Land Purchased For Future Southwest Beaverton Park

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, the City of Beaverton and Metro have combined resources to purchase an 8.5-acre woodland in southwest Beaverton as a natural area and future park.

The property is located between the Murray Ridge and Sterling Park subdivisions, just north of Scholls Ferry Road in the city’s southwestern corner. The purchase price was $2.6 million.

Metro provided $1.85 million of the amount with local share funds from the 2006 Natural Areas Bond Measure, which was approved by voters across the Portland region. THPRD committed $1.35 million of its allocation for community projects and the city added $500,000 from its share.

The remaining $750,000 was covered by THPRD system development charge revenues. In general terms, system development charges are fees assessed to developers of new housing units. The fees help pay for new park and recreation facilities resulting from development-related growth.

“This property is located in a residential area that needs additional park land,” said THPRD General Manager Doug Menke. “It’s going to take more time and money to develop a park with amenities, but we want to thank our partners for helping us take this first important step.”

THPRD will own the property, which will be retained initially as a natural area, allowing for limited public access. The Park District has no immediate plans for development, nor has it been determined when the property will be open to the public.

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit devoted to saving land for people to enjoy as parks, trails, and natural areas, negotiated the terms of the sales agreement with Harvey Holdings and helped manage the consolidation of funds to secure the purchase.

“We believe cooperation between government, nonprofit and business is the key to creating a better natural environment for our communities,” said Geoff Roach, state director for TPL-Oregon. “THPRD was one of the first local park providers to join The Intertwine, a multi-jurisdictional movement to create and maintain a world-leading system of parks trails and natural areas for everyone in our region to enjoy. We’re immensely proud to have helped secure this land for the public.”

“We see value in this property now and into the future,” said Bruce Barbarasch, THPRD’s superintendent of Natural Resources and Trails Management. “As an undeveloped forested area, it helps improve water and air quality, and in the future, we envision a site where residents will be able to visit the property as their local park.”

Metro’s Natural Areas Program (oregonmetro.gov/naturalareas) is designed to safeguard water quality, protect fish and wildlife habitat and ensure access to nature for future generations. The $227 million bond measure included $44 million for projects selected by cities, counties and local parks providers.

“THPRD, the City of Beaverton, Trust for Public Land and Metro all did their part to make this natural area purchase possible. The result is more attractive and livable neighborhoods for generations to come,” said Metro Council President David Bragdon.

“Creating natural spaces and parks within our city is vital to the health and livability of our community,” said Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle. “We enjoy one of the best park systems in the region thanks to our partnership with THPRD and this is an important addition to that mix.”

This is the third acquisition for the City of Beaverton through the Metro Local Share program. The city completed two projects previously including the purchase of land at the corner of Farmington and Menlo to restore wetland habitat and restoration of a section of Beaverton Creek from Cedar Hills Boulevard to Hocken Avenue.