Oregon City Residents Split on Clackamette Park's RV Park Future

There's a debate brewing in Oregon City, and it's not the kind you'd expect. It's about a park. Specifically, it's about whether an RV park that's been sitting along the Willamette River should even stick around.

I've been keeping an eye on Oregon City's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meetings all summer, mostly because I love seeing what's actually happening behind the scenes in the communities I cover. And this month's meeting had a genuinely interesting twist buried in it. So let's break down what's going on at Clackamette Park.

The city has been asking for your opinion all summer

Oregon City spent the summer collecting community feedback on a big redesign of Clackamette Park. Staff set up booths at local events, handed out surveys, and gathered input on what people want to see out there. That "official window" for community outreach has now closed, and staff have compiled everything into a report.

One question came back nearly 50/50

Here's the part that caught my attention. One of the survey questions asked whether the city should even continue operating an RV park at Clackamette Park at all. According to staff, the responses came back almost evenly split. No clear consensus either way. That's a pretty rare thing to see in a community survey, and it puts the city in an interesting position heading into design decisions.

There's money to tear it down, but not to build anything new

This is the detail that makes the whole thing more complicated. The city already has funding secured, through a Metro grant, to remove the existing RV park and turn that space into green space. What they do not currently have is funding to build anything new in its place. Staff also noted it's unlikely that grant funding would cover rebuilding an RV park, since that kind of amenity typically doesn't qualify for the same conservation-focused grants the city has been pursuing. So the question becomes bigger than "keep it or lose it." It's also "if we lose it, where does the money come from to replace it with something else, and is that even a priority?"

There's also a whole separate debate about the boat ramp

As if the RV park question wasn't enough, there's another layer to this. The park redesign also involves relocating the boat ramp, and staff say people have strong, varied opinions about exactly where it should go. The city is currently working with an engineering firm to study the site's hydrology and figure out the most appropriate location. Permitting for the boat ramp alone is estimated at roughly half a million dollars, and the city is looking at ways to use existing funds as a local match to help cover that cost.

What happens next

A city commission work session is scheduled for September 8th, where staff will present the outreach findings and get direction on some of these bigger open questions, including the RV park's future. From there, staff plan to bring a more detailed, revised map back to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee in October for another round of input before moving toward a final development plan.

As for timing, don't expect to see a finished park anytime soon. Staff explained that Metro grants come with lengthy negotiation and approval timelines, some of which can stretch out for years. Realistically, staff are estimating somewhere around 2028 or 2029 for this first phase of the new park to be complete.

Why this one stood out to me

I love following these meetings because they show you how much thought and back-and-forth goes into decisions that eventually shape the parks we all walk through, bike past, and bring our kids to. Clackamette Park sits right along the river, and it's one of those spaces that a lot of Oregon City families already treat as a backyard. Watching the city work through funding puzzles, resident feedback, and genuinely split opinions in real time is a good reminder that these projects take a village, quite literally.

I don't have a crystal ball on which way this will go, and honestly, neither does the city yet. That's kind of the point of the process. But I'll be watching the September 8th work session and the October committee meeting closely, and I'll keep you posted as this story develops.

If you love staying in the loop on what's happening in Oregon City and the rest of the North Willamette Valley, from Canby to Wilsonville to West Linn and beyond, follow me for more updates like this one. I go to these meetings so you don't have to.

Jennifer Schurter serves buyers, sellers, and investors throughout South Clackamas County and the North Willamette Valley — including Canby, Oregon City, Wilsonville, Aurora, Hubbard, Molalla, Woodburn, Newberg, Sherwood, Tualatin, West Linn, Lake Oswego, and the greater Portland metro south. Her goal is simple: to be the most knowledgeable, most responsive, and most genuinely helpful real estate agent in the area — every single time. Jennifer is a licensed Oregon real estate broker with Real Broker LLC.

Have questions or want to get started? Connect with Jennifer here: https://jenniferschurterhomes.com/connect-with-jennifer — She'd love to hear from you.