About an hour east of Portland, situated against a backdrop of the spectacular Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge, is the small City of Hood River. At its center is The Heights district, filled with unique homes and diverse local businesses. The Heights’ central transportation spine is State Route 281, linking downtown Hood River with the Hood River Valley, a beautiful farming area with fruit stands, wineries, breweries, cideries and tons of outdoor recreation.

But when you lived, worked or visited The Heights, you also had to contend with dangerous traffic.

A new comprehensive plan now solidifies a long-term streetscape vision that’s responsive to the community, businesses, the City, and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The three-phased project included community engagement, developing design concepts, and planning for implementation. The Plan focuses on four goals:

• Calm traffic and improve intersections to improve safety for people driving, walking, biking, taking transit and supporting local businesses.
• Preserve and promote a livable community and economy through streetscape improvements.
• Create an identity for The Heights that reflects the diverse culture and history of the area and its  role as a retail destination for local residents.
• Create streets and gathering spaces that provide safe, comfortable places for people and that connect recreation and commercial destinations with neighborhoods.

The Plan documents how designs align with project goals and identifies design features for each of the streets and key intersections in the study area. It includes plan view and perspective renderings, typical street cross sections, phasing plans, construction cost estimates, potential funding, and character-defining urban design elements to help create a streetscape that reflects the values of the local community. 

The two main streets now have individual personalities. 12th Street is designed as a local destination and a place for people, with wider sidewalks and street trees, a two-way cycle track, curb extensions and a shared use path. 13th Street is a through street, with heavier two-way traffic and a center turn lane—design features focused on slowing traffic and mitigating the impact of the center turn lane. The cross street are now one-way, which allows on-street parking along both sides of the streets and wider sidewalks to improve access for people walking.

The Plan is completely community-based (along with comprehensive transportation, parking and other analyses). Broad community feedback came through a well-attended two-day open house and an easily accessed online survey in English and Spanish. The extensive community engagement drove City Council support for the project team's findings and recommendations, leading to development of a preferred concept plan.