"A bridge should be arched to preserve the Pumpkin Regatta. There is not much interest in an option with removeable segments."
That line comes from the draft minutes of Tualatin's Downtown Revitalization Community Advisory Committee. It sits in the middle of a discussion about pedestrian bridges, water quality and how much of Lake of the Commons the city could someday give over to development. It reads like a footnote, but it works more like a rule. Through a summer of downtown planning, one test kept coming back. Whatever happens to the lake, costumed paddlers in hollowed-out giant pumpkins still need open water to race across every October.
The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta returns Sunday, October 18, 2026. This year the race is also the clearest real-world picture of what the city's planners have agreed to protect.
Eight Ideas, Measured Against One Race
On August 5, 2026, the advisory committee reviewed eight recommendations for Lake of the Commons. They covered water quality, pedestrian connections and the amount of land that could be opened for development. Several were bold. The written recommendations and the committee's reactions show the Regatta coming up again and again, sometimes in the proposal itself and sometimes in the members' response.
| Concept | What it proposed | How the committee responded |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian bridge | An east-west crossing at Nyberg Street, Seneca Street, or between Veterans Plaza and the splash pad | Broad support, as long as the Regatta survives; an arched design was favored over removable segments |
| "Lily pad" islands | Linked, low-profile islands adding shade, usable space and shorter walking routes, with room left for the races | Part of a wider conversation about added structures on the water |
| North end to Seneca | Shortening the lake's northern edge to create a plaza and pedestrian boulevard | Generally supportive, with interest in café seating and active-use tenants, and concern about more hardscape |
| Shrinking the lake | Turning the lake into a smaller water feature and reclaiming footprint | Opposed; members wanted water quality, ecology and programming explored first |
| Floating gardens and fountains | Eco-park plantings and aeration to improve water quality and reduce plant growth | Liked, with concerns about maintenance, odor, cost, wildlife and conflicts with events |
| Purple-pipe water | Routing treated Clean Water Services water through the lake before it reaches the Tualatin River | Open to inflow and outflow, with questions about safety and alternatives |
The bridge discussion shows the constraint most clearly. Removable segments were floated as one way to keep the race course open. The committee preferred an arch tall enough for pumpkins and paddlers to pass under. One member suggested an X or Y shape so a bridge would not cut off businesses at either end of the lake. Another note in the minutes said a bridge should add to the character of the space without overpowering it.
What the Committee Would Not Trade Away
The city's own summary of the meeting describes "universal support for maintaining the footprint of the lake." Members were open to slightly shortening the northern edge for a pedestrian corridor between the two Seneca Street spurs. They also named the uses they wanted kept. One was the Regatta. The others were the sailing days held by the Portland Model Power Boat Association and the Rose City Model Sailing Club.
That list matters because it ties the lake's future to how the water is actually used, not just how it looks. A lake that hosts model sailboats on ordinary weekends and pumpkin races once a year needs open surface, places to get into the water, and room for spectators along the edge. The north-end plaza idea, with possible café seating facing the water, would reshape the northern shoreline the crowd lines up along.
Who Carries These Ideas Forward
The August feedback now goes to a design team. On Monday, September 14, the Tualatin City Council chose Portland-based Walker Macy to lead the next phase of downtown revitalization, as reported by Ray Pitz in the Valley Times. The firm's past work includes the Portland Japanese Garden, Pioneer Courthouse Square, and the original Tualatin Commons. The team that first laid out the lake will now write the rules for what gets built around it.
Phase Three, the Community Design Master Plan, runs from September 2026 to March 2028. The city plans an urban design framework and updated design standards. Most of downtown is still governed by standards written in 2001. The city's preferred approach is a public-private partnership to build a mixed-use block bounded by Southwest Seneca Street, Southwest 84th Avenue, Southwest Nyberg Street and Southwest Boones Ferry Road. That block is right next to the lake where the Regatta is held.
Council also hired Seattle-based Berger Partnership to design a six-acre Riverfront Park near Southwest Boones Ferry Road and Southwest Martinazzi. The park would include river access that meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and a walkable link into downtown. The city's project page plans community engagement for fall 2026 and design for winter 2027, and it lists construction as "Currently unknown." The Valley Times reported that construction is expected to begin in 2029. That date is best treated as a projection. Mayor Frank Bubenik called the park "the first built example of our new vision."
The Weekend the Plan Is Built Around
The Regatta has run since 2004. The city says it now draws thousands of people each year and has a national reputation. In an October 2025 Valley Times preview, event coordinator Heidi Marx put attendance at 21,500 for the 2024 event. That is the crowd any future plaza, bridge or shoreline redesign has to make room for in one October afternoon.
The 2026 weekend runs in this order:
- Saturday, October 17, noon to 5 p.m. Pumpkins and Pints at Stickmen Brewing Company, 19475 SW 118th Ave. The day includes the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers' Terminator Weigh-Off.
- Sunday, October 18, 9 a.m. The Regatta 5K Run/Walk, hosted by Tualatin Rotary, starting at Tualatin Community Park, 8513 SW Tualatin Rd.
- Sunday, October 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free festival at Lake of the Commons, 8325 SW Nyberg St., with food, entertainment, pumpkin bowling and pumpkin golf.
- Noon and 2 p.m. Five race heats across the two sessions.
Saturday and Sunday are connected. The city says many of the pumpkins from the weigh-off become boats the next day, and members of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers have been growing them for months. At noon, Heat One belongs to those growers, who paddle their own pumpkins or hand them to a friend. Heat Two is for Sasquash sponsors and invited guests. At 2 p.m., Heat Three puts Tualatin Police and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue on the water with paddlers picked through the online quest. Heats Four and Five are online-quest selections.
The boats themselves change from year to year. In late August, the Valley Times reported that about 20 paddlers would be chosen, but organizers would not know which pumpkins could float until race morning. Paddlers get a pumpkin, a life jacket and a paddle, and must wear a family-friendly costume they can swim in. Competitors cut an opening and scoop out the inside by hand or with tools. More pulp removed means a lighter pumpkin. At the 2025 race, Associated Press coverage reported that Gary Kristensen won the first race in a 936-pound pumpkin, while Brad Bahns paddled a 1,376-pound pumpkin that set his personal record. A boat that heavy needs real clearance to get under any future bridge.
Getting to the Water on Sunday
Parking on race day centers on the Pumpkin Shuttle, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and drops riders near Floor & Decor, two blocks from the lake. Shuttle parking lots:
- Kaiser Permanente, 19185 SW 90th Ave.
- The Oregon Clinic, 19250 SW 90th Ave.
- Bellagio's Pizza, 8835 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd.
- Hedges Green, 8639 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd., where the city asks visitors to avoid spaces reserved for Hedges Green customers
ADA parking is in the City Green Lot at 18715 SW Boones Ferry Rd. A free bike valet runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Nyberg Street and 84th, at the edge of the block the city hopes to redevelop. The city's shuttle map also marks the public Blue, White, Green and Red lots. The city's event pages do not list road closures, so check the festival details page closer to race day before driving in.
One committee member wrote in the minutes that the bridge idea deserves community input beyond the committee itself. If you're watching from the shoreline on October 18 and wondering how a new plaza or a mixed-use block by the Commons could affect your part of Tualatin, Kristen Anzellotti follows these downtown decisions and can walk you through them over coffee. Let's Connect.
