By PSU student Josh Thomas

Recognizing the need for port facilities that will meet the projected tripling of exports in the region by 2030 and maintain Portland’s advantage as an international shipping and trade center, the Port of Portland has secured the rights to the undeveloped west end of Hayden Island. This is the last area of its size within the Urban Growth Boundary available for marine industrial use.”West Hayden Island: Public Affairs Project Updates, April 4, 2000

Hayden Island, located on the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon, has changed dramatically in the past hundred years. The island has been home to Native Americans, amusement parks, communities, and wildlife, and its location has been a primary factor in its recreational and commercial development. Today, the eastern portion of the 1,200 to 1,300 acre island is highly developed, with large hotels, a shopping center, residential communities, and other commercial activities. The western portion, however, composed of pasture, woods, and marshes, remains undeveloped. Future plans on Hayden’s west end include a new marine cargo facility and commercial development. Some community residents, concerned about traffic congestion and the impact on wildlife, are contesting the new development.

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