Tigard City Council is asking city planners to reimagine downtown as a more bikeable space with dedicated pathways for two-wheel traffic to navigate a future cityscape.
Planners reported to the Council last month on the heels of a two-year public engagement and research period where they explored current development and building codes around the downtown area.
The Downtown Tigard Reimagined report centers on the historic Main Street and divides it and the broader downtown area into seven zones, mapping out potential uses and transportation systems for each.
While the plan includes new low-speed shared roadways around Main Street, it lacks dedicated bike lanes in the area, a point of contention for Mayor Heidi Lueb and other members of the Council.
“I just don’t think this connectivity plan supports the future vision of what Tigard could be with protecting different ways to get around, encouraging people to do something other than drive their car, and that frustrates me to the point where I can’t approve this plan as is,” she said.
Critics contend that the recommendations rely too heavily on a future public transportation system for which there is no current concrete plan or funding.
The full report, which seeks to “implement the downtown Tigard vision of a ‘vibrant, active, and welcoming city center at the heart of our community, providing transportation, recreational, residential and business opportunities that are accessible to everyone,’ can be found online. (tinyurl.com/2nz95esr)
It lays out a potential future for commercial, housing, and industrial growth in seven targeted areas: Center Street Commercial, Main Street, Downtown Neighborhood, Burnham Mixed-Use, Pacific Highway Gateway, Mixed-use Employment, Hall Gateway, and also outlines a potential transportation plan to link them.
Tigard’s tallest skyline would reach 12 stories in the Hall Gateway zone, with other zones maxing at six to eight stories. Main Street would see more mixed-use development with upper-story housing above ground-floor retail, like the recently completed Ava Roastaria project.
At the Hall Gateway, planners “anticipate future large-scale transit-oriented development that includes a relocated on-street bus transit center and light rail station,” according to the report.
Connectivity will be addressed along the way, says Redevelopment Manager Sean Farrelly.
“The idea is that new developments will build this infrastructure to provide access to the developments,” he said.
But, Lueb and Council members say that the presumed future transit – including additional bus service and light rail – is too central without adequate focus on other alternatives.
Planned transportation, which looks both at getting to and navigating downtown, is too heavily reliant on the combination of walkability and an assumed eventual public transportation infrastructure for which there are no concrete plans.
“I love the idea and the way that we’re changing these zones,” she said. “I don’t think our connectivity plan actually supports future ways to protect individuals to safely get around downtown unless they are walking or in a car.”
They’re asking planners to return to the drawing board for more bike-friendly options.
“We’re squeezing transportation and safe ways to get around Main Street in every possible way without providing safe ways specifically for cyclists,” Lueb said. “There is a huge focus on walkability, which I appreciate, but I think that’s not taking into consideration how many people want to be on their bikes but do not feel safe in the city of Tigard. I hear all the time, and me included, ‘It would be great to bike to this place, but I don’t have bike lanes or a protected way for me to get around.’”
Council President Yi-Kang Hu agreed with the call to prioritize dedicated bike lanes, saying even on his electric bike, sharing the pavement with cars doesn’t feel safe if the speed limit is over 20 miles per hour.
Councilors Maureen Wolf and Jeanette Shaw shared an additional concern with the connectivity plan, questioning the proposed housing density around Hall Boulevard, which allows for 12-story buildings.
“The level of housing is a concern if we are building toward (public transportation) that isn’t there yet,” Shaw said. “Twelve stories would be a concern.”
Even if approved, the report remains only a recommendation meant to guide development, meaning all real changes still need to be adopted individually, leaving plenty of space for alterations.
“When we get to the legislative process, we can change (the recommendations), we can abandon them completely, or we can adopt them,” Senior Planner Schuyler Warren said. “There’s a lot of discretion available to us as we develop approaches to implementing these recommendations.”
