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City of Tigard
City Council Business Meeting Minutes
CITY of
Tigard March 24, 2026
1. Business Meeting
A. At 6:33 p.m. Mayor Hu called the Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review Board
meeting to order.
B. City Recorder Krager called the roll.
Present Absent
Councilor Robbins ✓
Councilor Schlack ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Council President Wolf ✓
Councilor Anderson ✓
Councilor Ghoddusi ✓
Youth Councilor Hellhake ✓
Mayor Hu ✓
C. Mayor Hu asked everyone to mute their mics and join him in the Pledge of Allegiance.
D. Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items-There were none.
2. Public Comment
A. Public Comment—Written: None.
B. Public Comment—In Person: Marc Farrar from Metropolitan Land Group spoke
about River Terrace Street designs and encouraged the Council to ask staff where the
River Terrace 2.0 street standards were expanded and right size them back to River
Terrace 1.0 standards. He said developers need to know what will be in the finance
package and hoped the developer forum is rescheduled. He requested that staff and
consultants identify specific numbers on System Development Charges
(SDCs) for the different choices the Council will make, as these decisions impact the
price of housing.
C. Public Comment—Phone in or Video: Pam Verdadero of Risewell Homes offered public
comment on the River Terrace 2.0 transportation plan. She felt that modifying the
parking on the Commercial Collector street design will allow wider sidewalks to
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 March 24, 2026
create an enhanced experience for retail shops and restaurant customers in the
commercial area. She said they built a similar development in Beaverton where
restaurants are using part of the sidewalk for bistro tables.The 8-foot
landscape area is quite large and could be reduced to provide more sidewalk areas.
She added that she agreed with the previous commenter.
3. City Manager Report
Finance Director Kang filled in for Acting City Manager Tritsch and invited community
members, partners and businesses to Mayor Yi-Kang Hu's State of our City event. It will be
held at Broadway Rose Theater on Monday, April 13 from 5:30-7:30 PM and will
highlight prior year accomplishments and share priorities shaping Tigard's future.
4. Consent Agenda (Tigard City Council and Local Contract Review Board)
A. Approve Resolution No. 26—09-A RESOLUTION GRANTING AN EXEMPTION FROM
PROPERTY TAXES UNDER TIGARD MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 3.50 FOR FOUR NON-
PROFIT, LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROJECTS AND TWO PROPERTIES OWNED AND
OPERATED BY COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING (CPAH), ONE LOW-
INCOME HOUSING PROJECT OWNED AND OPERATED BY NORTHWEST HOUSING
ALTERNATIVES (NHA), ONE LOW-INCOME HOUSING PROJECT AND FOUR PROPERTIES
OWNED AND OPERATED BY REACH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,AND ONE LOW-
INCOME HOUSING PROJECT OWNED AND OPERATED BY RESIDENT RESOURCES.
B. Approval of City Council Minutes: February 17, 2026
February 24, 2026
March 3, 2026
March 10, 2026
C. Local Contract Review Board: Contract for Mechanical/HVAC/Preventative
Maintenance, Service, Repair and Inspection Services
Councilor Robbins moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Councilor Shaw
seconded the motion. Mayor Hu conducted a vote and the motion passed unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Robbins I
Councilor Schlack I
Councilor Shaw I
Council President Wolf I
Councilor Anderson I
Councilor Ghoddusi I
Mayor Hu I
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 March 24, 2026
5. Legislative Public Hearing: Recreation Immunity Ordinance
A. Open Public Hearing— Mayor Hu opened the public hearing.
B. Hearing Procedures—Mayor Hu announced that anyone may testify by phone, video or
in person and may call now to get in the queue by calling 503-966-4101.
C. Staff Report—City Attorney Rihala gave the staff report on recreational immunity, a
statutory protection for property owners who make their land available to the
public without charge for recreational purposes. Local governments are allowed to
opt-in to immunity from liability for the use of trails and associated structures in public
easements and unimproved rights-of-way, provided the local government adopts an
ordinance. Staff recommend adopting this ordinance as proposed.
D. Public Testimony—There was no public testimony.
E. Response to testimony by staff— None
F. Mayor Hu closed the public hearing.
G. Council consideration of Ordinance No. 26-07.
Councilor Schlack moved to adopt Ordinance No. 26-07 and Councilor Shaw seconded the
motion. Councilor Ghoddusi asked City Attorney Rihala if there was any downside to this
and she replied there was none.
City Recorder Krager read the number and title of the ordinance and conducted a roll-call
vote, starting with Youth Councilor Hellhake for an advisory vote.
ORDINANCE NO. 26-07—AN ORDINANCE LIMITING LIABILITY FOR THE CITY OF TIGARD
UNDER ORS 105.668, RECREATIONAL IMMUNITY
Yes No
Councilor Robbins I
Councilor Schlack ✓
Councilor Shaw I
Council President Wolf I
Councilor Anderson I
Councilor Ghoddusi I
Youth Councilor Hellhake I
Mayor Hu I
Mayor Hu announced that Ordinance No. 26-07 passed unanimously.
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 March 24, 2026
6. Economic Development Strategic Plan Adoption
Economic Development Manager Hauther gave the staff report and slide presentation, a copy
of which is in the packet for this meeting. ECOnorthwest Project Director Cragie and Project
Manager Farchy joined remotely.
Ms. Hauther described the Project Goal, Mission Statement, Structural Pillars and Guiding
Values that were all incorporated into the final plan. She reported on Council feedback from
the March 3, 2026 Council meeting, some reflected in the plan and some as action items that
are already being implemented. Regarding Council's role, Economic Development Manager
Hauther said it is critical for the City Council to be involved at the strategic level, setting the
direction and being the figureheads of the forward-facing entity. She said giving guidance
is the best value of Council involvement as well as staying informed and collaborating with
staff.
Council President Wolf said this was a great framework and she would like to see metrics added
to measure success. She thanked Councilors Shaw and Schlack for their work on this project.
Councilor Shaw praised the efficiency of the strategic plan process. Councilor Schlack agreed
and said this plan sets the city up for success in elevating economic opportunities in Tigard. He
thanked the staff and community for their participation.
Councilor Shaw moved to adopt the Economic Development Strategic Plan and the motion was
seconded by Councilor Schlack. Mayor Hu conducted a vote, starting with Youth Councilor
Hellhake for an advisory vote.The motion was approved unanimously.
Yes No
Councilor Robbins ✓
Councilor Schlack ✓
Councilor Shaw ✓
Council President Wolf ✓
Councilor Anderson ✓
Councilor Ghoddusi ✓
Youth Councilor Hellhake ✓
Mayor Hu ✓
7. River Terrace 2.0 Update:Transportation and Equitable Finance Strategy
Senior Planner Gada gave the staff report. A copy of her presentation is in the packet for this
meeting. The presentation had two parts -Transportation and Financing.
River Terrace 2.0 Transportation:
Slides of each of the recommended street designs for River Terrace 2.0 were shown and the
policy goals, engagement feedback and features of each were described.These designs
prioritize pedestrian and bike safety and comfort, maximize street parking, slow driving speeds,
minimize costs through efficient land use, reduce impacts to natural areas and support future
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 March 24, 2026
city operations and maintenance.The recommended street designs reflect efforts to balance
each priority and align with the city's vision.
Senior Planner Gada said this fourth iteration of the street designs went through an intense
evaluation with city public works staff, transportation engineers, and Tualatin Valley Fire and
Rescue. Engagement included community groups, developers, city staff and the City Council.
Community priorities were pedestrian/bike safety and comfort and reflected concerns about
speeding in River Terrace 1.0.
Developers were interested in reducing the right-of-way (ROW) width as much as possible to
lower costs and felt on-street parking in River Terrace 1.0 was under-utilized so recommend
reducing it where possible.They did not share the community's safety concerns.
City public works staff saw the tight spaces in some of the street designs as a challenge and
new equipment might be needed to maintain some facilities.
Council priorities were maximizing on-street parking and making the area walkable and safe so
people could walk to businesses and support the vibrancy of the commercial area.
Engagement showed there are competing factors which could be summarized as more right-of-
way vs. less right-of-way. More ROW means maximizing safety and comfort, slowing traffic
speeds, higher upfront and ongoing costs and maximized on-street parking. Less ROW reduces
safety and comfort, minimizes upfront infrastructure and ongoing maintenance costs, and
reduces on-street parking.
The streets as planned will have 14% higher construction costs than Tigard's typical street
designs. In response to a question from Council President Wolf, Senior Planner Gada said the
14% estimate was not benchmarked against similar developments but was an internal exercise.
Tigard's River Terrace 2.0 street design costs are in the middle range of nearby greenfield
development costs such as Cooper Mountain and King City. Cost estimates were not made on
initial designs before Mountainside Way was reduced by about one third. Councilor Shaw noted
that these costs would typically be passed on to buyers.
Councilor Shaw asked if it would be confusing for drivers to transition between the different
road designs and asked if there was crash or safety data from River Terrace 1.0. to support the
safety features in River Terrace 2.0. Senior Planner Gada said transitions are planned
intentionally at natural breaking points including block endings, roundabouts or mid-block
crossings. She said there are complaints about speeding in River Terrace 1.0, but she did not
find any crash data.
Youth Councilor Hellhake asked if bikes would share the road with cars in the local street design
and what the speed limit was. Senior Planner Gada confirmed that bikes would share the road
on local neighborhood streets and that the speed limit would be the same as on other local
streets, or 20 mph. Local streets are narrower, naturally causing drivers to slow down.
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 March 24, 2026
Councilor Robbins referred to the public comments heard earlier and asked if there were
options for developers to make changes widening sidewalks in the commercial area by reducing
planter space. Senior Planner Gada said they heard that things can be done but it all comes
with compromises. She noted that the project team,transportation planners and engineers
have tried to narrow these areas by even a foot, but narrowing the step-out zone by the angled
parking could lead to large vehicles nosing into the bike lane. Adequate maneuvering space is
needed for angled parking as the city has learned from experience with Main Street. She said
the project planners are solving for known problems.
Councilor Anderson liked the angled parking and most of the plans but commented there are a
lot of bike paths which can seem like wasted space in some developments. He asked if the bike
paths could be combined use and narrowed to a width of 10 feet. Senior Planner Gada noted
that 10-foot bike path design does not follow any industry standard for safety.
Councilor Ghoddusi asked if the recommendations are set in stone or could a developer pivot
and build what they want. Senior Planner Gada said the street designs are recommendations at
this point but would be incorporated into the Transportation System Plan and codified.
The consensus was for multi-use paths on both sides of the streets but narrowing the width
was frequently mentioned. Mayor Hu suggested that the multi-use path be constructed
without a strip down the middle, using stencils rather than a physical separator to save space.
Senior Planner Gada said because Mountainside Way will be busier, the paths were designed
with a higher level of separation, and the middle is tactile for ADA (Americans with Disabilities
Act) standards.
Council expressed concerns about the increased cost of wider streets with safety features.
Street Designs C, D, E and local streets received positive responses from Council but there was
no clear consensus on Collectors A(Commercial Collector) and B (Mountainside Way). Council
requested more discussion on bike path widths and 8-foot tree wells with an objective to
create more sidewalk space in front of the commercial buildings, making the area more
attractive to shop and restaurant owners and their customers. Space for bistro tables was
mentioned.
Community Development Director Kirkman said that part of the cost of Collector Street A is the
angle parking. And while bike lanes may not be seen as well utilized, we are trying to
encourage it more in the Town Center area.
Senior Planner Gada noted there is no budget left for designing the streets. Funds are available
for further analysis of costs and maintenance of the facilities, but there would be additional
costs to revamp the designs. She suggested working with the transportation planners to see if
there are opportunities to narrow any of the streets.
Community Development Director Kirkman asked if the Council was comfortable that this is the
ROW that meets the goal of a transportation system that moves people around. Councilor
Shaw said Council needs to know the costs. Senior Planner Gada said staff is designing
concurrently with figuring costs. They already have estimates for typical, basic streets and
estimates for proposed facilities (the 14% margin). The Commercial Collector is the most
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 6 March 24, 2026
expensive even though it is only three city blocks. In the other facilities the increases are subtle
and 30%of the total additional costs come from those three blocks. Staff will follow up with a
cost breakdown. Now we know the construction cost estimates and the costs for maintenance
we can look at how this impacts fees.
Equitable Finance
Council reviewed a Finance Strategy Overview identifying how capital improvements will be
funded and built. Ongoing operations and maintenance costs warrant special funding
mechanisms. Staff identified funding sources, initial revenue from existing sources, preliminary
funding and delivery assumptions, initial cost estimates for transportation,water and sewer.
They are also examining what can be learned from River Terrace 1.0.
The City should hear soon about a Metro grant to study whether a TIF (Tax Increment
Financing) District in River Terrace is feasible.
Senior Planner Gada said transportation will be funded by developers except for off-site
improvements. Options include a Transportation Use Fee (TUF). Parks will be funded by
citywide Parks SDCs and credits.There could be a River Terrace 2.0 supplemental Parks and
Recreation Fee (PARF). Utilities will be paid for by developers and the public sector.
Development Community feedback included the need to balance infrastructure costs and fees
with affordability,feasibility and design. They also said discounts and delayed collection of
SDCs would help alleviate the cost burden. There was support for unique approaches such as
tiered fees and cost sharing. Staff continue to work with Clean Water Services and King City on
a River Terrace South stormwater strategy.
Senior Planner Gada said Equitable Financing includes a tiered SDC which would change by
how it was applied and would lower fees for smaller units(middle housing, etc.). At this point
it is only for tiered fees specific to River Terrace 2.0 but staff is researching whether all city
SDCs could be tiered to encourage more affordable housing. Council was favorable towards
tiered SDCs, which would support the construction of middle housing and small units (lower
costs for developers) and is interested in citywide SDCs.
Developers encouraged balancing infrastructure costs and fees with affordability,feasibility
and design. SDCs are one of the most important determinants of fees.
Staff is finalizing infrastructure costs and estimating fees, developing tiered SDC
recommendations,SDC charges credit policies and is seeking additional direction from Council.
Council was asked if their priority was reducing development costs or preventing budgetary
impacts. A slide of a continuum between Reducing Development Costs, Equal Balance (in the
middle) or Preventing Budget Impacts was shown. Some Councilors landed in the center at
Equal Balance but leaned towards preventing budgetary impacts and mentioned the current
economic situation. Others leaned towards reducing the costs for developers to build.There
was no clear consensus and several Council members said they needed more information in
order to make a decision.
Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 7 March 24, 2026
Questions for a future discussion include:
• How is the Police Budget affected by River Terrace 2.0?
• Would Transportation Use or Park Fees be in effect into perpetuity or do they sunset?
• What are the costs for the city to provide supplemental maintenance?
• What are the risks and how can Council reduce them?
Councilor Schlack noted that the River Terrace 1.0 success in being built so quickly was due
to incentives. Councilor Anderson said we must work with developers and suggested SDC
tiers for lower payments, giving developers a break for building smaller units. Council was
favorable towards tiered SDCs.
Mayor Hu agreed with providing help to encourage developers to build smaller homes but
wanted more information on what the risks are and how to avoid them. Council expressed
interest in learning more about Transportation Use Fees (TUF) Park and Recreation Fees
(PARF).
Senior Planner Gada said the developer forum was postponed and will be rescheduled prior
to the next council discussion on May 26 so staff will be able to share feedback.
8. Non-Agenda Items - None.
9. Executive Session - None Scheduled
10. Adjournment-At 8:42 p.m. Mayor Hu announced that there being no additional items, the
meeting was adjourned.
Carol A. Krager, City Recor r
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Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes Page 8 March 24, 2026