Town Center Task Force Meeting

TASK FORCE MEETING STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: April 15, 2026 Subject: Town Center Overview. Staff Member: Jeanna Troha, City Manager Amanda Guile-Hinman, City Attorney Miranda Bateschell, Planning Director Department: Admin, Legal, Community Development Action Required Advisory Board/Commission Recommendation ☐ Motion ☐ Approval ☐ Public Hearing Date: ☐ Denial ☐ Ordinance 1st Reading Date: ☐ None Forwarded ☐ Ordinance 2nd Reading Date: ☒ Not Applicable ☐ Resolution Comments: N/A ☐ Information or Direction ☒ Information Only ☐ Council Direction ☐ Consent Agenda Staff Recommendation: N/A Recommended Language for Motion: N/A Project / Issue Relates To: ☒Council Goals/Priorities: ☒Adopted Master Plan(s): ☐Not Applicable Goal 4: Communications & Town Center Plan Engagement ISSUE BEFORE TASK FORCE: Review of Town Center Plan (2019) and Development Code provisions concerning waivers to building height currently provided in the Town Center Zone (Wilsonville Code 4.132 (.06)D and 4.118(.03)A.8). Staff Report – Town Center Overview (TF Mtg) Page 1 of 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This staff report provides a summary of the information that will be presented to the Town Center Building Height Waiver Task Force (“Task Force”) at its April 15, 2026 meeting, particularly: (1) an overview of the Town Center Plan; and (2) the plan for the Task Force’s work over the next two meetings. I. BACKGROUND A. Establishing the Task Force – Resolution No. 3244 Resolution No. 3244 (attached hereto as Attachment 1) establishes the Wilsonville City Council’s desire to review Town Center building height waiver provisions in the Wilsonville Code and to establish a limited duration task force to help recommend updates to the waiver provisions. At its February 19, 2026 work session, Council received background factual and legal information regarding the Wilsonville Town Center and related Town Center Plan and then deliberated on four (4) questions: 1. Is Council interested in exploring updates to the building height waiver language applicable to the Wilsonville Town Center? 2. If yes to Question 1, is Council seeking to consider such updates within this year (i.e., a process timeline that is completed by October 2026)? 3. If yes to Question 1, is Council interested in a limited duration task force being formed to help evaluate updates to the building height waiver language? 4. If yes to Question 3, are there certain categories of stakeholder groups that Council wants represented on such a task force? Council answered in the affirmative to questions 1-3, and, for question 4, Councilmembers indicated a desire to include some of the original Town Center Task Force and broad and diverse representation. At its March 2, 2026 meeting, the Wilsonville City Council adopted Resolution No. 3244 (Attachment 1) to consider amendments to the Wilsonville Code that affect potential building heights for redevelopment in the Wilsonville Town Center. In particular, Resolution No. 3244 provides a process for Council to consider modification to building height waiver language within the Wilsonville Code that allow increased building height in the Wilsonville Town Center. The Resolution also called for establishing a limited duration task force to review options of possible updates to the building height waiver language in the Wilsonville Code. B. Town Center Plan Overview The Wilsonville Town Center Plan presents a blueprint that will guide future development in Town Center through strategic actions (new projects, policies, programs or partnerships) in order to achieve the Wilsonville community’s vision for Town Center. The City webpage with Town Center Plan information is available here. The Town Center project team worked with the Staff Report – Town Center Overview (TF Mtg) Page 2 of 5 community at over one hundred meetings and events from 2017 through 2019, and through dozens of surveys and polls to formulate the various elements of the Plan. The community is passionate about the future of Town Center and has voiced a vision and plan for the next stage in Town Center’s evolution. The Town Center Plan guides development in Town Center to create the heart of Wilsonville – a vibrant, walkable destination that inspires people to come together and socialize, shop, live, and work. The Town Center Plan identifies parks, civic spaces, and amenities to provide year-round, compelling experiences. To promote the heart of Wilsonville, the Town Center Plan has several components, including updates to the City Code to provide for mixed-use development, an “Emerald Chain” open space/park concept, multi-modal infrastructure to encourage bicycle and pedestrian accessibility, and economic development strategies. The Town Center Plan identified implementation measures, including parking strategies to ensure efficient and convenient parking for visitors, workers, and residents, infrastructure investments, economic development strategies, and regulatory actions (including adoption of updates to the Wilsonville Code). Of particular importance to this Task Force’s work, the Town Center Plan and related regulatory actions created four (4) subdistricts within the Town Center: Commercial Mixed-Use (C-MU), Mixed-Use (MU), Main Street District (MSD), and Neighborhood Mixed-Use (N-MU). The Main Street District represents the central hub of the Town Center. The other subdistricts transition from allowances for taller buildings adjacent to I-5 to smaller buildings adjacent to the residential area east of Town Center Loop East. Below is a map of the subdistricts, which is found in the Wilsonville Code: Staff Report – Town Center Overview (TF Mtg) Page 3 of 5 Since the Town Center Plan adoption in 2019, the City commenced work on the implementation measures including adopting updates to the City Transportation System Plan (2020) and the Town Center Streetscape Plan (2021), designing the Town Center Gateway Plaza (2021), undertaking an infrastructure funding plan (2022), conducting a vertical housing development zone (VHDZ) study and adopting the VHDZ (2022), creating a Town Center street naming policy and handbook (2024), and completing an urban renewal feasibility study (2024), which study is currently being updated at the direction of the City Council. C. 2025 Town Center Outreach In Fall 2025, in response to City Council Goal No. 4: Communications and Engagement, the City created a Let’s Talk, Wilsonville! questionnaire for the community and conducted three focus groups to better understand community members’ excitement and concerns regarding the Wilsonville Town Center, the Town Center Plan, and urban renewal as a financing tool for Town Center infrastructure/development. A summary report from the City’s consultants was provided at the December 1, 2025 Council meeting, which report can be found here and video of the presentation can be found here, starting at the 3-hour mark. In that outreach, community members expressed concerns regarding the potential height of future buildings in Town Center and the possibility for them to feel too much like they belong in a big city. From this feedback, staff proposed to the City Council to consider re-examining the building height waiver provisions for Town Center in the Wilsonville Code. II. BUILDING HEIGHT WAIVER PROVISION The current Town Center building height waiver provision is provided as Attachment 2 to this staff report and the additional general waiver provision (referenced in the Town Center building height waiver provision) is provided as Attachment 3 to this staff report. The provisions relevant to this Task Force’s work are highlighted. In particular, the current waiver provision in WC 4.132 allows buildings in C-MU and MU to waive building height requirements (meaning development can seek a waiver to only be one-story tall or seek a waiver to increase building height) and floorplate limitations (the square-footage of the floor area) if they meet the general waiver requirements in WC 4.118 and also select one item from each of Menu One and Menu Two to enhance the development. The building height waiver is not allowed in the Main Street District subdistrict or the Neighborhood Mixed-Use subdistrict. Staff reviewed prior Planning Commission and City Council work sessions and meetings where discussions regarding floorplate and building height occurred. At the direction from Planning Commission, both Planning Commission and City Council considered drafts of the waiver provision. The Planning Commission’s intent with the waiver provision was to provide flexibility for future development in Town Center. For the Task Force’s information, these work sessions and meetings discussions can be found in Attachment 4 to this staff report. III. PROJECT TIMELINE Staff anticipates the following timeline to complete the work: • April 15, 2026: First Task Force Meeting Staff Report – Town Center Overview (TF Mtg) Page 4 of 5  • April 21, 2026: Second Task Force Meeting • May 13, 2026: First Planning Commission Work Session • May 18, 2026: First City Council Work Session • May 19, 2026: Third Task Force Meeting • June 10, 2026: Second Planning Commission Work Session • June 15, 2026: Second City Council Work Session • July 2026: Statutory notices to DLCD, Metro, and Property Owners • August 12, 2026: Planning Commission Public Hearing • September 10, 2026: City Council Public Hearing and First Reading • September 21, 2026: City Council Second Reading • October 21, 2026: Ordinance Effective ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution No. 3244 2. WC 4.132 3. WC 4.118 4. Review of Planning Commission and City Council discussions on waiver language Staff Report – Town Center Overview (TF Mtg) Page 5 of 5