OREGON CITY, Ore. (KOIN) — The first phase of the redevelopment of the old Blue Herron paper mill in Oregon City will be the construction of a riverwalk along the banks of the Willamette River.
Gov. Kate Brown and Rep. Brent Barton toured the Willamette Falls Riverwalk site on Friday. Once completed, the public will have direct access to Willamette Falls for the first time in more than 100 years – and a commanding view of the second-largest waterfall in the US behind Niagara Falls.
“It’s huge for Oregon City,” Mayor Dan Holladay said. “To have the opportunity to build 7 brand new blocks of downtown and have this type of multi-use, mixed-use development happen, it’s going to be a huge boost to our tax base.”
The paper mill went bankrupt in 2011 and left a big void, and both Clackamas County and the state of Oregon wanted the public to weigh in with their ideas on what should go there.
In 2013, the project’s website, Rediscover the Falls, said: “With a dynamic location and remarkable history, this former paper mill site could someday serve as an economic engine, a waterfront destination, a unique habitat, a window into Oregon’s past – and a bold step into our future.”
The goal has been to transform the 23-acre industrial site to allow access to the largest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest.
After the Riverwalk is a plan for a combination of housing, retail and other commercial uses to be built where the hollowed-out remains of the old mill stand now.
That won’t happen for several years.
Denim Salvage store owner Tara Vincente said a newly development at the mill site will create an attraction and sustain her new business.
“We’re really excited to have it accessible and become a place of interest,” she said. “The first time I drove by the mill I was like, wow, that is really cool and old and amazing and I drove through town and I was like wow. It’s going to take some hard work, but what a cool thing.”
“Any opportunity for people to invest and build and bring businesses and jobs to downtown Oregon City will certainly make a difference,” said Jonathan Stone of Main Street Oregon City.
There’s an interest in securing some state money to help this process along.
