11/16/2017 - Urban Renewal Plan Brings More Improvements to Downtown Tigard City of Tigard
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Press Release
TIGARD
13125 SW Hall Boulevard Tigard,Oregon 97223 www.tigard-or.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2017
Contact:
Dylan Dekay-Bemis
Economic Development Coordinator
City of Tigard
503-718-2560
Dylanb@tigard-or.gov
Urban Renewal Plan Brings More Improvements to Downtown Tigard
In 2006,Tigard voters approved the City Center Urban Renewal Plan that started the revitalization effort
of downtown Tigard. Halfway through the 20-year implementation of the plan downtown,Tigard has seen
notable changes including street and sidewalk improvements,new mixed-use development and new
downtown business investment.
The Town Center Development Agency—the city's urban renewal authority and formerly called the City
Center Development Agency—started the Urban Renewal Improvement Programs in 2009 with the goal
of encouraging property and business owners to make exterior upgrades,leading to an improved and
walkable downtown business district. The programs were instrumental in attracting two anchor businesses
to Main Street: Symposium Coffee and Jeffrey Allen Gallery.
Since 2009,20 matching grant-funded projects have been completed. Grant-funded projects from the last
round of funding in spring 2017 are slated for completion in the coming weeks.These projects include
facade improvements to Tigard Cleaners, Kepler's Upholstery, and 12551 SW Main Street (formerly Tigard
Cycle and Ski).
"My customers' regularly comment about how much they like the new Main Street improvements," says
Sherrie Devaney, owner of Sherrie's Jewelry Box and recipient of a 2012 Facade Improvement Matching
Grant. "They also love the upgrades to my storefront,which I did with the help of Tigard's urban renewal
agency."
Last month, the Town Center Development Agency (ICDA),preliminarily awarded matching grants to
three properties in the City Center Urban Renewal Area: Broadway Furniture,Madness Motorworks and
12562 SW Main Street. Grants will be finalized in the coming weeks with a signed letter of commitment.
The TCDA's Urban Renewal Improvement Programs Committee reviewed four grant applications and
selected the successful awardees based on the following criteria:
• The potential for positive impact on walkability
• The potential for the project to improve the downtown as a business district
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• Maximizing private investment (ratio of public funds to private funds)
This round of funding awarded the three properties a total of$45,000 of matching funds for improvements
to the frontage of commercial buildings,including paint, siding,masonry, awnings and windows. These
grants provide up to a 50 percent funding match and have leveraged approximately$4 in private
investment for every$1 in grant funds.
For more information on the programs www.tigard-or.gov/city hall/urban renewal.php.
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