Wilsonville City Council — Downtown Urban Renewal Update 2026

Wilsonville City Council — Downtown Urban Renewal

Wilsonville Has Been Planning a Downtown for Seven Years. Here's Where Things Actually Stand.

Seven years. That's how long Wilsonville has been working toward a real downtown — a walkable town center with shops, restaurants, a bridge over I-5. Something that feels like a place people actually want to be.

What exists there right now? Vacant parking lots. An empty movie theater. An empty Shari's. An empty gym.

At the April 6th City Council work session, the city's economic development manager didn't sugarcoat it. The vision exists. The plan exists. The infrastructure to make it happen does not.

What Is Urban Renewal, Actually?

The city has been developing an urban renewal plan — and if your eyes glazed over just reading that phrase, here's the short version: it's a financial tool that captures future tax revenue generated by new development and redirects it back into the infrastructure that makes development possible in the first place. Roads. Parking. Utilities. Intersections. The stuff that has to come before a restaurant or apartment building can realistically go in.

It's not a new concept. Cities across Oregon have used it. But getting it funded and approved is where things get complicated.

Three Options, One Vote

Right now, three financial scenarios are on the table. They range from $71 million to $106 million in total borrowing capacity over 30 years. Council is leaning toward Scenario 1 — the most conservative of the three — and putting it on the November ballot for voters to decide.

That's the key word here: voters. This isn't something that gets decided in a conference room. Wilsonville residents will have a say.

The Part That Stings a Little

This vote almost happened in 2024. A version of this plan went to the ballot — and failed. By 54 votes.

Fifty-four.

So this isn't a new idea coming out of nowhere. It's a second attempt, with more information on the table and more time for the community to understand what's actually being asked. The city has had time to sharpen the case. Residents have had time to see what happens when nothing gets built.

If you live in Wilsonville and care about what your city looks like in ten years — whether that's property values, walkability, local business, or just having somewhere to actually go — this is the conversation to pay attention to. The November ballot will be here faster than it feels like right now.

Jennifer Schurter serves buyers, sellers, and investors throughout South Clackamas County and the North Willamette Valley — including Canby, Oregon City, Wilsonville, Aurora, Hubbard, Molalla, Woodburn, Newberg, Sherwood, Tualatin, West Linn, Lake Oswego, and the greater Portland metro south. Her goal is simple: to be the most knowledgeable, most responsive, and most genuinely helpful real estate agent in the area — every single time. Jennifer is a licensed Oregon real estate broker with Real Broker LLC.

Have questions or want to get started? Connect with Jennifer here: https://jenniferschurterhomes.com/connect-with-jennifer — She'd love to hear from you.