On Thursday, September 28th, the City of Lake Oswego formally broke ground on Rassekh Park, a new multi-purpose sports field, large playground, and skatepark for the community at the Rassekh property on Stafford Road. This new 10-acre park will also include a parking lot with a drop-off area, new access pathways and the expansion of existing multi-use pathways, restrooms, walking trails, a covered picnic area, a protected natural area surrounding Pecan Creek, and the necessary utilities, including water, electricity, stormwater, and sanitary sewer service.
Continuing a long-standing working relationship with the City of Lake Oswego, Mackenzie, a large architecture and engineering design firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, designed Rassekh Park in partnership with the City. Mackenzie helped engage the surrounding community by embarking on a year-long public outreach process that encouraged and enabled key community members to influence and inspire the concept and vision for Rassekh Park. Through a series of meetings hosted by Mackenzie and the City of Lake Oswego, more than 600 community members drove a concept for the park that maximized play and exercise opportunities, while respecting the natural character of the surroundings. Since athletic fields in Lake Oswego are in high demand, new fields were identified as a high priority to be funded with the Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation bond money. There were many voices and community interest groups who provided input into Rassekh Park’s design, and the design of the park was informed by the input received from the community during the project’s multi-year outreach effort.
The groundbreaking event on Thursday served as the official launch of this phased development. Phase I of the project will include the construction of a 10,000-square-foot skatepark, (designed by California Skateparks); right-of-way improvements for Stafford Road such as trees and streetlights; reconstruction of the multi-use path; a new restroom building; and the development of a variety of other critical utilities that lay the foundation for the rest of the project.
Additional features will be realized in the subsequent phases: a synthetic turf athletic field will enable year-round soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and softball games for youth sports. A new, large playground will be constructed, and as one of the largest playgrounds in Lake Oswego, it will focus on a rich and diverse play experience that will be accessible to everyone. Input from more than 100 local elementary school children informed the final concept of the playground, which will include a mix of natural play elements and accessible play equipment.
Once complete, Rassekh Park will be a place for young athletes, sports fans, families, and neighbors to play and compete. To learn more about the project, please visit The City of Lake Oswego’s website.
About Mackenzie
Mackenzie has a sixty-three-year history unified in the pursuit of building equitable communities for generations to come. We’ve honed our capabilities across a range of design disciplines including architecture, interior design, structural, civil and traffic engineering, land use planning, and landscape architecture. We deliver design excellence and invest in the wellbeing of our people, our clients, and the communities in which we work. Mackenzie is in Portland, OR, Seattle, and Vancouver, WA. For more information, visit us online at mackenzie.inc.
