City Council Renews Annual Tax Exemptions to Support Affordable Housing at Five Properties

March 5, 2024 — On March 4, 2024, The Wilsonville City Council granted annual property-tax exemptions to five multi-family facilities — Autumn Park Apartments, Charleston Apartments, Creekside Woods LP, Rain Garden LP and Wiedemann Park — that provide 365 residential units of affordable housing. These annual exemptions allow the facilities to provide lower-cost rent to families, seniors and individuals meeting income qualifications.

To expand the City’s broadband infrastructure, the Council adopted an amendment to an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Sherwood to fund the $145,000 installation of fiber conduit along Boberg Road to connect the SMART Administration and Public Works facilities.

The Council approved amendments to the City’s agreement with Wilsonville Community Sharing, the community’s food bank and social services provider, that extend the non-profit’s lease through June 2026.

To advance a future project to replace the playground at the Memorial Park athletic fields, the Council adopted a resolution authoring staff to pursue funding from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Local Government Grant Program (LGGP). The LGGP grant is one of two grants being sought by the City to fund the $1.1 million project cost.

The Council authorized a preliminary engineering report to help determine the viability of forming a Local Improvement District (LID) that would fund necessary road improvements on SW Parkway Avenue and SW Printer Parkway. Both roads need to be improved to current City standards to accommodate a proposed industrial development.

As required by local budget law, the Council and the Urban Renewal Agency adopted supplemental budget adjustments to account for unforeseen expenses during the current fiscal year.

 To support the needs of prospective industrial developers without compromising the City’s form-based design standards within a connected, high-quality employment center, the Council adopted amendments to Development Code within the Coffee Creek Industrial Design Overlay District.

During Mayor’s Business, at the recommendation of Mayor Julie Fitzgerald, the Council appointed Elizabeth Garcia Davidson to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for a term ending in December 2025.

During Communications, Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook detailed projects that would be prioritized should voters pass of a $110-120 bond measure that may appear on the November ballot. The measure would renew a 2014 bond at the existing tax rate of 25 cents/$1000 of assessed value to accommodate projects aimed at supporting student success with modern learning spaces, building community partnerships, and preserving and maintaining assets.

At the work session held prior to last night’s meeting, SMART Transit staff shared summary data from the agency’s most recent rider satisfaction survey. The presentation highlighted high user ratings (4.5 of 5 stars on average), and pinpointed areas for future improvement.

Planning staff shared data from recent public outreach activities that are informing the ongoing Housing Our Future project. The project to analyze the City’s future housing needs and capacity is continuing with a Housing Needs and Capacity Analysis (HNCA) to yield a clearer understanding of housing needs for the next 20 years and to confirm if there is sufficient land area for the City to accommodate these needs.

Engineering staff summarized steps undertaken toward the delivery of better walking and biking facilities along the length of French Prairie Road. The City is seeking a solution that would provide safer facilities for Charbonneau residents while addressing the liability and maintenance obligation associated with the incomplete and deficient walking path that currently exists.

The next regular meeting of the City Council is scheduled to be held on Monday, March 18, at 7 pm; a pre-meeting work session is scheduled at 5 pm.

Community members can watch all City Council meetings on cable (Xfinity Ch. 30, Ziply Ch. 32) or on the City’s YouTube channel: ci.wilsonville.or.us/WilsonvilleTV.

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