Project Background

From 2009 through 2012, a number of assessments of Milwaukie’s commercial areas laid the groundwork for the Moving Forward Milwaukie. Following the adoption of significant improvements to the city’s residential and industrial zones, the next step is to evaluate and revise planning and economic development strategies for Milwaukie’s commercial districts.

The project began in 2009 with a grant-funded assessment of the City's manufacturing, residential, and commercial development and design standards. This is the fourth project the City is undertaking to implement these recommendations (the 2010 Land Use & Development Review Code Tune-Up Project, 2010-12 Residential Development Standards Update Project, and the Tacoma Station Area Plan are the others).

This project is primarily funded by a Construction Excise Tax (CET) grant from Metro, and will address the issues identified in the "Downtown Zones" and "Commercial Zones" areas of the Action Plan and Final Report.

Smart Development Code Assessment Action Plan: Identified issues and suggested approaches (short version)
Smart Development Code Assessment Final Report: Identified issues and suggested approaches (long version)

Review of Previous Planning Efforts and Documents

Background Memo: A document prepared by the consultant team to provide an overview of adopted plans, sub-area plans, opportunity site studies, and historical documents.

Downtown Plan and Code Refresh

A summary of the current code and Comprehensive Plan policies describes current regulations and the types of uses that are currently allowed downtown. A history of the City's downtown zoning explain how current policies were crafted.

Summary of Milwaukie's Downtown Plan: Overview of the various plans and policies that make up the "Downtown Plan" (note: development and use regulations for downtown are now contained in MMC 19.304 Downtown Zones).
History of Downtown Milwaukie Programs, Studies, and Plans: Overview of planning efforts in downtown Milwaukie since the 1960s.
History of Downtown Development Patterns: Overview of how downtown Milwaukie has developed over time.

Central Milwaukie

Central Milwaukie is the area roughly bounded by Hwy 224, Meek St, 32nd Ave, Harrison, 37th Ave, and Monroe.

Summary of Existing Standards: Current zoning and standards in the Central Milwaukie area.
History of Planning in Central Milwaukie: How the development and use standards in Central Milwaukie have changed over time.

Neighborhood Main Streets

The Neighborhood Main Streets project area includes the local commercial areas of 32nd Ave and 42nd Ave and Harrison St. Horizon Planning drafted recommendations for these areas in a 2012 report.