Oregon City staff present market assessment to revive Thimble Creek employment land

City planning and economic development staff on April 14 presented a market assessment aimed at identifying barriers to job‑center development in the Thimble Creek concept plan area and outlined next steps including potential code changes and partnership strategies.

The assessment, paid for by a grant through Metro, examines why employment and commercial development have lagged behind recent residential growth and offers a menu of options ranging from targeted amendments to the land‑use code to financial incentives and public‑private partnerships. Christina Robertson Gardner, senior planner with the planning department, said the study is “really just one piece of a larger process — what are the barriers in this area and what can the city do to reduce or remove those barriers to help redevelopment.”

Anne Griffin, economic development coordinator, told the commission the work is intended to preserve and expand local jobs. “A city needs jobs. We need people that are earning…