Council advances funding plans for Westside Trail and Tualatin River paddle launch
“There’s been previous discussions about this, and this has evolved,” King City Manager Vincent Ferraris said about the Westside Trail project at the meeting. “Really what it’s going to be is a wetland area with a trail through it.”
Councilors voted to update the trail’s name from Linear Trail to Westside Trail on the city’s capital improvement project (CIP) list, as well as add projects like installing a paddle launch at the Tualatin River access point near the King City Community Park and renovating the King City Nature Trail.
The Westside Trail, which is King City’s portion of the much larger 25-mile regional trail project backed by Metro, is planned to branch off of Beef Bend Road and run for 0.8 miles under the Bonneville Power Administration and PGE power lines, providing residents with a scenic view of the natural wetlands and access to the Tualatin River.
The original concept for the Westside Trail was first approved by King City Council in 2024. It featured a curved multi-use equestrian trail, a BMX park, a community garden, a basketball court, public restrooms and various other amenities. The project was estimated to cost “well over $10 million,” according to Ferraris.
“This concept was very robust,” Ferraris said. “The estimates for this project were well over $10 million.”
The trail was significantly scaled back after councilors and residents from the Edgewater neighborhood expressed concerns about the trail’s route crossing property lines.
To avoid conflicts with private property, the latest concept for the trail runs straight through the wetland area without deviating far from its starting point. The project still includes a parking area and ends at the proposed paddle launch into the Tualatin River.
The city received a $197,223 match grant from Metro in 2024 for 30% of the project’s preliminary design. Ferraris argued at the meeting that having received funding from Metro, the project was expected to be completed.
“One thing I really want to stress is that there’s an expectation from Metro that when they provide us money, even to do planning, that we’re going to follow through with a project,” Ferraris said. “Metro wants to see this come to completion.”
The new version of the Westside Trail was estimated to cost $1.2 million, and Ferraris said the city had secured a little over $400,000 in total Metro funding for CIP use.
Renovating the King City Nature Trail, which stems off of the King City Community Park and suffers from eroding soil, was another project added to the city’s CIP list. According to City Planner Max Carter, trail modifications could range from $600,000 to $1.1 million.
Ferraris said that the city also had grant options that could finance projects like Westside Trail and would consider employing system development charges (SDC), which could be used at any time once collected.
“SDC funds from the Kensington Square Project would go into our general SDC fund account, and those could be used for any project on the CIP list,” Carter said.
Ferraris said that the direction would allow him to “open up those cash flows” for the project.
City councilors were largely supportive of the project, prompting Ferraris to continue seeking out funding sources, and they voted to update the Westside Trail’s name on the CIP list.
“I think we’re going in the right direction,” Councilor Steve Gearhart said at the meeting. “If you look at the first design and the last design, what’s the dollar value there? It’s millions. So, we’re going in the right direction; we’re saving money.”
Ferraris and Carter said they would continue seeking funding for the project. They reiterated that it was in “very preliminary” stages and that the councilors’ resolution would help guide their search for funding.
