Tigard's planned Ash Creek Nature Link, a 2,400-foot wetland trail that would eventually connect the Fanno Creek Trail to the Metzger Park area, may never get built.

Metro Council voted July 21 to award Tigard just $1.5 million of the nearly $3.9 million the city requested from the regional government's parks and nature grant program.

Metro staff had recommended full funding. Councilors overrode that recommendation and redirected the remaining dollars to Working Theory Farm in Hillsboro ($3 million) and the Bird Alliance of Oregon ($1 million for a nature park in east Portland).

The partial award leaves a $2.3 million gap in the $6.6 million project, and a hard deadline makes the shortfall potentially fatal: one of two property owners donating land for the trail requires construction to be finished by November 2029, according to city spokesperson Kimberlee Ables. If the city cannot close the funding gap in time, those land deals could collapse, and the project with them.

"Ash Creek Nature Link is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Tigard and the region," Mayor Yi-Khang Hu said in a statement. "While we are deeply disappointed that Metro did not fully fund the project, we are exploring every possible path forward."

As we reported July 22, the funding cut put the shovel-ready project in jeopardy. New details reported by OregonLive reveal how the money was redirected and who pushed for the change.

Who voted how

Metro Council President Juan Carlos González said at a July 14 public meeting that Metro's funding could be "life or death" for Working Theory Farm, a 24-acre regenerative farm that provides education and job training for young people facing systemic barriers. Other councilors followed his lead in prioritizing that project.

Metro Councilor Gerritt Rosenthal tried to restore full funding for Tigard at the July 21 meeting but failed. "Because of staff and because of the time constraints, we should give it to them," Rosenthal said at the July 21 meeting. "The Tigard project is a really important project."

González said councilors faced impossible math: the parks and nature grant program, funded by a bond voters approved in 2019, had $8 million to distribute against $36 million in requests.

What's at stake

The greenway would span from Oregon 217 to Southwest Hall Boulevard, restore nearly 12 acres of wetland, and eventually include a pedestrian bridge over the highway. It sits in one of Washington County's most socially and economically diverse census tracts, surrounded by apartments, homes and schools. Informational signs were planned in multiple languages.

Construction was scheduled to coordinate with Clean Water Services' sewer pipeline work in the area, set to begin in spring 2028, saving both agencies money. Clean Water Services spokesperson Julie Cortez confirmed the agency would handle wetland restoration.

Nearby resident and avid cyclist Hyun Kim called the trail indispensable. "It would be very impactful for a large scope of people," Kim told OregonLive. "Not just across the local area, but I think across the whole metro area as well."

What comes next

Metro spokesperson Nick Christensen said the regional government is working with partially funded awardees to "understand the implications" and explore other funding paths. Ables said the city is still weighing options but has not identified a specific alternative source.

No public comment opportunity or next meeting date related to the project's funding has been announced. Residents can contact the city of Tigard for updates.

The November 2029 construction-completion deadline remains the project's defining constraint.