McMinnville staff and consultants preview preferred Southwest Area Plan; commissioners question density and southern-options

City staff and consulting teams presented a refined preferred concept for the Southwest Area Plan at a joint McMinnville City Council and Planning Commission work session, outlining a roughly one-square-mile study area with parks, greenways, two neighborhood activity centers (NACs), and a future school site.

Thuy Kao of HHPR summarized outreach from January's open house and a March Spanish-language focus group, saying nearly 200 people attended the in-person event and the team received 31 comment forms, 12 online responses and multiple written submissions. "Traffic and safety concerns, strong greenway connections and walkability consistently rose to the top," Kao said, and those priorities helped shape the draft preferred concept.

Walker Macy's Ken Perry described the preferred concept as organized around a new primary loop street that links Hill Road and Old Sheridan Road, connects the two NACs, and locates high-density residential near each NAC to help support walkable commercial uses. "Each NAC includes a small plaza, and the community park and school site are positioned to form a green heart for the neighborhood," Perry said. The plan shows stepped density transitions from high to medium to low residential around the NACs, expanded greenway corridors along riparian features, and an extended trail network tied to the BPA corridor and Fox Ridge area.

Commissioners and councilors focused their discussion on three recurring issues. First, several members questioned the clustering of higher-density zoning (R-5) in concentrated swaths around the NACs instead of distributing density more evenly across the area. Carson Benner noted McMinnville's traditional pattern of dispersed higher-density pockets and asked whether tighter clusters would change neighborhood character. Staff replied the amount of R-5 acreage reflects housing needs identified in the 2020 framework plan and that locating density near NACs can help sustain nearby commercial activity and reduce vehicle trips.

Second, members asked for clarity about greenway continuity where mapped corridors appeared to stop at Hill Road. Staff explained dashed lines on the map noted refinements and that some floodplain areas would remain preserved open space (and might not be fully accessible to the public) while other segments would be designed as usable, meandering greenways connecting parks and the future school site.

Third, the southern subarea emerged as a more uncertain parcel: staff and consultants are presenting two land-use options because the area is highly subdivided among multiple owners and requires additional transportation analysis and coordination with ODOT. Commissioners suggested commercial uses may be more appropriate along Highway 18 and near a substation in some configurations, but staff cautioned that ODOT access constraints and market forces could shape the final outcome.

Commissioners also raised cultural-resource questions about a small hillock in the western thumb of the study area. Staff said soils and topographic data show an elevated soil type but that no designated cultural resource appears in the state's confidential database; they committed to consulting tribal archaeologists and Grand Ronde cultural resources staff to confirm whether protections are warranted.

Staff outlined near-term next steps: additional PAC meetings (three more), targeted transportation and feasibility work tied to the city's Transportation System Plan (TSP) process and a future joint work session before the formal adoption process begins. No formal votes or ordinance actions were taken at the session.

The joint work session adjourned at 7:25 p.m. The project team will return with refined maps and technical analysis for further direction.