Public comment sought on MAX station makeover

By Mara Stine

The Gresham Outlook, Oct 27, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (11 Reader comments)

With the design process under way for rebuilding the Rockwood MAX station on Northeast 188th Avenue and Burnside Street, now is the time for residents to put in their 2 cents on the project.

As part of Gresham’s land-use review on the project, people have until Friday, Nov. 6, to submit comments and suggestions for the nearly $5 million project, said project manager Dave Krough.

But really, that’s just a technicality, said Alice Rouyer, executive director of the city’s urban renewal agency.

“This is an important project,” she said, “so we’re not going to stop taking comments until the project is finished.”

The city’s urban renewal agency also will continue talking to adjacent property owners, merchants and residents, plus the Rockwood Neighborhood Association and Business Coalition, about the MAX station makeover, Rouyer said.

Like the others on the MAX system’s East Side Line, the station is 23 years old. Rebuilding and revitalizing the station would improve transit riders’ experience on the train, as well as complement redevelopment of the surrounding area, the commission wrote in its grant proposal.

“It’s in an area that’s difficult for pedestrians to cross because the stations are split,” said Mary Fetsch, TriMet spokeswoman.

Northeast 188th Avenue divides the station — westbound riders board west of 188th Avenue, while eastbound riders board to the east.

To get enough room for a single platform large enough to accommodate all passengers, plus a turn lane for motorists, Burnside might need to be realigned, she said.

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