City Council Approves Old Town Residential Design Standards and Reviews Plans for Library Remodeling

At the Nov. 20, 2017, Wilsonville City Council meeting, the Council conducted a second reading and adopted a new ordinance long in the works that guides design standards for single-family homes in the Old Town area of Wilsonville. The changes to City Code codify designs for new or remodeled homes that are compatible with the historical nature of the Old Town neighborhood, where a majority of residences were built prior to the 1970s. A slight modification of the code approved by Council clarified that an applicant home-builder can either use the pre-approved Old Town design standards for faster approval or request a different design through the standard City development-review process.

During work session prior to the meeting, the Council heard reports from staff on a variety of issues. Library Director Pat Duke presented on various components of the proposed $1 million library remodeling project scheduled for 2018. Council requested information on the costs of potentially including the installation of a new, improved heating-air conditioning-ventilation (HVAC) system during the course of the library remodel.

Public Works Director Delora Kerber presented on the proposed Willamette Water Supply Program (WWSP) Willamette Governance Group (WGG) Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). This contract among various local governments governs management of the operations of the Willamette River raw-water intake and existing Water Treatment Plant, including setting minimum water allocations.

Staff presented on Metro regional government’s request for letters of interest by cities interested in a potential residential urban-growth boundary expansion for consideration in 2018; City Council requested that staff submit a letter of interest in the Advance Road Urban Reserve that the City has conducted initial concept planning for called Frog Pond East and South.

Staff also presented on a pending contract award for City Council approval that would relocate the existing Memorial Park wastewater pump station out of the Willamette River floodplain to a higher elevation.

Community members can watch a replay of all or a portion of the City Council meeting on Comcast/Xfinity Ch. 30, Frontier Ch. 32 or on the City’s video-on-demand service at www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/WilsonvilleTV.