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; coordinating with Washington County on contractor‑establishment approvals; designing financial and policy toolkits (local improvement districts, public cost sharing and developer agreements); and promoting the city's most development‑ready industrial sites. "This concept has already been introduced to council and received some early positive feedback," Underwood said.

Consultant Beth Goodman told the commission about the land inventory: "So about a 130 of your 308 acres of buildable land for industrial is partially vacant," she said, and pointed commissioners to packet Exhibit 36 for the exhibit and caveated that additional infill potential was not quantified and would require site‑by‑site analysis.

Commissioners pressed staff on funding and legal constraints. A commissioner asked whether the strategy was state‑required; Matt (city staff) and Beth answered that the city must maintain an inventory of buildable land under state planning expectations and that some funding programs exist at the state level for industrial site work, but many actions would rely on local mechanisms such as urban renewal or system development charges. "And that's not an expense to taxpayers. That's an expense to development at the time of development application," Matt said when explaining SDCs.

The strategy also proposes measures to support Town Center redevelopment and small businesses: targeted incentives (grants, reduced fees, tenant improvement assistance), a food incubation program, exploration of affordable commercial‑space models, and recruitment of unique restaurants and shops. Commissioners suggested the city explicitly add language or actions to support minority‑owned businesses and business retention in addition to recruitment. Staff agreed to consider that guidance during implementation.

A point of contention was whether to allow more non‑retail commercial uses in industrial zones; one commissioner cautioned that permitting gyms, entertainment venues or similar uses risks diluting industrial land meant to attract higher‑wage employers. Goodman and staff said the intent is to authorize limited, non‑retail "flex" employment uses (architects, small production or office‑adjacent functions) and to design careful limits so industrial land is not converted to lower‑value commercial uses.

Commissioners also asked staff to include benchmarking examples from other jurisdictions (Tigard's food cart pod, Hillsboro and Gresham workforce or business supports, industrial growth in Sherwood) as the strategy moves toward implementation. Underwood said the team can bring back more concrete examples and refine program language if the commission or council pursues specific tools such as a town center urban renewal area or a business improvement district.

The commission had no in‑room or online public commenters during the session. The project team said it expects to bring the project to City Council in December with hearings scheduled for 2026 and invited commissioners to advise on which actions should be elevated given limited city resources.

Votes at a glance: The commission unanimously moved to amend and adopt the October meeting minutes following a clerk‑noted correction; the motion was made by a commissioner who requested the edit and seconded by another commissioner and passed by voice vote.

What happens next: Staff will revise the strategy language to reflect commissioner feedback on prioritization, equity and retention and return the consolidated package to City Council during the upcoming hearing schedule.