City Council Adopts Wilsonville’s First WIN Zone, Approves CBA with City Employees
September 10, 2021 — At the September 9, 2021, meeting of the Wilsonville City Council, the Council, on second reading, approved the adoption of the Twist Bioscience Wilsonville Investment Now (WIN) Zone.
The new 4.4-acre site-specific Urban Renewal Area at the Parkworks Industry Center (26600 SW Parkway Dr.) is the City’s first WIN Zone. The designation provides property-tax rebates to California-based Twist Bioscience, which plans to invest $70 million in capital improvements at the site and create 200 jobs in within its first year.
The Council also adopted a new collective bargaining agreement between the City of Wilsonville and Wilsonville Municipal Employees Association (WilMEA). The three-year agreement is in effect through June 30, 2024.
During Mayor’s Business, City staff sought direction from the City Council to determine Wilsonville’s preferences among draft proposals for redistricting maps for Congressional and state legislative districts. The City Council indicated a preference for Congressional Plan B, which includes Clackamas and Marion Counties, and House/Senate Plan A, which places Wilsonville in districts with Sherwood and Tigard.
During Communications, the vice president of the Wilsonville Boones Ferry Historical Society delivered a report summarizing recent work funded by a Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Grant for archiving of historical artifacts.
Afterward, representatives from Portland General Electric summarized causes and impacts of February’s ice storm that resulted in multi-day power outages in multiple Wilsonville neighborhoods. The presentation discussed actions being taken by PGE to develop a more resilient electrical grid when future outages occur.
During Councilor’s Comments, Councilor Joann Linville provided an update on the progress of restoring and re-opening the Willamette Falls Locks. Revitalization efforts are to be overseen by the new Willamette Falls Locks Authority, established during the 2021 State legislative session, after ownership of the Locks is transferred by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the conclusion of seismic repairs.
During the period of public input, representatives of the Wilsonville Arts & Culture Council discussed the organization’s work to continue to develop platforms, projects, venues and events to maintain a vibrant arts community in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.
At the work session held prior to the meeting, Oregon Department of Transportation staff updated the Council on the status of regional transportation projects, including the Regional Mobility Pricing Project, a plan to implement tolling and congestion pricing on I-5 and I-205 that is designed to generate road-funding revenue and reduce peak rush-hour traffic-congestion.
City Staff sought the Council’s feedback on a study of “transit-oriented development” on a City-owned property adjacent to the Wilsonville Transit Center. The project will examine the costs and benefits of developing residences priced below median housing prices at a site conveniently located near transit services.
The next regular meeting of the City Council is to be held on Monday, Sept. 20, 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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