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Portland Parks Commissioner Carmen Rubio has approved new Parks System Development Charge (SDC) funding to go to several park projects across the area.

Improvements to Kelley Point Park, a playground at East Portland’s Midland Park, a skatepark in Southeast Portland, land acquisitions and other park improvements now are in the works and in various stages of planning. These projects are slated for funding in the city’s 2023-24 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2023.

Parks SDCs are one-time fees assessed on new development in Portland, not General Fund tax dollars. By law, SDCs may only be used for improvements that will expand the capacity of the park system.

These projects are now on the Portland Parks & Recreation Capital Improvement Project list. The project list includes:

• $1 million in SDC funding for a Portland community garden in Southwest Portland;
• an additional $3 million in SDC funds – now totaling $4 million – to expand current picnic and trail amenities and provide greater access to Kelley Point Park in North Portland;
• $2.5 million in SDC funds to build a playground at Midland Park at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Morrison Street next to the Multnomah County Midland Library;
• $5 million in SDCs to fund a new skatepark in Southeast Portland; and
• $4 million in SDCs to complete a site master plan and pay for design and construction for portions of the Wilkes Creek Headwaters property, a 20-acre undeveloped hybrid park at Northeast Fremont Street and 154th Avenue.