Wilsonville planners review jobs and land forecasts, consider tools to unlock industrial sites

Wilsonville planners spent their Nov. 12 work session reviewing an Economic Opportunity Analysis and a 10‑year Economic Development Strategy that staff say aim to prepare the city for future industrial and commercial growth.

Consultant Nicole Underwood of EchoNorth West told commissioners the team used the Oregon Employment Department regional forecast and that "Wilsonville is expected to add about 6,100 jobs by 2046," which the presentation translates into a need for roughly 320 acres of industrial land and about 110 acres of commercial land. Underwood said the EOA found the city has land capacity but that development is constrained by small parcel sizes, fragmented ownership and limited urban‑level infrastructure in key areas such as Basalt Creek.

The strategy organizes actions around six focus areas intended to address those constraints. Underwood outlined near‑term actions for industrial land readiness that include launching a land aggregation and resale program in Coffee Creek using urban renewal and reimbursement from Business Oregon's regionally significant industrial site program; conducting a feasibility study for an urban renewal area in Basalt Creek;…