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The Portland Design Commission got a chance Thursday to review progress being made toward refinement of the South Waterfront Greenway concept plan.

The greenway project has been in the works since 2004. The current 6.2-acre phase would create separated bicycling and walking paths that would run along the Willamette River between the spillway near Heritage Park and the Marquam Bridge. The section would connect existing greenways along the river through the Central City and South Waterfront districts and a greenway that runs north of the Marquam Bridge.

Multiple, small 鈥渂ursts鈥� in the paths would serve as gathering spots to allow visitors views of the river and surrounding scenery. Also, a small amphitheater would be built near Meadow Park.

The current design was the most popular of the possible layouts in public surveys.

Gathering points would be near the Ross Island Bridge, Meadow Park and OHSU Commons. The river would also be accessible near the spillway at Heritage Park and north of the Marquam Bridge. Design commissioners still had concerns about the design and whether visitors would have enough access to the water and places to enjoy nature.

鈥淎lthough our city is divided by a river, we have no place to enjoy the river from a meditative standpoint,鈥� Vice Chairman Tad Savinar said. 鈥淲e have jogging and biking paths on both sides of the river. We are sorely in need of non-programmed, intimate places that allow lots of people to experience the river without impinging on each other.鈥�

Savinar said that people need more accessibility points to the river than provided in the current plan.

鈥淭o me this is a biking path and jogging path,鈥� he said.

Commissioners also expressed concerns with the concept that walking and biking paths would cross at certain points to allow access to gathering spaces and the river.

鈥淚 like the idea of the two separate bike and pedestrian paths, but at the same time I see a problem with (bikers) racing through this,鈥� Commissioner Samuel Rodriguez said. 鈥淢aybe if they were closer together, (bikers) would slow down just by the fact that pedestrians are there all the time. That way, this isn’t a race track any longer.鈥�

The plan will be revised more before being presented to the commission again.