Southeast Portland’s Parklane Park is about to get bigger. Much bigger.

Next week, Portland Parks and Recreation will break ground on a project that will expand the park from 5 acres to 25 acres and add new amenities for everyone to enjoy (including your four-legged friend).

Here are some of the things you’ll see when the work is completed in the fall of 2024:

Playground
Splash pad
Athletic fields and courts
Events pavilion and covered picnic areas
Community garden
Skate park
Off-leash dog area
Paved paths

Parklane Park started as a parcel of land left undeveloped as subdivisions went up around it. By the time Multnomah County transferred it to Portland Parks and Recreation in 1993, neighbors had planted many trees within its borders and set up red-and-white-striped playground equipment — leading to the nickname “Candy Cane Park.”

In 2001, the city bought a 20-acre former gravel quarry to the north. A master plan for Parklane’s expansion has been in place since 2009 — but it took another 11 years for funding to be identified. The expansion was stalled again by rising costs and supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the project is finally getting off the ground to the tune of $29.7 million in system development charges (read: not tax dollars).

The entire park will undergo accessibility improvements. | Photo courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreation

Officials estimate the expanded Parklane Park will serve more than 2,600 homes — 706 of which do not currently have easy access to a park or natural area. Along with the amenities mentioned above, the park will feature hundreds of new trees, new restrooms, parking, and public art.

If Parklane is in your neighborhood, you’ll want to visit it now because its existing features — like the playground, sports field, and basketball court — will be closed for the duration of the project.