ODOT Naito Parkway Property Transfer MOU

At a glance

Based on uploaded (human-made) captions.

What: document 2026-365, an ordinance accepting a transfer of two Oregon Department of Transportation parcels (next to the International School, near SW Naito Parkway and SW Sherman Street) to the city and approving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ODOT for future transactions on the remaining former freeway land.
Where it stands: the Public Works Committee voted 5-0 on October 13 to refer it to the full Council with a "do pass" recommendation (moved by Green, seconded by Kanal). No one signed up to testify.
Next: full Council vote. Under the MOU the city can buy ODOT's interests, trade property rights, or combine the two to end joint ownership; trades would return to Council.

Presented by David McEldowney (PBOT real property services) with a PBOT property management supervisor.
Background: the land comes from a freeway removed in 1970 and has been jointly owned by the city and ODOT; the agencies traded property rights in 2021 and 2025 to assemble the Safe Rest Village site. The two parcels now coming to the city are ones where the city had earlier traded away its 60 percent interest. The remaining parcels are owned 60 percent city and 40 percent state, with the northern piece owned fully by ODOT.
All three MOU options would let the city land bank the parcels for future use; properties would be appraised.
Smith asked about affordable or workforce housing potential; McEldowney said these sites ranked high in an earlier draft review of city-owned property but cost questions belong to the Housing Bureau.
Kanal asked why the fallback if the parties cannot agree is transferring the land back rather than paying appraised value; McEldowney said paying is itself one of the options and that the fallback is a way to reset. Kanal said clear city control keeps the door open to affordable or social housing.
Related: City Real Property Disposition Policy (the committee's broader review of surplus land).

About 10 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-13 - Public Works Committee	10

2026-10-13 - Public Works Committee - Presented by PBOT real property services; referred to the full Council with a do-pass recommendation, 5-0. Smith asked about housing potential and Kanal about the MOU fallback.
2026-10-28 - Council - 2026-365 passed to second reading.
2026-11-04 - Council - second reading on the consent agenda.