Mayor Knapp Delivers State of the City, Council Approves Affordable Housing Exemptions

March 3, 2020  — During the March 2, 2020, Wilsonville City Council meeting, Mayor Tim Knapp delivered the 2020 State of the City Address, highlighting several of the most significant accomplishments of the community from the just-completed decade. Entitled “The ‘Arc of History’ 2010-2020: A Decade of Making a Great Community,” Mayor Knapp’s broad perspective shined a spotlight on Wilsonville’s healthy business climate, key infrastructure developments, the award-winning SMART public transit system and the City’s work to acquire more than $16 million in federal and state grant funds to help underwrite a decade of local progress.

After the Mayor’s remarks, the 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 366 residential units of affordable housing. These exemptions allow the facilities to provide lower-cost rent to families, seniors and individuals meeting income qualifications.

By proclamation, the Council recognized the 100-year legacy of the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

At the recommendation of Mayor Knapp, Council confirmed the appointment of Rohit Sharma to the Tourism Promotion Committee

During the work session prior to the meeting, City Emergency Management staff shared with Council a summary of actions and protocols in place to guide the City’s support of county, state and federal health agencies working to safeguard the community from the emerging threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

City Planning staff continued a discussion with Council regarding efforts to modernize the residential zoning standards that define how and where buildings and site improvements can be completed within the City’s Planned Development Residential (PDR) zones. Staff addressed questions from Council and zeroed in on adjustments to be made before the new code is considered for Council adoption.

Planners also shared a draft of the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan to solicit the Council’s input on new performance measures and actions identified in the plan, which aims to make housing more affordable and attainable to ensure that Wilsonville provides housing opportunity for a range of household compositions, ages and income ranges. The Council’s questions provided guidance for staff to update the draft plan for continued discussion.

The next meeting of the City Council is to be held on Monday, March 16, at 7 pm; a pre-meeting work session begins at 5 pm.

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

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