What happened on June 15?
After a few hours of discussion, listening to five people voice support at public comment, and reading through numerous comments before the meeting, on June 15th the Wilsonville City Council unanimously voted (West motion and Lehan seconded) to approve the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan.
Also, the Council voted (5-0) to direct staff to develop a proposal for an on-going committee to oversee equity efforts from this plan and others to address systemic and historic inequity.
Historic night
In addition to the City’s first-ever recognition of Juneteenth - which happened at this meeting - this is a historic step because it was the first-ever plan to prioritize equity to acknowledge and address historic and systemic racism.
Quick recap
If you want to relive a riveting five hours of public meeting, you can watch the video. If you want the Garet’s notes (trademark pending) recap of comments by Council members and the public, take a few minutes to read the following:
Mayor Tim Knapp
Received feedback from a wide range of people that we need an equity committee to oversee and prioritize action.
We need this plan to set strategy and we will work out the details in implementation.
Passing this plan is a historic step for the city.
Council President Kristin Akervall
Supports an equity group to address more than just housing. Time is needed to think through how to support and make this a successful effort.
At its most simple, this plan identifies gaps for current and future residents and sets a strategy to fill them.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion should be a consistent theme for all government. We need to have intentional partnerships to learn from the community, as well as exploring and understanding individual and systemic inequity.
Councilor Joann Linville
We need more input and partnership with Wilsonville’s Latinx community.
We need a group that will help institutionalize equity into the framework of government.
Unsure about how the equity gaps raised by the Wilsonville Alliance would be addressed in the plan, and how the plan would impact the homeownership rates.
Councilor Ben West
Oregon has a long history of housing racism.
We need to find ways to reach out and involve Wilsonville’s diversity (e.g. race, ability, LGBTQ, etc.). Thank you to the Wilsonville Alliance for their efforts to date.
Proposed moving the Home Builders Association recommendation to prioritize System Development Charge delays (currently listed as a secondary item, 2B).
Delighted and thankful - especially to Mayor Knapp and Councilor Lehan - for Wilsonville’s leadership on equitable housing (we have been at the “tip of the spear”).
Councilor Charlotte Lehan
Unclear on why mobile homes and senior assisted living are missing from the plan.
Supports plan, but interested in getting to the details.
The city needs to better understand from the development community what is needed to build and sell diverse housing types.
Public comments
Garet Prior, Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive Community
Shared a personal story about housing inequality and the Wilsonville Alliance statement in support of plan, committee, and specific equity categories.
Andrew Engel, renter, father, and young professional
A renter who has been forced to move multiple times because of rent increases. He has a quality engineering job but still cannot afford to buy a home. Worried about the social and cultural impacts of rising housing prices, as they force a higher turnover for renters and benefit white-collar demographics. Supports the plan because the action is needed to address the widening income gap.
Roseann Johnson, Homebuilders Association (HBA)
Presented the HBA’s support of the plan and equity committee. Emphasized support for tax breaks (e.g. HOLTE and Vertical Tax Abatement Zone) and to prioritize Frog Pond development.
Rudy Kadlub, Villebois developer
Villebois was based on organizing principles of connectivity, diversity, and sustainability (environment, social, and economic). The inclusion of mental health housing was a first, and the stability of this neighborhood has done much to address stereotypes. He supports the plan but stressed that Council will need to make sure that actions happen.
Julie Fitzgerald, former City Councilor
Voiced her support for the plan and is interested to find creative ways to increase homeownership.
Written comments
Comments by community members (letter), the Homebuilders Association (letter), Habitat for Humanity (letter), and the Wilsonville Chamber (letter) were received before the public hearing. All of these comments were in support of the plan!
What’s next?
Phew, I’m going to celebrate and grab some rest!
If you are interested in issues of housing, equity, and historic racism, please sign up for email updates on my homepage. Also, join other residents of Wilsonville on a fourth Thursday meeting of the Wilsonville Alliance to strategize actions on these issues!