Photo by Tim Hirsch

Tillamook County is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its recently completed parking lot reconstruction project at Cape Kiwanda on Friday, Sept. 27, 4-6 p.m. The event will be held at the Civic Overlook portion of the parking lot.

Parking lot now fully open

As of Sept. 20, the Kiwanda Corridor Project 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 –in time for the Cape Kiwanda 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. Thes goals were developed with the help of a community engagement process. The project team has reportedly 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. 

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 an underground stormwater management system that officials say improves the current run-off from the new parking lot and is stubbed-out for future connections to the KCP system.

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.

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