News

On Nov. 7, 2016, the Wilsonville City Council held a second reading and approved an ordinance that creates time, place and manner regulations on the operation of marijuana-related businesses that may locate within the City should voters reject Ballot Measure 3-486, thereby voicing a desire to have the City remove a current ban on marijuana-related businesses. The City Council seeks to be prepared with rules that govern where, when and how marijuana-related businesses can locate within Wilsonville in the event the ban is discontinued by voters at the Nov. 8 general election. If voters opt to continue the ban, this ordinance will be moot and will not apply in that the facilities will continue to be prohibited. The ordinance establishes local regulations for the operation of marijuana-related businesses that include a 2,000-foot buffer from residential zones, schools, City parks, or any City-owned property and also a 1,000-foot buffer between marijuana-related businesses.

Wilsonville’s public-transit agency, South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART), has won a $320,000 grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Agency (FTA) to purchase a new 31-passenger diesel bus. This most recent award is in addition to a 2014 FTA grant award of $638,000 that SMART received to purchase two more large-sized 31-passenger diesel buses that have recently been delivered and are to be put into service in the coming days.

In all, the two grant awards totaling just under $1 million allow the local transit agency to replace three older buses with three new lower-emission diesel buses. The most recent grant is to be used to replace a 16-year-old “high-floor” bus with a brand new more accessible “low-floor” bus that is closer to street level and easier for passengers to board. SMART plans to order the new “low floor” bus later this year and expects to receive delivery in 2018.

Metro regional government and Clackamas County are seeking public comment on proposals for 31 projects across the three-county region that improve travel mobility for cyclists and pedestrians and the timely movement of freight. Of these proposed transportation projects, 27 bike/ped project applications request a total of $92.5 million competing for $25.8 million in available funds.

The City of Wilsonville has a top-ranked project seeking $2.25 million in funding for a proposed bike/ped bridge over I-5 connecting east and west sides of town to provide a safer route and encourage the use of alternative transportation.

On Oct. 17, 2016, the Wilsonville City Council held a second reading and approved the Coffee Creek Urban Renewal Plan. The plan, which covers approximately 258 acres of land located in the northwest quadrant of Wilsonville bounded by Day Road, Ridder Road, 95th Avenue and Grahams Ferry Road, establishes how the City’s Urban Renewal Agency proposes to fund the public infrastructure required to transform the now largely undeveloped rural area into an urban employment center. The plan establishes a maximum indebtedness of $67 million, which sets the limit on urban renewal funding also known as tax increment financing, that is to be invested to build public infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, and water and waste-water services. A citizen task force recommended creation of the urban renewal district, which was approved by Wilsonville voters in a November 2015 advisory vote.

The City of Wilsonville announces the hiring of Amanda Guile-Hinman as the City’s new Assistant City Attorney, in the position previously held by Barbara Jacobson before she was promoted to the City Attorney position.

Amanda comes to Wilsonville from Bateman Seidel, a private law firm based in Portland, where she specialized in business litigation for the past seven years as an attorney and where she also served as a legal clerk for a year during law school. While at the firm she represented numerous clients on real estate and other business related cases. In practicing law, Amanda has also actively offered pro-bono legal services in partnership with Legal Aid Services of Oregon’s Domestic Violence Project, where she represented two dozen domestic violence clients.

The Wilsonville City Council held a first reading and approved a “Restricted Truck Zone” ordinance that prohibits semi-trucks from passing through an eastern segment of Wilsonville Road between Town Center Loop East and Boeckman Road. The truck restriction allows local deliveries, but does not allow semi-trucks to use Wilsonville Road as a cut through alternative to the freeway . The through-truck restriction strives to address concerns about noise, safety and vibration as the large freight trucks pass through the largely residential neighborhoods and schools along this portion of Wilsonville Road. The proposed restriction also seeks to discourage the use of Wilsonville Road as an alternate route between Interstate 5 and Interstate 205. If approved, City Council intends to evaluate the restriction for a 90-day period after adoption to determine whether the ban is effective.

As part of the now-underway Kinsman Road extension project that connects Barber Street and Boeckman Road just east of the Villebois neighborhood, a nighttime closure of the Barber Bridge, 9:00 p.m.–6:00 a.m., is planned to begin in the evening on Monday, October 10, and last until late November.

During the day and also regular commuting hours, a single travel lane across the bridge is to remain open, but travelers should expect delays and are encouraged to use the established detour route along Wilsonville and Brown Roads. A map of the detour route is available at www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/RoadConstruction.

Findings from the recently completed National Citizen Survey™ (NCS) of Wilsonville were presented to the Wilsonville City Council by Ashley Perez de Tejada, Survey Consultant for the National Research Center (NRC) based in Boulder, Colorado. She reported that the NRC found that of the 127 different standard community measurements included in the survey, 26 of Wilsonville’s ratings exceeded national benchmarks, 96 were similar and only five ratings were lower than other cities in the U.S. which also participate in the survey. The survey also asked community members what they think are the biggest priorities for the City over the next five years which were reported to be: 1. Traffic, roads and transportation (38%); 2. Planning, growth and expansion (24%), and 3. Housing and affordability (18%).

The City of Wilsonville is holding a public workshop on the proposed Boones Ferry Road to Brown Road connector roadway on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 5:00–6:30 p.m., at Wilsonville City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop East. 

The City of Wilsonville is holding a public open house on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 5:00–6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop East, to provide community members an opportunity to review and comment on a draft master plan for the Frog Pond West neighborhood — the 180-acre area immediately north of Boeckman Road and west of Stafford Road.

The plan includes recommendations for neighborhood zoning, residential design guidelines, street designs and the provision of parks, trails and open spaces. The purpose of the master plan, along with a development code, is to guide future development in the neighborhood.

Immediately following the open house the Planning Commission is holding a work session to review and discuss the draft plan and the public is also welcome to attend and provide comment.

Open Houses materials are available on the project website at: www.ci.wilsonville.or.us.

Clackamas County is conducting an online comment opportunity until July 15 for a proposal by members of the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) to remove the “Rural Reserves” protection of 800 acres of the French Prairie Rural Reserve immediately south of Wilsonville to facilitate damaging, inappropriate development. At a June 28 County open-house event in Wilsonville, 300-350 area residents and business owners attended who generally expressed opposition to the BCC proposal and supported continued protection of the French Prairie Rural Reserve.
 

Clackamas County public online comment opportunity:

Until July 15:  http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2879184/New-standard-survey
Flyer Summarizing Key Issues for County Online Comment
County Reserves Information Webpage: www.clackamas.us/planning/reserves.html...

On August 15, 2016, the City Council held a first reading and approved an ordinance for a Zone Map amendment of a 3.2-acre site located in the Villebois Village Center west of Villebois Drive North, south of the future Paris Avenue to allow the parcel to be developed as 82 condominiums and 10 row houses along with associated streets, alleys, and open space. The Council action changed the parcel’s zoning from Public Facility to the Village Zone. The proposal was previously approved by Development Review Board (DRB) Panel B on July 25.