Mitch Green
District 4
What is your experience with off-road cycling? Do you have a favorite trail to ride?
I am a mountain biker who wishes he got out more often. I usually hit the Sandy Ridge Complex, but love to get to Bend when I can. I ride a stumpy.
The Off-road Cycling Master Plan (ORCMP) was published by the City in 2023 after a robust public process. It found that Portland suffers from a severe lack of opportunities for off-road cycling despite Portland’s cycling reputation. Are you committed to advancing the goals of the ORCMP in your district? Why or why not? Off-Road Cycling Master Plan for reference: https://www.portland.gov/bps/planning/off-road-cycling/documents
Yes. I think it’s a huge missed opportunity for Portland not to lead with opportunities close in for off road cycling, forcing riders instead to leave the city and hit other destinations. People love Portland for its proximity to the outdoors and wild spaces, and for our first rate cuisine. Why not bring those two loves closer together?
NWTA is a City of Portland partner with a proven track record in building, restoring, and maintaining high-quality, sustainable trails for multiple user groups, in addition to providing cycling and stewardship programming for Portlanders. To what degree would you help strengthen and promote partnerships with groups like NWTA to support City staff and improve our public parks?
Council has discussed extensively the desire to unlock more volunteer partnership opportunities to leverage the assets (largely parks) we have, while facilitating ways for Portlanders to meaningfully engage in civic life. I support that vision and have already discussed my desire to find ways to advance trail building opportunities with the previous parks director, as well as Art Pearce who is coming into the role now. I’ve also expressed to the City Administrator that finding ways to build a partnership with groups like NWTA so we can lean into off-road cycling as part of our economic development strategy.
For over 40 years, the City of Portland has blocked all efforts to provide meaningful multi-use trail access in Forest Park. Now, the City’s ORCMP (page 72) has a number of recommendations for Forest Park that bring environmentally sustainable multi-use trails online and follow the Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan process. Are you willing to make sustainable off-road cycling trail improvements a priority to improve trailhead congestion, environmental concerns and access for all Portlanders to Forest Park?
Yes.