McMinnville leaders review preferred plan for 190‑acre Innovation Campus; work on design standards continues

McMinnville city staff and their consultants presented a preferred master plan and draft design and development standards for a 190‑acre “Innovation Campus” during a joint City Council and Planning Commission work session, saying the effort is intended to set public infrastructure expectations that will enable future private development.

The presentation on the concept master plan—led by Heather Richards, the city’s community development director, Jody Christiansen, the city’s special projects manager, and consultants from Walker Macy and JET Planning—described a site framed by a walkable retail town center adjacent to Highway 18, large flexible blocks intended for employment‑focused uses, a central public plaza called the Landing Commons and a proposed five‑acre neighborhood park near the hospital. Richards said the project is funded with city ARPA funds and two state grants from Business Oregon.

Richards said the planning effort dates to early 2017 and emerged from the city’s Three Mile Lane area planning work. “We started this effort back in 02/2017,” she said. The consultants said the master plan is intended as an advisory concept that will identify general land uses, a street network, open spaces and the infrastructure needed to support more intensive employment than existing zoning assumed.

Walker Macy principal Ken Perry summarized three scenario analyses the team used to test intensity, then presented a preferred scenario developed with property owners and the public. Samya Kenny (Walker Macy) described the preferred scenario as: a retail town center north of Three Mile Lane with a generous landscape buffer to preserve the area’s rural character; a “well‑connected” employment district with blocks sized to allow large‑user development or smaller parcels; strong north–south pedestrian and trail connections; and open space along the creek and river at the south edge. She said the team is targeting “more than 11 jobs per acre” in the employment zones.

Consultant Elizabeth Decker (JET Planning) reviewed draft design and development standards intended to implement policies from the Three Mile Lane area plan (adopted in 2022) and the city’s Great Neighborhood principles. Draft standards discussed included: perimeter landscaping and multiuse paths along Highway 18; building siting that brings active ground‑floor frontages to streets; reduced and reconfigured surface parking (including on‑street parking and shared parking strategies); and standards for building materials, façade activation and transitions to riparian areas.

Councilors and planning commissioners asked for details or clarifications on several topics: Councilor Tukulski asked whether a bicycle‑only path had been considered along Highway 18; Kenny said the team envisions a multiuse path that could be designed with separated bike and pedestrian lanes. Councilor Chenoweth asked who would maintain private paths; staff said maintenance would typically be handled by developers unless the path is accepted into the public system. Councilor Cunningham raised “back‑of‑house” needs for deliveries and service access in retail buildings. Other councilors urged design measures to calm vehicle speeds on main east–west frontage roads and requested flexible options for parking structures versus surface parking.

Property ownership and scale: consultants said the site is about 190 acres composed of three ownership parcels—DRS Land (western parcel, ~90 acres), Kimco Properties (eastern parcel, ~90 acres) and Springs Living’s headquarters parcel (remainder of the 190 acres). The consultants said property owners have been actively engaged since 2017 and “unanimously” supported the preferred plan shown to the council.

Next steps: consultants said an online open house will go live the following week, the project advisory committee would meet again in August, and the team will finalize a set of draft reports and an infrastructure needs and cost assessment by year‑end. Staff said final drafts will return to Planning Commission on Sept. 4 and to City Council on Sept. 23.

No formal land‑use decisions, zone changes or code adoptions were made at the work session; the meeting was a review and request for feedback on the draft concept master plan and design standards.

The city is using ARPA funds and two Business Oregon grants to complete the planning and standards documents; future public hearings and development review will be required before private development or public infrastructure construction occurs.