The Sandy River hosts several public parks that are popular recreation sites located in unincorporated Multnomah County and the City of Troutdale. During peak seasons, these parks experience high visitation pressures and a growing parking demand. Many of these parks are not served by public transportation, resulting in natural areas that are only accessible to those with personal vehicles. As the City of Troutdale continues to grow as a destination for both locals and tourists and creates new tourism-related facilities, transportation and parking constraints will continue to grow at major attractions.
With its proximity to Sandy River recreation sites and Troutdale attractions, plus the connections to existing transit, Troutdale is a prime location to originate a shuttle service. The City is currently conducting a parking management and shuttle feasibility study to determine existing conditions, areas of optimization, service feasibility analysis, and an implementation strategy to alleviate congestion at high visitation sites, increase accessibility of nature and attractions to underserved communities and people with disabilities, and improve local community livability.
The Sandy River is fed by cool, clear glacial waters from Mt. Hood and features stunning scenery and an array of recreational opportunities. The river stretches 16 miles between the Multnomah County and Clackamas County border and Troutdale and is home to five popular parks: Oxbow Regional Park, Dabney State Recreation Area, Glenn Otto Park and Sandy River Greenway, Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site, and Sandy River Delta Natural Recreation Area.
On warm summer days people from the Portland Metro and beyond flock to the Sandy River to escape the heat and enjoy swimming and floating in the cool waters. This causes these parks to experience high visitation pressures and a growing parking demand, exasperated by the nature of river floating, which commonly requires multiple vehicles at put in and take out locations. This multiplies the parking impact. The ability to experience and commune with nature is limited to those with access to personal vehicles and the ability to arrive early. The result is that Sandy River recreation is not accessible to underserved communities without access to personal vehicles.
A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of Troutdale downtown business owners, regional partners (Multnomah County, TriMet, Oregon State Parks, Oregon Department of Transportation), City Staff (Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Community Development), and City Committees (Planning Commissioner) will meet three times throughout this project (Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and winter 2025). This page will be updated to include meeting dates, agendas, and packet information. If you want to receive TAC meeting information and updates by email, please email comdev [at] troutdaleoregon.gov (comdev[at]troutdaleoregon[dot]gov) with this request.
