Troutdale's historic, 5-block main street was in serious decline by the late 1980s. But a series of changes reversed the trend in the 1990s, and today, the district along the Historic Columbia River Highway is barely recognizable from is dilapidated former self.

First, the City attracted the Columbia Gorge Factory Stores, immediately adjacent to the downtown area, along Interstate-84. The mall brings thousands of shoppers to this eastern gateway to the Portland region, setting up a larger market for the main street.

Second, the creation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area established Troutdale as the de-facto gateway to Gorge from the Portland metropolitan area, as the city abuts the western edge of the scenic area. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) bolstered the new scenic area designation with a major restoration of the Columbia River Highway to it's former glory, attracting more visitors through downtown Troutdale, en route to destinations in the Gorge like Crown Point and Multnomah Falls.

Another piece to the puzzle was the acquisition of a former county poor farm, located just west of the downtown, by an eccentric brewpub chain operated by Mike and John McMenamin. Together, the brothers converted the farm into McMenamin's Edgefield Estate, a sprawling campus with hotel, brewpub and winery that is now listed in the National Historic Register.

Finally, the City of Troutdale partnered with private developers to aggressively rebuild the "missing half" of storefronts along the north side of Columbia River Highway. In a unique public-private partnership, a row of nearly two-dozen new storefronts have been constructed since 1995 on land originally owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

Like all buildings in downtown Troutdale, the new structures were built on a steep slope, sandwiched between the railroad and Columbia River Highway. The new storefronts take advantage of the steep terrain, with off-street parking built below the buildings, opposite the storefront side. Several include upstairs housing above office or retail businesses.

The project initially focused on the north side of Columbia River Highway, a move that might have seemed ill-advised, since most of the original storefronts were on the south side of the street. Yet, this strategy resulted in a "complete" main street, and is making the vacant parcels on the south frontage much more attractive as development continues.

A number of the new structures also include "mini-plaza" areas in their entry designs that expand the pedestrian area where it is needed most. The project also retains the historic street lamps that have decorated this section of the Columbia River Highway since it was constructed in the early 1900s.

On-street parking was preserved on both sides of the street - a significant accomplishment with a state DOT-owned facility.

The project also includes "Mayor's park", with a small plaza, seating and drinking fountains. Though modest, it serves as an important public gathering space in Troutdale.

Local officials probably had no choice but to accept striped bikeways on both sides of the street, which came at the price of relatively narrow sidewalks. Though the innovative "mini-plaza" design on several newer buildings increases pedestrian space somewhat, the sidewalk still feels cramped.

The fundamental design flaw is that a shared auto/bike lane is perfectly acceptable in a main street environment, where travel speeds are slow, and automobiles and bikes can safely share a lane. Sidewalks should ALWAYS be the starting point for allocating right-of-way in a main street redesign!

The street also suffers from lack of adequate pedestrian crossings. Markings at all intersections and curb extensions at some intersections would be major improvements, as well as a controlled intersection at Buxton Avenue, where vehicles routinely fail to yield to pedestrians when making turning movements.

City of Troutdale
104 SE Kibling Avenue
Troutdale, Oregon 97060-2099
phone: (503) 665-5175
e-mail: feedback@ci.troutdale.or.us
web: http://www.ci.troutdale.or.us