County hosts two open houses, survey on central courthouse project

February 9, 2015

On Thursday, Feb. 5 Multnomah County hosted its second open house on the preferred and alternate sites for the future central courthouse. Roughly 100 people showed up for the most recent current central courthouse event which featured displays on the preferred and alternate sites for the future courthouse, as well as information on the site selection process, timeline, funding, parking, transit, and more

The purpose of the open houses is to share information with the public and solicit public comments on the two sites before the Board of County Commissioners selects a site this spring.

Open house attendees included neighbors, members of the legal community, courthouse staff, and construction and design professionals.  Attendees learned about the multi-million dollar project and were asked to fill out a survey about their preferences for the two sites.

The first open house -- hosted on Jan. 29 at the Multnomah Building in southeast Portland -- was also well attended. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, Commissioner Judy Shiprack, Commissioner Loretta Smith and Commissioner Diane McKeel met with attendees and answered questions about the project. About 200 people showed up for the two open houses combined.

Nearly 400 people also completed an online survey to share their thoughts about the preferred and alternate sites for the new courthouse.  The survey has closed.  Survey results will be shared with county commissioners and the public before commissioners vote to select a courthouse site in April.