City of Newport open house on downtown/Highway 101 revitalization project
April 3 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Based on what we heard in the fall, the project wants to hear from you on the solutions for creating a more vibrant city center.
Join us at an open house
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Drop by between 4:00 and 7:00 pm
City Hall (169 SW Coast Hwy, Newport, OR 97365)
Join us online between April 1 and April 13 at https://publicproject.net/nccrp to review the same information and submit your ideas to the team.
About the Project
Newport’s city center needs help. Many storefronts are vacant, and buildings are aging or in poor condition. Plus, summer traffic on US 101 and US 20 makes it challenging for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the area to its fullest potential. There is also an increasing need to add more affordable housing in the area.
Through this project, the City of Newport wants to create a vibrant, welcoming city center—home to a diverse mix of successful businesses, housing options and amenities for residents and visitors.
Changes to traffic patterns and new transportation facilities (such as additional bus stops or bike lanes) will be key to encouraging redevelopment. In 2022, the City of Newport worked with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to develop a new Transportation System Plan (TSP).
The Newport TSP outlined two route options for Highway 101 through the city center. With the help of the public and others interested in the area, the City will choose which option for Highway 101 will best support new development in the project area.
Project Area
The focus of this planning effort will be within 2-3 blocks of US 20 and US 101 (from the east entrance to the City, west to the US 20/US 101 intersection, and then south to the Yaquina Bay Bridge).
In 2022, the City completed a Transportation System Plan (TSP) that identified two options for improving US 101 within the project area to promote economic development and provide infrastructure to support new housing.
The two options are as follows:
- One-way short couplet – Between SW Abbey Street and SW 2nd Street, people traveling south on 101 would use the existing highway, which would have two travel lanes for vehicles. Removing northbound traffic from this section of Highway 101 would allow this corridor to have wider sidewalks with landscaping, buffered bike lanes, and on-street parking. Travelers heading north on Highway 101 would use an improved SW 9th Street that would include two travel lanes for vehicles with wider sidewalks with landscaping and a buffered bike lane.
- Two-way enhanced – Within the existing 74-foot right-of-way on Highway 101, the sidewalks could be widened and landscaping added if on-street parking was removed. This would also allow four 11-foot travel lanes (which is one foot wider than today). A bikeway would be added to SW 9th Avenue between SW Abbey Street and SW 2nd Street in lieu of bicycle lanes on this section of Highway 101. The SW 9th Avenue bikeway would require removal of on-street parking and reduced lane width for vehicles.
This Revitalization Planning Project will identify which of the options, or variations of the options will best support the project objectives.
To further encourage growth in the city center, the City is also updating its Comprehensive Plan and development code, and identifying potential public investments and incentives to encourage desired development and livability. Care will be taken to ensure that there is a enduring and vibrant location for the farmers market, and other spaces for public gatherings, art and landscaping. We will work with local businesses, landowners, residents and others in the community to plan for ways to reinvest in the area, now and into the future.
Project Timeline
The revitalization project started in spring of 2024 and is scheduled to wrap up in 2025.
Over the course of the next year, the City will hold six Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings to provide input on the project and recommendations to City Council on actions to reach the vision for the city center.
This summer/fall, we will interview neighbors, businesses, and other people and organizations to better understand the needs of the community and brainstorm potential solutions.
We will also hold two public events to share updates on the project and give you a chance to provide feedback.
This feedback will help the team and the CAC as it chooses which policies, incentives and highway alignment option to recommend to the City’s planning commission and City Council.