Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland City Council is putting the finishing touches on a plan to rehab one of the major gateways into Oregon.  April Baer reports.

Hayden Island is a neighborhood resting right on the Oregon - Washington border. Thousands of people zoom over it every day. But the neighborhood's lagged far behind some other parts of town for infrastructure. 

Most of the City's plan addresses the heavily-built-up eastern half of the island, The western side is undeveloped.

Bob Sallinger is with the Portland Audubon Society.  He calls Hayden Island one of Portland's most park-deficient neighborhoods.

Bob Sallinger   "It’s ironic because they do have this 820-acre greenspace next to it, but it's got 'No Trespassing' signs all over it, so they don't have access to it."

Proposed improvements include more bike and pedestrian access, a facelift for the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter shopping mall, and the possibility of a bridge linking western and eastern sides of the Island.

The Council is scheduled to vote on the amended plan next Wednesday.

A separate planning process is underway for the underdeveloped west side of the island.