The Tualatin City Council selected two design firms on Monday, Sept. 14, to shape a six-acre riverfront park and a new downtown mixed-use district.
Seattle-based Berger Partnership will design the Riverfront Park, planned for city-owned land near the Juanita Pohl Center off Southwest Boones Ferry Road. Portland-based Walker Macy will set design standards for the downtown area near Lake at the Commons, the Valley Times first reported.
"The Riverfront Park will be the first built example of our new vision," Mayor Frank Bubenik said.
Construction could begin in 2029. Three funding sources back the project: the $25 million parks and trails bond Tualatin voters approved in November 2022, the Core Opportunity and Reinvestment Area (CORA) urban renewal district, and multiple Metro grants. Metro awarded the city $740,000 in July through its 2040 Planning and Development Grant program to support the revitalization project's third phase.
The park site near Southwest Boones Ferry Road and Southwest Martinazzi will include ADA-compliant access to the Tualatin River and a walkable connection into the downtown area.
The Valley Times reported the site is planned as a launch point for kayaks, paddleboards and canoes.
Walker Macy has local roots in Tualatin. The firm designed the original Tualatin Commons and has also worked on Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Portland Japanese Garden.
Its downtown assignment covers a square block bounded by Southwest Seneca Street, Southwest Boones Ferry Road, Southwest Nyberg Street and Southwest 84th Avenue, where the city wants a public-private partnership to create a mixed-use district.
Berger Partnership brings experience from similar riverfront projects, including the award-winning Spokane Riverfront Park redesign and the Downtown Olympia Waterfront.
The council vote advances Phase 3 of the Downtown Revitalization Project, which runs through March 2028, according to the city's project page.
The broader effort launched in 2025 and has completed two earlier phases: a downtown identity study and nine months of market studies, site analysis and architectural design done in partnership with the University of Oregon's Sustainable City Year Program.
The CORA plan, adopted in 2022, calls for $140 million in public investment across roughly 300 acres over 30 years.
Sidaro Sin, the city's urban renewal and economic development manager, oversees the project.
Residents can follow the project and find contact information for city staff at the city's downtown revitalization page.
