Climate Action & Adaptation

Holladay Park E-Mobility & Resilience Hub

Co-creating a safer, greener, more connected community space designed to make Lloyd a model of sustainability and inclusivity.

a potential mockup of the hub, featuring two shipping containers.

The Challenge and Our Vision

The E-Mobility and Resilience Hub in Lloyd is a transformative project designed to address the neighborhood’s long-standing challenges.

Holladay Park, Lloyd’s only significant green space, has safety concerns, a lack of consistent stewardship, a disconnect in transportation infrastructure for last-mile connectivity, and general underutilization.

Meanwhile, as the neighborhood evolves, with thousands of new housing units and large development projects expected by 2035, the need for accessible, green, safe, and sustainable public spaces is urgent.

A truly beautiful space, Holladay Park should be the center of the Lloyd community that supports our climate and community goals, not an anchor that holds us back.

To address this, Lloyd EcoDistrict utilized an awarded Oregon Metro RTO Grant to ask a critical question:

Could an E-Mobility and Resiliency Hub at Holladay Park to provide holistic solutions and transform the park into a vital public resource?

The goal of this community outreach and grant was to develop plans for a micro-transit hub that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by promoting e-mobility, while simultaneously enhancing community resilience and transportation equity. The project is built upon three core pillars: Mobility, Resilience, and Community Activation.

Extensive Community Engagement

Between November 2024 and February 2025, we took our concepts to the community through a Community Feedback Roadshow. We wanted to ensure this hub was designed by and for the people who use the neighborhood.

Reach: We hosted 15 events, engaged 551 people, and collected 165 detailed survey responses.
Outreach Methods: We visited multifamily buildings like Holladay Park Plaza and Hassalo on Eighth, presented to a variety of neighborhood groups and associations, held multiple pop-up events right inside the park, virtual events, and worked with Street Roots ambassadors to interview unhoused community members.

What We Heard: Key Learnings & Quotes

The feedback we received provided a clear roadmap for what the park needs to become a welcoming, activated space.

Safety is the Absolute Priority: This was the dominant concern. The community wants better lighting, clean spaces, a design that discourages illegal activity, and the presence of a site steward.
Basic Infrastructure is Essential: Both housed and unhoused residents called for foundational amenities. The top requests included restrooms that are clean and open, drinking water access, and shelter from the weather. Access to electricity and Wi-Fi were also common requests.
Mobility Needs: Walking and public transit are the most common ways people travel to the park. To make visiting more enticing, the community wants 24/7 visible safety management, charging stations for e-bikes and mobility scooters, and better bike racks.
Desired Programming: The community strongly desires interactive events. Farmers’ markets, live music, food vendors, and family pop-up events were frequently requested.
Resilience & Emergent Preparedness: Answers suggest a general sense of unpreparedness and a significant awareness gap among community members. Community members highlighted that emergency prep training, deployment sites, and communication systems would be valuable components of the project.

Design Concepts and Capital Estimates

GBD Architects developed two primary site plan concepts using retrofitted shipping containers, solar canopies, permeable pavers, and green rooftops. Bremik Construction provided conceptual capital cost estimates for both options.

Concept 1: Within Street Right-of-Way (NE Corner): This concept places the hub along the street. Features include a coffee window, EV charging at street parking, and solar-powered seating. The estimated capital cost is just over $400,000.
Concept 2: Within Holladay Park: This concept brings the hub directly into the park environment under a large solar-ready canopy. The estimated capital cost is just over $700,000.

Community feedback favored placing the hub at the SE corner or the NE corner of the park. Participants liked the flexibility of the storage containers, the pop-up cafe space, and the solar power, though some raised concerns about vandalism and structures looking too industrial.

Operational Costs

Beyond construction, a successful hub requires dedicated staff and resources. Based on our 90-day 2025 summer activation pilot, “Lloyd Live at the Park”, funded by Multnomah County, the estimated annual operational cost, fully funded, is around $500,000. This budget covers:

Personnel: 3.75 Full-Time Equivalents to handle programming, management, and administration.
Partner Support: Fair compensation for over 30 community programming partners.
Supplies and Utilities: Including increased waste management, water, and electrical costs.

Recommendations and Next Steps

Based on the overwhelming community feedback and feasibility studies, Lloyd EcoDistrict proposes the following roadmap:

Pursue Concept 2 Implementation: Focus on developing the hub directly within the park to maximize activation and safety visibility.
Continue Park Activation: Sustain our momentum by hosting ongoing events and community activities in Holladay Park.
Collaborate with Partners: Work closely with Portland Parks & Recreation, PBEM, BPS, Metro, Pacific Power, Lloyd Enhanced Service District, and District Two City Councilors to secure necessary permissions and operational partnerships.
Secure Funding: Identify and apply for targeted grant funding and alternative revenue sources to bring this vision to life.

Review the Full Recommendation Report

Dive deeper into the data, architectural renderings, and community responses by reviewing our complete presentation deck below.

Holladay-HUB-Recommendation-Report

Our Journey to Transformation

Explore our journey in transforming Holladay Park into a hub of sustainability and community. Below are images and videos from our past outreach events, community engagement efforts, and Lloyd Live at the Park events.