John Horvick (DHM Research) presented findings from three focus groups (34 participants) that probed why residents feel the way they do about the Town Center plan. He said participants consistently valued safety, the city’s small-town feel and proximity to nature. When asked about Town Center priorities, residents ranked local businesses and parks/open space highest and expressed strong interest in community gathering places and walkability.

Focus-group participants were divided on housing: some supported affordable housing to keep young people in Wilsonville while others strongly opposed increased density, citing traffic, loss of small-town character and crime concerns. Horvick said participants were often uninformed about urban renewal (tax-increment financing) and consistently asked for clearer information about timeline, costs, who pays and project sequencing.

CFM Advocates reported survey results from about 555 respondents that mirrored the focus groups. Roughly 43–44% of survey respondents said they would support using urban renewal in the Town Center; about 30% said no and 25% were undecided. Supporters described urban renewal as a pragmatic tool to coordinate incremental development; opponents described it as corporate welfare and voiced concerns about long-term debt and tax policy and asked for transparent project lists, tax impacts and milestones.

Councilors thanked presenters and emphasized the need for additional public engagement. Staff and CFM said the next step is to propose a targeted communications and outreach strategy for council review, including options for community gatherings and accessible online events.