How Urban Renewal has shaped Wilsonville

What previously was synonymous with a 1950s federal program to clean up decaying buildings and neighborhoods, Urban Renewal evolved into a locally-funded tool for cities to solve development problems.

The first Urban Renewal laws in Oregon passed in 1951, and in 1961, tax increment financing legislation was added. The year 1979 saw a rewrite of urban renewal statutes to include detailed regulations, standards, and procedures. Cities across Oregon began using this tool for local improvement projects. 

In 1990, a contracted architecture, planning, and urban design firm reported their findings that blight existed within the city of Wilsonville. Seven areas of blight were identified across the city, and these findings justified the creation of an urban renewal agency. Ordinance No. 369 was signed by Mayor John Ludlow in June of 1990 declaring that blight existed within the city of Wilsonville, recognizing the need for an urban renewal agency, and providing for the exercise of the agency’s powers by the Wilsonville city council. 

The seven areas of blight identified included:

• Water supply and delivery system deficiencies

• Waste water treatment facility deficiencies

• Sanitary sewer collection system

• Storm drainage system

• Open space, streets and roads

• High voltage electrical transmission lines

Wilsonville Forward will cover each of these categories in greater detail and discuss whether Urban Renewal was used to help remedy these problems Stay tuned to learn more about how over the past few decades urban renewal has helped to move Wilsonville forward.

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Resources:

City of Wilsonville, Ore., Ordinance No. 369 CB‑O‑138‑90 (adopted June 4, 1990).

Potter, Connie. “Hilsboro plans urban renewal project for site. The Oregonian. July 7, 1989, p. 1. 

“Urban renewal and tax increment financing.” (March, 1990) League of Women Voters of Lane County. Retrieved August 5, 2025 from here.