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Downtown revitalization work advances; council directs addition of environmental representative to advisory committee
Summary
Urban renewal staff and consultant updated the commission and council on a downtown revitalization process funded by the TIF district, added outreach steps including walking tours and workshops, and council directed staff to add an environmental/community sustainability representative to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC).
The Development Commission and council heard an update on downtown revitalization that uses Urban Renewal/TIF resources to catalyze investment and improve the downtown commons area.
Sid Senn, Urban Renewal Economic Development Manager, reported the project schedule and new outreach elements added after the first Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting: a downtown walking tour, additional in-person and virtual meetings with the Tualatin Development Commission (TDC), three downtown workshops targeted at teens and youth, renters/affordable housing interests, and the Latino community, plus an in-person CAC meeting scheduled for July 2.
Michelle Reeves, the consultant focused on community identity and placemaking, outlined an engagement approach that begins with small focus groups of property and business owners, then moves to larger civic-identity workshops and public-facing visual materials. Reeves emphasized leveraging the city’s context — proximity to the Tualatin River and regional connections — and noted a key real-estate constraint observed on the walking tour: much of the downtown lies in a floodplain and includes elevated loading-dock conditions that will affect redevelopment approaches.
Councilors questioned whether the project’s technical and advisory teams included environmental expertise. Several council members asked staff to add a community environmental or sustainability representative to the CAC; councilors noted such a person could bring local knowledge of stormwater, green infrastructure, and river-edge considerations. The council gave direction to staff to recruit and add an environmental lens to the CAC roster so that upcoming design and TIF-funded choices include that perspective.
Reeves said her role will be to synthesize community input, characterize the district’s “story” and physical expression, and recommend targeted, cost-effective interventions for property owners, businesses and public-sector investment to catalyze private reinvestment.
