Fresh Look Milwaukie: Downtown Road Map

City of Milwaukie Oregon Official Website

A decade after the adoption of the Downtown and Riverfront Framework Plan, it was time to take a fresh look at policies shaping downtown. In the gap between the downtown Milwaukie envisions and the planning tools utilized to get there, a number of critical pieces were missing. Guided by a new road map of the necessary changes, those missing pieces will be filled in to form a stronger downtown plan.

Overview
This project was the first phase of Moving Forward Milwaukie and of a two-phase "refresh" of the Downtown Plan and code. ALIGN planning, a group of Urban Planning graduate students from Portland State University, headed up the community engagement process in partnership with the City of Milwaukie.

The Fresh Look Milwaukie: Downtown Road Map project ("Project") considered the vision and policies guiding development in Downtown Milwaukie to assess whether the adopted policies support the type of development and uses the community would like to see in the future.

Over a decade has passed since the adoption of the Downtown and Riverfront Framework Plan (”Framework Plan”), along with other policies currently guiding development in the downtown. Understanding where we have been, where we are now and where we are going is essential. This assessment is necessary in light of changing local and regional circumstances, including the adoption of a new concept for the South Downtown and the arrival of in the Portland Milwaukie Light Rail alignment in 2015.

Project Goals
The project identified the “missing pieces” in current planning tools and policies, and prioritized the development of those missing pieces through extensive community engagement. The outcome of this project was a "road map" for Downtown Milwaukie—a high-level, broad-reaching and value-based plan for the future. It provides guidance on how to use and revise existing plans and policy tools related to Downtown Milwaukie – in particular, the Framework Plan.

Schedule and Outreach
The Fresh Look Milwaukie project kicked off on April 1 and wrapped up on June 4, 2013, with a presentation to City Council. Community engagement events included:

April 1, 2013: Kickoff event
April 8 - May 1: Online & hard copy survey in English and Spanish
April 27, 2013: Downtown Walking Tour
April 30, 2013: Downtown Business Owner "Coffee Klatches"
May 9, 2013: Community Workshop
May 28, 2013: Presentation to the Planning Commission and Design and Landmarks Committee
June 4, 2013: Presentation to City Council

Additional Information
For more information about the project, please follow the appropriate link:

Contact
Community Development
(503) 786-7600