On May 13, there was a public hearing before the Planning Commission on the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan. This recap will explain why this was a historic meeting for addressing inequity in Wilsonville, and prepare you for action at City Council on June 15.
Click here to view the proposed plan.
What happened?
Spurred by multiple public comments to be specific about equity (thank you!), the Planning Commission had a robust discussion about how to address specific equity needs.
The plan had been updated to include greater language around equity, but there was still a desire to see more specificity.
Instead of changing the document, the Planning Commission felt greater comfort if there was an equity group to oversee City actions. They built off this public comment:
“Wilsonville would be well-served by a committee or body focused on issues of diversity and inclusion, to provide a forum for the City to more comprehensively address social equity across all of its functions and services.”
They unanimously voted to (1) recommend approval of the draft plan to City Council and (2) call for the City to establish an equity group to ensure that this plan and other efforts are completed.
After the vote, Wilsonville’s Planning Director, Miranda Bateshell, commented (1:53:00) on the historic step of this meeting, as this is the first time the City has had a plan with equity at the forefront!
Wow, what a historic meeting! To relive what could be a big step for equity in Wilsonville, you can watch the video or read my recap below.
What’s next?
The Equitable Housing Strategic Plan and recommendation to establish an equity committee will head to a public hearing before the City Council on June 15.
To prepare for that meeting, I am working on an article that will recap and analyze the equity updates to the plan. Sign up for email updates on the homepage to follow along!
Click here for my overview of the plan with fun images.
Planning Commission recap!
On May 13th there was a public hearing before the Planning Commission on the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan.
Opening comments
Concerns about Transit-Oriented Development at the SMART station, which is one of the priority action items, was raised by multiple Commissioners (33:22). Commissioner Mesbah clarified that new development would still be reviewed by the Planning Commission. Staff said that it was important to list this item as a priority because it would be easier to access regional funding.
An important exchange about occurred when Commissioner Millan questioned how equitable housing would be applied in Frog Pond West (46:00). Staff replied that changes in housing in Frog Pond West would occur from the state-mandated middle housing update.
Future contentious public meeting alert!
Be prepared for when these changes occur. Although Wilsonville has to follow state law, Frog Pond West was a hotly contested battle between inclusive versus exclusive housing, where higher-income exclusive housing won.
Public comments
In addition to written comments (thank you!), there was an opportunity for vocal public comment over zoom. My public comment (58:00) proposed the following edits (in bold) to the policy objectives:
Greater availability of a diversity of housing types for a full range of price points to serve the community, especially for people of color and their need for affordable, multi-generational housing
Increased partnerships with nonprofit and for-profit housing developers.
New and expanded affordable homeownership opportunities, especially for first-time homebuyers and lower or fixed-income individuals and families.
Reduced risk of housing displacement.
Targeted housing opportunities in areas with access to services and public transit, especially to serve the needs of single-parent households.
Maintenance and expansion of quality subsidized affordable housing stock, especially for people in need of emergency, transitional, or supportive housing.
Implementation of all housing policies through a lens of social equity and inclusion.
Rebecca Small, an urban planner with Metro, also spoke (1:06:00) to the additional funding provided by Metro to increase outreach to renters and the Latinx community.
Discussion
Commissioners were supportive of the equity groups identified in the public comments but were unsure on whether the added language was necessary.
There was a discussion about where emergency or transitional housing should be addressed. Commission Greenfield mentioned that it should be in a social services plan. Commissioner Mesbah pointed out that homelessness is mentioned in action 1E, which calls for the City to pursue partnerships.
Commissioners Millan and Willard made comments that they would be comfortable if language was added to clarify equity.
Staff responded that editing policy objectives would be difficult, because those were established by Council in August. There was a discussion over whether the equity explanation page could be a better landing place.
The discussion then turned to how this housing strategy is a part of a larger equity movement. The City of Wilsonville has an adopted statement on inclusion, but not equity.
Action
Instead of changing the document, the Planning Commission felt greater comfort if there was an equity group to oversee City actions. They built off the following public comment:
“Wilsonville would be well-served by a committee or body focused on issues of diversity and inclusion, to provide a forum for the City to more comprehensively address social equity across all of its functions and services.”
They unanimously voted to (1) recommend approval of the draft plan to City Council and (2) call for the City to establish an equity group to make sure that this plan and other equity efforts were being completed.
Click here for my overview of the plan with fun images.