FAQs
Planning - Frog Pond Plan
Does the City really need more residential land?
Yes. The City’s Housing Needs Analysis (a comprehensive analysis and projection over the next twenty years, which the City’s Planning Commission and City Council reviewed and adopted in 2014) independently validates the need for inclusion of the Frog Pond West neighborhood to meet state-required supply for residential land. For some years, Wilsonville had more jobs than residents. While in recent years the number of jobs has leveled while the population has continued to grow (in 2012, there were nearly 18,000 jobs, and 20,515 residents), the future development of the Coffee Creek and Basalt Creek industrial areas will likely exacerbate the need for housing. The community’s largest residential growth area, the 500-acre Villebois Village, is forecasted to build out within the next 5-8 years. After which, approximately 125 acres of buildable residential land will remain within the City limits.
How can I get involved and stay involved?
Upcoming events and project information are listed on the Frog Pond website at: www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/frogpond. On the website, you can sign up to be on the mailing list to be notified of project events. Staff contacts include Chris Neamtzu, Community Development Director, neamtzu@ci.wilsonville.or.us, 503-570-1574, and Miranda Bateschell, Planning Director, bateschell@ci.wilsonville.or.us, 503-570-1581.www.ci.wilsonville.or.us/frogpond
How will infrastructure be paid for?
This part of the planning is a work in progress. Revenue sources will likely include developer contributions, system development charges, the City’s capital improvement program, and potentially supplemental sources such as local “reimbursement districts.” The project team is studying what infrastructure is needed specifically for the lands within the UGB, and how much revenue would be generated by varying levels of development. Although water and sewer lines may be extended to new areas, only land that is brought into the city limits can legally connect to these systems. In Wilsonville, all annexations occur through property owner initiative.
I like large lots (9,000 square feet and larger) - will those be included?
Yes. Specific questions under discussion include: (1) how big is a “large lot”; (2) how much land should be included in this category; (3) where should large lots be located; and, (4) what are the best ways to provide flexibility for larger lots throughout the area? The Planning Commission and City Council will be addressing these questions as the Concept Plan is finalized this summer.
Is the City asking Metro to bring the Urban Reserve Areas into the Urban Growth Boundary at this time?
The City did request the area be included in 2010, but it was not added due to other higher regional priorities. In this most recent Urban Growth Report/UGB expansion cycle, the City asked Metro to bring in the area to provide a reasonable economy of scale for developing, funding, and coordinating the necessary infrastructure to help meet its 20-year housing needs. However, it appears unlikely this will occur. Metro’s latest Urban Growth Report states the current Metropolitan UGB has a 20-year land supply for residential growth. In addition, due to legal appeals the Urban Reserves have not been acknowledged, so Metro is limited in its ability to add land from the Wilsonville Urban Reserves to the UGB. Until there is more certainty about the timing and nature of Metro’s Urban Growth Management decisions, the City of Wilsonville request is on hold.
I’m concerned about traffic – what about that?
Development in the Frog Pond Area, Wilsonville and nearby communities will result in more people traveling through and within the area. However, significant improvements are planned for various modes of travel, which should result in increased safety and maintain or improve congestion and reliability on the roadways.
The City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP), updated and adopted in 2013, included the Frog Pond West area as part of the City-wide analysis. Planned transportation facilities include the widening of Boeckman Road, Stafford Road, Advance Road and a new traffic signal at the Stafford Road-Wilsonville Road/Boeckman Road-Advance Road intersection – are already included in the TSP to support Frog Pond’s growth and improve safety. The transportation technical work was updated and verified as part of the Frog Pond planning process (including the entire 500-acre area) in September, 2014. The traffic analysis found that the I-5/Wilsonville Road interchange and study intersections within the vicinity of Frog Pond will operate at a Level of Service D or better (the city’s standard for the PM peak hour) with improvements previously identified.
In the draft concept plan, improvements are planned for Stafford Road, Boeckman Road, Advance Road, and 60th Avenue. New or improved streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and off-street trails are included throughout the plan. Signalized and unsignalized traffic control devices for intersections are planned at key intersections throughout the area. The City is working closely with the School district to coordinate safe routes to schools and neighborhood connectivity.
What additional land uses will there be, other than residential?
The plan includes: a middle school, a primary school, a community park, neighborhood parks, trails, open spaces (e.g. Boeckman Creek), civic/institutional uses (the church and Frog Pond Grange), and neighborhood commercial (located in the Urban Reserve area).
What is the vision for the area?
The Frog Pond vision statement prepared by the Frog Pond Task Force and approved by the City Council states:
“The Frog Pond Area in 2035 is an integral part of the Wilsonville community, with attractive and connected neighborhoods. The community’s hallmarks are the variety of quality homes; open spaces for gathering; nearby services, shops and restaurants; excellent schools; and vibrant parks and trails. The Frog Pond Area is a convenient bike, walk, drive, or bus trip to all parts of Wilsonville.”
The guiding principles, also adopted, are:
• Create great neighborhoods
• Create a complete streets and trails network
• Provide access to nature
• Create community gathering spaces
• Provide for Wilsonville’s housing needs
• Create a feasible implementation strategy
• Frog Pond is an extension of Wilsonville
• Retain trees
• Honor Frog Pond’s history
• Provide compatible transitions to surrounding areas
• Promote healthy, active lifestyles
• Integrate sustainability
• Coordinate with Wilsonville’s transportation network
When could development of the Urban Reserve Areas happen?
This is difficult to predict because land must be added to the UGB first, which could take many years. The next state mandated review of the capacity of the UGB is six years away. It is reasonable to predict that the first development of the urban reserves will likely sequentially follow Frog Pond West and be at least 5 to 10 years away.
When will development start, and where?
The City anticipates that the new middle school will be the first area developed – with construction expected to start in 2016 and the middle school opening in September 2017. In Frog Pond West, a number of steps must be first undertaken: completion of the Concept Plan (planned for 2015); approval of a Master Plan and Comprehensive Plan amendments with realistic funding strategies identified (planned for 2016); annexations and development review; and then, the construction of streets, utilities, homes, and parks. The timing of these activities is subject to property-owner initiatives, funding strategies, and City approvals. Therefore, while there may be development capacity for the middle school in 2017, it will be a few years beyond that to put the necessary approvals and infrastructure in place for significant additional residential development. Development of Frog Pond West is expected to take 10-20 years to build out.
Why is the Frog Pond Area being Planned?
1. The City has anticipated the addition of the Frog Pond West area as a new Wilsonville neighborhood for decades. Wilsonville’s earliest land plan (circa 1971) identifies Frog Pond West as ultimately being a part of the city. The current Comprehensive Plan states: “Eventual redevelopment of the area is expected to be primarily residential…In view of the School District’s plans to construct a school within the neighborhood; the City must prepare plans to serve the new school and the surrounding area.”
2. Much of the planning area is inside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), the inclusion of which carries an expectation it will be planned. About 220 acres out of the 500-acre total planning area are inside the UGB. The UGB contains the City’s urban land supply – those lands intended for new homes, parks, schools and other needs of a growing city. The two areas within the UGB are:
- Frog Pond West” - In 2002, Metro Council added the 181-acre area (west of Stafford Road and north of Boeckman Road) to the UGB. The City is responsible for completing a concept plan for that area by the end of 2015.
- The School-Park property - In 2013, 40 acres of land south of Advance Road and west of 60th Avenue were added to the UGB. A new middle school, a future primary school, and a 10-acre park with sports fields are planned for this area. It is not known at this time when the City will have funding available for design and construction of this park.
3. The land adjacent to the UGB (about 280 acres) is designated Urban Reserve. Rather than conduct a separate concept plan for that area, it makes sense to prepare a single concept plan for the larger, combined area. Urban Reserve lands are those that will someday be considered for inclusion in the UGB as part of Wilsonville, and a concept plan is needed to provide the necessary information and analysis for such a consideration. But most importantly, advance planning – before it is even considered for addition to the UGB – will help knit the area into a cohesive community down the road. It also avoids the inefficiencies of trying to implement needed infrastructure in a fragmented fashion.
Will the plan include homes for first-time homebuyers?
Maybe. The answer depends on two variables:
(1) the range of lot sizes provided; and,
(2) the funding strategy for transportation, parks, water lines and other infrastructure. The Planning Commission and City Council will be discussing these issues as the Concept Plan is finalized.
Will there be apartments or high-density residential?
No. The current draft concept plan contains no apartments. Apartment and condominiums are sometimes referred to as high-density residential (typically 20+ units per acre). There is no high density residential.
Frog Pond West is 100% single-family, detached homes. The areas in the Urban Reserve are planned for a greater mix of housing, including medium-density residential (townhomes or cottage lots, for example) but no apartments.