BEAVERTON URBAN RENEWAL PLAN UNANIMOUSLY ENDORSED BY FIVE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENCIES
Posted: June 14th, 2011 1:08 PM
The City of Beaverton's urban renewal plan has been unanimously endorsed by the major public agencies within Washington County. The plan was developed to encourage investment in under-performing areas in the heart of the City.
"I am very pleased that all of our partner agencies have voted unanimously in favor of our proposed urban renewal plan," said Mayor Denny Doyle. "Their strong support clearly demonstrates how inclusive we've been during this collaborative process."
A citizens committee has been working for a little more than a year developing the plan, which is designed to implement the goals of the Beaverton Civic Plan and the Beaverton Community Vision.
The proposed urban renewal plan was submitted to the four major local governments serving the City for their concurrence as well as to the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce. The City's government partners include Beaverton School District, Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Washington County.
"Concurrence is not required by state law, only consultation," said Mayor Doyle, "but we chose to seek concurrence with our local government partners in order to get their highest level of participation and involvement in the success of our program."
Urban renewal must be approved by Beaverton's voters. Urban Renewal is not a new tax, but it is a way for Beaverton to focus investments on Central Beaverton in order to attract public and private investment, increase property values, and attract new housing development to the area.
If approved by voters, urban renewal can be used to fund projects that create an active downtown, address traffic congestion, provide incentives for business investment and jobs, and support public safety by addressing police, fire and medical response times.
To achieve these goals, the plan develops programs to support private investment in older blocks and buildings.
Urban renewal projects are designed to:
* Fund targeted road, water, and sewer projects
* Make downtown more usable for bicyclists and pedestrians
* Support business investment and job growth
Urban renewal has several restrictions:
* Urban renewal cannot fund social programs or wage and income support
* Funds can only be spent inside the area boundary
* The program cannot be used to condemn property for private development
A public hearing has been scheduled for June 21 at 6 p.m. at Beaverton City Hall. Following the public hearing, the City Council will review the plan on July 12. If the Council approves the plan, it will be submitted to the voters in November 2011.
ABOUT THE BEAVERTON URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
The Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency (BURA) is responsible for urban redevelopment and renewal activities within Beaverton. The Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency mission is to revitalize under-performing areas in Central Beaverton through grants and tax increment financing. Urban renewal must be approved by Beaverton's voters and is not a new tax. For more information, visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov/BURA.
ABOUT BEAVERTON
Beaverton enjoys one of the most diverse populations among Oregon cities. It was one of just four cities of its size recently recognized as a "Smarter City" energy leader by the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the 100 Best Places to Live in America by Money magazine. In addition, Beaverton has been named one of the safest cities in the Pacific Northwest for three consecutive years, as one of the best places to raise kids by BusinessWeek magazine, an All-America City finalist, one of the 100 Best Walking Cities in America by Prevention magazine, the Recycler of the Year from the Association of Oregon Recyclers, a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a Bronze Award Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists and as one of the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Communities. Most recently, the Beaverton Community Vision program was named Public Involvement Project of the Year-Best Planning Project by the International
Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Cascade Chapter. For more information, please visit www.beavertonoregon.gov.
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