TD Council awards $600k contract for planning, design of Federal St. Plaza

The Dalles, Ore., July 18, 2025 — The Dalles City Council approved two major contracts Monday night, July 14, to advance downtown revitalization and improve Public Works infrastructure — together committing nearly $800,000 in planned spending on projects city leaders say will enhance both quality of life and operational efficiency.

Acting as the city’s Contract Review Board, the council voted to award a $619,212 professional services contract to Portland-based landscape architecture and urban design firm Walker Macy, LLC for planning and design of the long-anticipated Federal Street Plaza project. The funds come from the project’s overall budget of nearly $4.9 million, which includes anticipated state grant funding to support construction and design costs, according to the meeting packet (pp. 135, 142–143).

This view of Federal Street shows where the plaza will be located as the street, between First and Second streets will be vacated for the construction of an event space.

Walker Macy, which has offices in Portland and Seattle, specializes in urban design and place-making projects throughout the Pacific Northwest. Its team will now lead the detailed design and planning phase of the plaza, intended to transform Federal Street into a pedestrian-friendly public space in the heart of downtown.

Example of a metal Clearspan Structure. The company is headquartered in South Windsor, Conn.

In a separate vote, the council authorized the purchase of three engineered metal buildings for the Public Works Department to store and protect city fleet vehicles. The buildings will be purchased from ClearSpan Structures, headquartered in South Windsor, Conn., for a total of $170,366.42, through a cooperative purchasing agreement with Sourcewell.

The structures will be funded from the Street Fund, Water Distribution Fund, and Wastewater Collection Fund — which together had allocated $267,000 for the purchase, meaning the final cost comes in well below budget (pp. 8–9, 18).

City staff said the buildings will help protect vital vehicles and equipment from weather and extend their useful life. The ClearSpan design chosen is a prefabricated metal structure, engineered for durability and efficiency.

Both projects underscore the city’s focus on improving infrastructure and enhancing public spaces — one as an investment in community aesthetics and downtown vitality, and the other in the reliability of essential public services.

The Federal Street Plaza project has been in planning stages for several years and was highlighted by councilors during the meeting as a major priority in the city’s urban renewal strategy. Design work by Walker Macy is expected to move forward immediately, with construction anticipated to follow in future phases.