City, consultants present preferred plan for 66‑acre Dallas Mill Site; Ash Creek relocation flagged as critical path

Consultants from David Evans and Associates and Oregon Department of Transportation staff presented a preferred redevelopment plan for the 66‑acre Dallas Mill Site at a joint Dallas City Council and Planning Commission work session on March 17, 2025, and said relocating Ash Creek is the project’s critical path.

The plan calls for a mix of retained industrial uses, new commercial frontage linked to an east–west street, and limited residential development on the hillside, with parks and a multi‑use path integrated near the relocated creek. Consultant Jim Henke, project manager for David Evans and Associates, said the overall project purpose is “land use and transportation guidance for on and around the 66 acre former mill site.”

The consultants said the site’s redevelopment depends on flood control work. Henke described a high‑level cost estimate for relocating Ash Creek as “$40,000,000 or so at least” and said the figure could rise depending on design choices. Michael Duncan of the Oregon Department of Transportation described the TGM (Transportation Growth Management) grant that funded the planning and said the program focuses on aligning project outcomes with community values.

City staff and the consultant team presented how community input shaped the preferred plan: three surveys (the first drew about 1,000 responses; the most recent closed with about 114 responses), five…