Council hears Downtown Reimagine update; members ask for more business feedback before code changes

Senior planner Susan Shanks told the Tigard City Council that the Downtown Reimagine project is now in phase three, focused on converting community vision and recent comp‑plan policy updates into a plan‑district chapter of the city development code. She said the draft package currently consists of maps and comparative tables showing proposed boundaries, zoning changes, development standards (setbacks, a six‑story height cap, and minimum density), and a targeted transportation network.

Shanks said the draft removes a single monolithic mixed‑use zone in favor of distinct mixed‑use residential and mixed‑use commercial areas to encourage housing in the downtown core while preserving appropriate commercial locations. She described a recommended approach that drops maximum density caps but preserves a six‑story height limit to control scale, and highlighted transportation proposals that include both narrower paths and a few wider 40‑foot “linear plaza” paths intended for placemaking and multimodal access.

The presentation summarized outreach to the planning commission, the transportation advisory committee, the downtown alliance, the chamber of commerce, developers and downtown property owners, and noted more than a dozen email exchanges with businesses asking how the proposals would apply to specific sites. Staff recorded common concerns about potential land‑use restrictions, the possibility of displacement of existing residents, and the need to preserve historic character; supporters cited the off‑street bike network, clearer zoning distinctions, and flexibility for redevelopment.

In question‑and‑answer exchanges, Councilor Robbins asked whether proposed wider P2 paths could be removed or converted to streets; Shanks said those choices are policy tradeoffs and noted many proposed dotted alignments follow property lines and would be implemented when parcels redevelop, sharing improvement costs across adjacent owners. Councilors also sought clarification about whether infrastructure would be required at redevelopment (Shanks: yes, improvements are typically tied to redevelopment and a nexus with new impacts), use‑size restrictions for retail, and where neighborhood‑scale commercial would be allowed.

Several council members urged more time to align the draft code with the recently adopted economic development strategy and the upcoming Transportation System Plan (TSP) update. Councilor Shaw said she considers policy implementation premature without fuller business feedback and recommended a study session or workshop; Shanks said the downtown work is intended to inform the TSP and staff can return with material that demonstrates how layers such as TIF, the TSP and economic pillars relate to the code changes.

Mayor interrupted for time near the end of the discussion and proposed pausing until staff return with additional business outreach results; council members agreed to ask staff to schedule follow‑up and to provide clearer definitions (for example, what qualifies as a “main road” for neighborhood‑scale commercial designations) before formal code drafting continues.

The council did not adopt any code changes at the meeting; staff said the draft remains subject to revision after phase‑three outreach and public hearings.