Developer Selection Review Begins for St. Helens Riverfront Redevelopment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2022

St. Helens, Ore. – The City of St. Helens is taking the next steps in its Riverfront Redevelopment Project to transform 24 acres of underutilized industrial property along the Columbia River into a vibrant extension of the city’s downtown historic Riverfront District. The St. Helens community is invited to attend an upcoming meeting on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, where two developers will present their visions for the private development blocks on the property.

The City of St. Helens recently opened a request for qualifications (RFQ) to solicit private developers interested in partnering with the City in its redevelopment efforts. The City received two proposals from developers: Atkins Dame, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, and RKm Development of Portland, Oregon.

The St. Helens City Council will hold a special session on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 4 p.m. The purpose of the special session is for the Riverfront Developer RFQ Selection Committee and the community to review presentations from the two interested developers. The agenda will be posted on the City’s website after May 6, 2022. St. Helens community members are welcome to attend the special session in person, virtually via Zoom, or on the City’s YouTube channel. A Zoom link will be included on the meeting’s agenda. If you cannot make the meeting in person or virtually, a recording of the presentation will be posted on the City’s meetings page the following day. This meeting is an educational special session and not intended to gather public feedback.

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 265 Strand Street, Plaza Entrance, St. Helens, OR 97051. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to City Hall at 503-397-6272.

The RFQ Selection Committee is made up of members of the St. Helens City Council, City of St. Helens staff, St. Helens Planning Commission, St. Helens Parks and Recreation Commission, the St. Helens School District Superintendent, and a citizen at large.

During the meeting, Atkins Dame, Inc. will make a presentation from approximately 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. A meeting break is schedule from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by a presentation by RKm Development from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A second special session of the St. Helens City Council will take place on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. The purpose of the special session is for the City Council to deliberate with the RFQ Selection Committee on the Riverfront Redevelopment RFQ proposals. This meeting will also be held in the St. Helens Council Chambers at City Hall and is open to the public. The meeting is intended for deliberation purposes and is not focused on gathering community feedback. The agenda will be posted to the City’s website after May 13, 2022.

If a developer is selected, community engagement will be a key component of the planning and development process for the site. There will be multiple community feedback opportunities during the master planning and land use process.

Information about the St. Helens Riverfront Redevelopment Project can be found on the City’s website. The project plans to bring dedicated community access to a larger stretch of St. Helens waterfront, including a new boardwalk, park expansion, and extensions of streets, sidewalks, and utilities, in addition to new opportunities for commercial and residential development.

In addition to the current RFQ process, the City of St. Helens is working on two other projects on this property: the Riverwalk Project and the Streets and Utilities Extension Project. The Riverwalk Project will expand Columbia View Park, design and construct a new stage for the park’s amphitheater, and design and begin partial construction of a community river walk which will extend along the banks of the Columbia River from Columbia View Park to Plymouth Street and Nob Hill Nature Park. The Streets and Utilities Extension Project is focused on creating design documents, securing permits, and constructing street and utility extensions for South 1st Street and Strand Street through the property. This will include creating safe pedestrian connections, inviting intersection treatments, ample on-street parking, landscaped seating, interpretive and wayfinding signage, and more visible crosswalks. Both the Riverwalk Project and Streets and Utilities Extension Project are anticipated to begin construction in 2022.

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For further information regarding the RFQ special sessions, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.