By Madeleine Voth
For nearly a decade, a piece of land near SE 89th Ave. and SE 90th Pl. has been vacant.
Residents in Portland’s Jade District have been pushing for a neighborhood park as Metro prepares to move forward with housing development on the property. With funding challenges complicating the prospect of a park, residents are working to keep the possibility alive.
Metro purchased the 1.47-acre property at 2815 SE 90th Pl. in fall 2025 using state-allocated funds for future affordable housing and commercial development ahead of planned roadway and transit improvements along the 82nd Ave. corridor.
After purchasing the property, Metro received a letter from neighbors asking the agency to consider a public park instead. Because its Transit-Oriented Development program does not cover public park development and maintenance, Metro agreed to postpone the developer-selection process for a year while advocates explore alternatives, including finding a buyer for the site. “If no buyer is identified,” Metro spokesperson Kelsey Kuhnhausen said, Metro will gather community feedback, seek housing proposals that reflect residents’ priorities and select a developer to meet the community’s needs.
Kristopher Mahdak, a Portland resident and Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood Association Board member said the property is the neighborhood’s largest contiguous undeveloped lot and the only suitable site for a park of its size. Few public gathering spaces exist nearby, and about two-thirds of neighborhood streets lack sidewalks, making it difficult for residents to safely walk to existing parks.
A March 9 briefing memo from Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) identified the area as underserved, noting that nearby parks in Lents, Berrydale and Essex are beyond the bureau’s target distance that ensures every resident lives within a half-mile of a developed park or natural green space.
The site was identified as a potential park location as early as 2018, when the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Greening the Jade initiative highlighted it as a candidate for new green space. In March 2026, residents and community organizations petitioned city officials to pursue green space there.
Mahdak said that residents support affordable housing but believe it can be built elsewhere in the neighborhood without sacrificing the potential park site. However, Metro’s Transit-Oriented Development program funds housing and commercial projects near transit, not public parks. The property is within walking distance of the MAX Green Line and several bus routes, which make it an attractive area for housing. Metro has said that while housing projects can include green space, the amount ultimately depends on the project’s financing and design.
“Green space competes with parking and housing units for the available space,” Kuhnhausen said. “If affordable housing development is financed with tax credits, green spaces are typically reserved for residents’ use with limited public access,” she added.
As Metro weighs its options for the property, APANO is gathering resident feedback to help determine its recommendations for Metro. Suggestions have included children’s play areas, trees, walking paths, gazebos and picnic tables.
“There is wide support for a public park with no housing, but there is also interest in affordable housing that can accommodate multigenerational families,” said Alisa Kajikawa, APANO’s Community Development Director.
The organization is exploring both a park-only proposal as well as combinations of housing and public green space. A recent pop-up engagement at Fubonn Shopping Center and community open house informed residents about the developments, and a community survey is scheduled to close on November 5. Following this, recommendations will be submitted to Metro and the agency will then incorporate community priorities into a statement of community values for its developer request for proposals. Residents can complete the survey at bit.ly/4zMVHMT.
Turning the property into a public park, however, is not without obstacles, especially financial ones.
Mahdak said that in July, PP&R interim director Art Pearce toured the proposed park site with him and APANO staff before convening meetings with city department and bureau leaders. City officials recognized the site’s potential as a park, including the possibility of incorporating adjacent Bureau of Environmental Services land, Mahdak said, but funding for acquisition and development remains unavailable at this time. A March bureau memo estimated that maintaining the park could cost approximately $100,000 annually.
The memo also said that developing the site could take a decade or more given competing capital projects and a recent three-year pause in collecting System Development Charges from residential development. The bureau is also developing more than $15 million in potential budget reductions for fiscal year 2027, including $4.5 million in park maintenance cuts.
Mahdak said advocates have explored working with Columbia Land Trust, which expressed interest in potentially purchasing and holding the property until funding could be secured. According to Mahdak, the land trust would need a City Council resolution indicating the city’s intent to take over the property later.
Other possibilities include future Metro grants, soil and water conservation district grants, tax-increment financing or city funding. However, none have yet established a plan for acquiring, developing and maintaining the park.
Unless a buyer steps forward to acquire the property for public green space, Metro’s current plan remains affordable housing. For residents who have advocated for a park for years, making that vision a reality will depend on whether the city and its partners can secure the necessary funding.