parking changes at cascade campus - Portland Community College

PARKING CHANGES AT CASCADE CAMPUS
Life as we know it at our beloved Cascade Campus is about to change dramatically.
Construction begins next month on the new bond-funded underground parking facility that will
lie beneath the New Academic Building and new Student Center. This means that starting on
December 14, the campus will lose access to the 145 parking spaces in Parking Lot #4 for
approximately one year. Parking Lot #4 is located between North Albina and Mississippi
Avenues.
Needless to say, this will make parking at Cascade Campus even more of a challenge than it
already is. No one will be immune from the inconvenience this will cause – neither students, nor
faculty, nor staff – until the underground parking facility comes online in late 2013.
Fortunately, a plan is in place to alleviate some of the pain of losing Parking Lot #4.
However, it’s important to understand one thing: If you drive to campus, in all likelihood your
commute will become longer and more complicated. So don’t get caught off-guard – start
planning right now on how you will get to campus every day, and which of the options (more on
these below) you will choose to employ.
So, on to the plan.
A “Commuter Alert” brochure has been printed detailing the many commuting options that are
available, including locations of satellite parking lots, information on alternate modes of
transportation, and resources to help you plan your commute. It will be available as of tomorrow
at multiple locations around campus, including the Info Booth, division offices, the Library, and
the Student Underground. You can view an online copy of the brochure right now by clicking on
this link: www.pcc.edu/about/locations/cascade/documents/cascade-parking-guide.pdf
I highly recommend reading the brochure. It contains all the information you need to make an
informed decision on how you will commute to campus for the next year.
Next, a few notes on the different commuting options:
FREE MONTHLY TRIMET PASSES
I’m pleased to announce that the PCC Parking & Transportation office is offering a brand-new
incentive – exclusively to faculty and staff assigned to Cascade Campus– for people to use
public transit. If you are a Cascade employee, you can receive free monthly TriMet passes.
If you are a holder of an annual PCC employee parking pass, and you want free monthly
TriMet passes, this means you must opt out of the yearly January renewal of your PCC
parking pass.

This program will be offered on a trial basis for Winter Term 2013. If it proves to be effective,
the Parking & Transportation office will investigate extending it for a longer period. To apply for
your TriMet passes and/or to opt out of your annual parking pass, send an e-mail with your name
and G-number to: bustocascade@pcc.edu. This offer will be limited to the first 150 applicants,
and the deadline for application is Friday, Dec. 14.
Note: In case of emergency, TriMet offers free cab rides to monthly pass holders.
PUBLIC TRANSIT/BICYCLING/RIDESHARING/WALKING
These are by far the best options, as they reduce the number of cars that arrive at the campus
every day. The Commuter Alert brochure
(www.pcc.edu/about/locations/cascade/documents/cascade-parking-guide.pdf) provides helpful
information on how to incorporate these options into your commute, including locations of
transit stops and online resources to help you get connected with other ridesharers.
SATELLITE PARKING
A number of satellite parking lots with be available to offset the loss of Parking Lot #4, all but
one of which are within walking distance of Cascade Campus. The Commuter Alert brochure
(www.pcc.edu/about/locations/cascade/documents/cascade-parking-guide.pdf) contains a map of
all of these lots in relation to the campus. Parking at the satellite lots will require a PCC parking
pass, with one exception.
The lot at the PCC Portland Metro Workforce Training Center, at Northeast 42 nd
Ave/Killingsworth St., does not require a PCC parking pass. This lot is served by the free PCC
Purple Line Shuttle and by TriMet bus line #72 (this is a Frequent Service line with buses
arriving every 15 minutes during most operating hours). The Purple Line shuttle schedule is
listed in the Commuter Alert brochure
(www.pcc.edu/about/locations/cascade/documents/cascade-parking-guide.pdf).
TRAVELING BETWEEN PCC CAMPUSES
If you’ve opted to leave your car at home (great choice!), but you have business at another PCC
campus, use the free PCC shuttle to travel there and back. This might add more time to your trip,
but it will help the overall parking picture at Cascade. View the shuttle schedule online at
www.pcc.edu/resources/parking/shuttle/.
Thanks again for taking the time to review the Commuter Alert brochure, and for familiarizing
yourself with the different commuting options available to you. Most of all, thanks for thinking
ahead about how you will get to campus while construction is under way on the underground
parking facility. There’s no way to sugar-coat it: this next year won’t be easy. But if each of us
makes a plan – and understands and accepts the fact that commutes will simply take longer –
we’ll make it through.
And at the end will be an even better Cascade Campus.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays.
Abe Proctor
Cascade Campus Community Relations Officer