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A new indoor aquatic center for North Portland is in the process. Portland Parks & Recreation is spearheading the project, which includes a focused outreach on underserved communities. The multi-phase project, currently in Phase II, is expected to take five to seven years to complete.

When complete, the center is expected to serve about 22,000 households. Currently, North Portland residents have a low level of access to indoor aquatic facilities based on the Parks 2020 Vision’s defined level of service goals – to provide a full-service community center within 3 miles of every resident. As the Charles Jordan Community Center lacks indoor aquatic programming, the new aquatic center will complement the existing community center and will fulfill the Vision Plan’s level of service goal for North Portland.

Working with North Portlanders, Portland Parks & Recreation will plan the site and develop a facility that meets the community’s needs for the entire North Portland peninsula.

In 2021, Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio directed Portland Parks & Recreation to begin planning for an indoor aquatic center for North Portland.

ELS Architecture and Urban Design has been authorized by Portland City Council for design services for site selection, programming, schematic design and land-use permitting. Capital Project Manager Robin Johnson Craig provided in an email that a subsequent request for proposal for design development, construction documents and construction administration will be released at a future date. This will be an open invitation for firms to propose for the separate design contract later in the process. Timing for the RFP has not been determined at this time.

In October, Rubio designated an additional $5 million in Parks System Development Charge (SDC) funding to go to the design and construction of the North Portland Aquatic Center. This brings the total SDC funding to $16.7 million, as Rubio had previously allocated $11.7 million toward the project. The project has also secured $15 million from a state grant. This brings the current allocation to $31.7 million.

The project is estimated to cost around $50 million. That estimate could vary depending on the final site selected, programming and cost and availability of materials.

The future indoor aquatic facility could have spray and play features, a competitive lap pool, a therapy pool, a spa, lockers and reserved party rooms.

The project is in four phases. It is currently in the second phase, which includes site determination, programming selection, schematic design and land-use permitting. The project will enter Phase III in winter 2024 through winter 2027. This phase includes selecting the design team, construction manager/general contractor, design development and construction documentation.

Construction is estimated to begin during phase IV, which begins in winter 2027 and will run through winter 2029.