The Heights urban renewal district, created in 2011, is in its early stages. The area encompasses approximately 96 acres along State Highway 281 (13th St. / Tucker Rd.) 98% of the district’s maximum indebtedness of close to $8.5 million remains available for Heights revitalization projects.
Current projects related to the Heights Urban Renewal District:
Planning to date has included:
- Blue Zone, LLC Walkshop (6/6/2018 Presentation)
- Blue Zone, LLC Walkshop (9/24/2018 Final Presentation with Recommendations)
- Heights Community Meetings
- URAC Project Recommendation Report May 2018
- URAC Thoughts to date on Proceeding with Heights Urban Renewal
- Executive Summary – Hood River Heights Urban Renewal Area Public Input from November 2017 meeting and online survey.
- Powerpoint presented at the October 26, 2017 Meeting
- Information 101 about the Heights District and Urban Renewal
- StreetsAlive! Traffic Demonstration Review
- Hood River Heights Urban Renewal PLAN
- Hood River Heights Urban Renewal REPORT
The Heights is a distinct neighborhood of Hood River, filled with amenities and a diverse population. The corridor is an ODOT State Highway that links downtown Hood River and the Hood River Valley. The district and immediate surroundings include landmarks such as Providence Hospital, May Street Elementary School, Hood River Middle School, Jackson Park, and Indian Creek Trail. The project will focus on commercial core between May and Belmont Street which has a mix of office, restaurant, and other retail uses. The surrounding streets are predominantly single and multi-family housing. Both the local business district and surrounding neighborhoods are culturally and socially diverse with a strong Latino community presence.
As stated in the Heights Urban Renewal Plan, “the purpose of urban renewal is to improve specific areas of a city that are poorly developed or underdeveloped. These areas can have old or deteriorated buildings, public spaces that need improvements, streets and utilities in poor condition, a complete lack of streets and utilities altogether, or other obstacles to development. The Area has infrastructure needs, lacks adequate streetscape and parking, and does not have a program for assistance to business owners.”
The Heights Urban Renewal District was established in 2011 and covers approximately 96 acres centered around State Highway 281. Using tax increment financing, it has a total indebtedness of $8.5 million. In 2011, the Urban Renewal Agency adopted the Hood River Heights Business District Urban Renewal Plan, with input from the Heights Business District Association and the Hood River City Council. The Plan encompasses goals, objectives, and projects relating to economy, district identity, recreation, traffic and transportation, public utilities, public involvement, and housing for the Heights Urban Renewal District.
The boundary of the Heights Urban Renewal District as shown in the Urban Renewal Plan is shown in the figure on the right.