NW Galveston Avenue is an important commercial corridor in Bend’s thriving West Side neighborhood. The street hosts numerous businesses and restaurants but suffers from a partial lack of sidewalks, inadequate bike facilities, high speed traffic, few trees or landscape elements, and poor stormwater facilities. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, SERA worked with the City and a dedicated task force (comprised of neighbors, property owners, and business owners) to develop a streetscape concept that would address these issues and bolster the unique experience NW Galveston offers. Working with HDR, SERA provided expertise in streetscape and urban design, landscape architecture, multi-modal placemaking and public facilitation.
Along with our consultant team and agency partners, SERA helped guide citizens through a series of open houses, stakeholder and task force meetings that evaluated the current streetscape, potential opportunities, and various design alternatives. Members of the surrounding community participated throughout to help reconcile differing interests and ensure that the preferred streetscape concept works for all who live, work, shop, and dine along NW Galveston Avenue. The design solution for NW Galveston Avenue streetscape enhances Bend’s small-town appeal while providing an example of how mixed-use and multi-modal transportation corridors can provide the foundation for a richer quality of life for users and adjacent neighborhoods.
