area of severe shoaling located on the east bank of the LWR at mile 2.1-2.4. The shoaling has created an impediment to commercial river traffic, creating a passage too shallow in the out-bound lane for 2-way shipping traffic at that bend in the river.
The Corps has applied to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a Section 401 certification, stating that the discharges associated with the project will comply with the Federal Clean Water Act. The DEQ has requested public comments about water quality impacts which may result from this proposed project.
The WWC sees no adverse effects to water quality from this project. In fact, the project may improve turbidity with a deeper channel because vessel propellers will be further from the bottom after dredging, reducing the scouring effect as vessels pass through the channel. This project will also improve navigation safety and efficiency in the LWR. The WWC supports this dredging project.
Let your Portland city council representatives know that a balanced River Plan is the best solution for both the economy and the environment. The River Plan can benefit both the natural environment and the businesses along the river, but it needs to include the ability for businesses to have a streamlined permit process, to retain and create new jobs and to improve the ecosystem.
June 2005 This report explores the little-known energy facilities in Linnton, located in the northern portion of the Northwest Industrial District and the relationship of these facilities to the Northwest region as a whole. The report also identifies various industrial
August 2012, Port of Portland Martin Associates was retained by the Port of Portland to prepare a study that presents the economic impacts of the terminals and firms located within Portland Harbor. Please download and read the white paper, and, if
August 2013, Port of Portland To better understand the relationships between large Portland marine industrial firms and local small- to medium-sized businesses that serve as their vendors and suppliers, five such large firms were interviewed about their spending on direct
August 2013, Port of Portland, ECONorthwest The Port of Portland (Port) asked ECONorthwest staff to review recent economic studies on the economic impacts of the Portland Harbor (Harbor) and the Port, trends in international trade, and Portland’s position in the
August 2013, Portland Business Alliance The motivation for conducting this analysis is an interest in better understanding the relationships between large local businesses and the small to medium sized businesses who serve as vendors and suppliers to the larger industries,
Portland is one of a handful of U.S. cities whose riverside location is nearly as important to prosperity and growth today as it was a century ago. The water, rail and energy complex that converges around the lower Willamette River has long supported several industrial sectors, especially primary metals, machinery and equipment manufacturing, distribution and logistics.
The Working Waterfront Coalition, Gunderson and Schnitzer Steel appealed the city’s recently adopted River Plan to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.
William A. Furman, president and chief executive officer of Greenbrier (Gunderson’s parent company), said, “A clean river and healthy economy are not mutually exclusive goals…there are 40,000 family wage jobs at stake in the 11 miles of the already highly regulated North Reach of the Willamette River.” Furman explained that the River Plan ordinance is inconsistent with Oregon state law, that it puts jobs at risk and has other serious flaws.
The WWC and its member companies support efforts to improve the environment in the Portland Harbor’s North Reach. The WWC opposed the River Plan because the code in the plan will impede investment within the Portland Harbor, which could consequently restrict further economic development and job growth in the Portland region. Under the River Plan, funds necessary for ecosystem improvement and for real enhancement projects near the river will come only from permit fees. If businesses don’t invest due to the stringent requirements, there won’t be any permit fees and therefore no meaningful improvements to the harbor.
The WWC offered an alternative approach to the River Plan during discussions with the city that they believe would have resulted in more expedient environmental improvement. The WWC continues to remain open to negotiation with the city but, because the city chose to adopt a plan before their concerns were addressed, Gunderson, Schnitzer Steel and the WWC were left no option but to file appeals to avoid missing the state imposed window of opportunity for taking concerns to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
On January 21, 2011 the State of Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remanded the River Plan. LUBA agreed with the WWC that the River Plan “could reduce the amount of industrial land available for development”, thereby reducing the ability to create new jobs and support Portland economic viability and livability.
After the remand, the WWC offered to work with the City to help develop a balanced River Plan. The City did not accept the invitation and, instead, announced a plan to fix “technical” problems with the River Plan. The WWC believes State law requires more.
The WWC decided to appeal the LUBA ruling to obtain additional guidance on the City’s obligations under State law. The hope is that, with the additional guidance from the Oregon State of Appeals, the City will refocus its efforts and begin the work of developing a River Plan that will fairly serve the needs of all.
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Working Waterfront Coalition
200 SW Market St., Ste 190, Portland, OR 97201
Call (503) 220-2064 | Email tanya.hartnett@workingwaterfrontportland.org