(TILLAMOOK, OR. September 20th, 2024) As of Friday, September 20th, 2024, the Kiwanda Corridor Project (KCP) Team has turned over the keys of the Cape Kiwanda Parking Lot Reconstruction to Tillamook County! The entire parking lot, civic overlook, new restrooms, and foot wash station, as well as EV charging stations and pay stations, are all open and ready for use – right in time for the popular Longboard Classic. Paid parking is back in effect.
The first phase of the KCP is now open to the public. Site plantings will occur this fall when the rainy season increases the establishment rate of the plantings. This milestone represents the first of six project elements to be built as part of the KCP. It is also an accomplishment that is nearly two decades in the making; integrating Cape Kiwanda’s Master Plan, the Pacific City Woods Parking Management Plan, the Wayfinding Plan, the county’s acquisition of the Jensen Property, and incorporation of the Nestucca Valley Community Alliance Park and Shorepine Village Boardwalk into a cohesive project.
Connecting multiple county properties and supporting the development of other public spaces with a thoughtfully programmed design that disperses crowds, creates opportunities for equitable outdoor play and education, and promotes stewardship of Pacific City, our beloved Cape Kiwanda and natural resources are the goals of the KCP.
These goals were developed with the help of a vigorous community engagement process. The project team has carefully crafted the new parking lot to fit within the multi-modal transportation system of the KCP; a program that is smarter and easier to navigate when connected together.
Extensive new infrastructure lies under the surface. In addition to the new gender-neutral public restrooms, site furnishings, low lighting and pedestrian pathways, other details of the completed project have been left hidden to the eye: the incorporation of infrastructure for future wayfinding connections to the five other project elements of the KCP. This includes real-time parking sensors, six EV charging stations with enough power for more connection points as needed, and a stout underground stormwater management system that improves the current run-off from the new parking lot and is stubbed-out for future connections to the KCP system.
Special thanks go out to the many hands that have helped lift this project: The Consor design team, including Nick McMurtrey and Matt Emmett; The Saunders Company, including Glen Whitney and Chris Dunmire; Tillamook County, including Sarah Absher, Jasper Lind, and Chris Laity; Visit Tillamook Coast, including Nan Devlin; the Parking Advisory Committee, and the community at large. Pacific City, Woods, Cape Kiwanda, and surrounding areas are celebrated and enriched by this project.
The project is being funded by county transient lodging taxes, day-use revenues from Pacific City parking lots, and grants from state agencies. For more information on the overall KCP please visit the project website: https://tillamookcoast.com/southcounty/kiwanda-corridor/ or contact Rachel Hagerty, Tillamook County Chief of Staff, at rachel.hagerty@tillamookcounty.gov.
