Equitable Housing Strategic Plan

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Consultation has concluded

Garden Apartments

There is a concern among community members about the availability of high-quality affordable housing in Wilsonville. The City’s 2018 Community Survey indicated that only 38% of residents rated the availability of affordable quality housing as excellent or good. This percentage is lower than previous surveys in 2012 and 2014, when nearly half of those surveyed believed Wilsonville had sufficient affordable housing.

In response, Wilsonville City Council directed City staff to look into programs, policies, and potential legislative changes to address these concerns and to respond to changes in the housing market. An Equitable Housing Strategic Plan Task Force was formed to evaluate current data, consider public input, provide technical expertise, and develop policies and strategies to address the gaps in Wilsonville’s residential housing stock.

The result of this work was the adoption of the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan in June 2020. Please visit ci.wilsonville.or.us/housing to review the final plan and learn more about upcoming implementation actions.

Thank you for your input on this project!

There is a concern among community members about the availability of high-quality affordable housing in Wilsonville. The City’s 2018 Community Survey indicated that only 38% of residents rated the availability of affordable quality housing as excellent or good. This percentage is lower than previous surveys in 2012 and 2014, when nearly half of those surveyed believed Wilsonville had sufficient affordable housing.

In response, Wilsonville City Council directed City staff to look into programs, policies, and potential legislative changes to address these concerns and to respond to changes in the housing market. An Equitable Housing Strategic Plan Task Force was formed to evaluate current data, consider public input, provide technical expertise, and develop policies and strategies to address the gaps in Wilsonville’s residential housing stock.

The result of this work was the adoption of the Equitable Housing Strategic Plan in June 2020. Please visit ci.wilsonville.or.us/housing to review the final plan and learn more about upcoming implementation actions.

Thank you for your input on this project!

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Tell us why you chose Wilsonville as your home.


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CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
  • Share Enough stuff for the wealthy on Facebook Share Enough stuff for the wealthy on Twitter Share Enough stuff for the wealthy on Linkedin Email Enough stuff for the wealthy link

    Enough stuff for the wealthy

    by SW39, over 6 years ago

    In 2012 I paid $1295 per month for a 3 br apartment while going to college and taking care of my kids. We moved to Wilsonville because of the quality of the middle school. By 2015 I had graduated nursing school, was working in Salem and the rent had soared to $1795 for the same apartment. We need affordable housing for the middle class. Come on. Enough pretties for the millionaires, we need basics for the lower and middle classes.

    In 2012 I paid $1295 per month for a 3 br apartment while going to college and taking care of my kids. We moved to Wilsonville because of the quality of the middle school. By 2015 I had graduated nursing school, was working in Salem and the rent had soared to $1795 for the same apartment. We need affordable housing for the middle class. Come on. Enough pretties for the millionaires, we need basics for the lower and middle classes.

  • Share Don't cave again on Facebook Share Don't cave again on Twitter Share Don't cave again on Linkedin Email Don't cave again link

    Don't cave again

    by Immigrant1, over 6 years ago

    I completely agree with what was written here by Jennifer and others.

    I believe the city policymakers did indeed cave on Frog Pond to a well-organized protest by some of the wealthiest members of the community who conjured images of slums and scare tactics when the plans for Frog Pond West were being considered; instead we end up with 2-million dollar homes.

    As a city, we need to refocus our determination to build an inclusive community and one with a large variety of housing types including housing for all people who work here, and I don't just mean the high-tech... Continue reading

    I completely agree with what was written here by Jennifer and others.

    I believe the city policymakers did indeed cave on Frog Pond to a well-organized protest by some of the wealthiest members of the community who conjured images of slums and scare tactics when the plans for Frog Pond West were being considered; instead we end up with 2-million dollar homes.

    As a city, we need to refocus our determination to build an inclusive community and one with a large variety of housing types including housing for all people who work here, and I don't just mean the high-tech firms, I'm including retail and service workers.

    By building a complete community that respects all the workers and residents we can reduce traffic by reducing the need to commute in and out of the city.

  • Share Living In a Tent is Touch and Go on Facebook Share Living In a Tent is Touch and Go on Twitter Share Living In a Tent is Touch and Go on Linkedin Email Living In a Tent is Touch and Go link

    Living In a Tent is Touch and Go

    by Touchy Subject, over 6 years ago

    I want to start out by saying we call this place "Pleasantville." It is gorgeous, quiet, and clean, and we would love to have our daughter (who is now four) start school here.

    Unfortunately, this area is not very supportive of the blue-collar working class. My husband was an 18-wheeler driver, and we were relocated here in December of 2016. At the time, I had found an apartment that was only $40 per month more than our apartment in Texas. We would be losing more than 200 square feet, our second bathroom, and two walk-in closets, but we figured we... Continue reading

    I want to start out by saying we call this place "Pleasantville." It is gorgeous, quiet, and clean, and we would love to have our daughter (who is now four) start school here.

    Unfortunately, this area is not very supportive of the blue-collar working class. My husband was an 18-wheeler driver, and we were relocated here in December of 2016. At the time, I had found an apartment that was only $40 per month more than our apartment in Texas. We would be losing more than 200 square feet, our second bathroom, and two walk-in closets, but we figured we would eventually be able to purchase a home here, so we thought we would just "rough it" for awhile in the tiny apartment until we found a home to buy.

    Boy, were we wrong about how much it really costs to live here. We have now found that even renting here is something we are no longer able to afford.

    We've had several months (including this one) where our out-of-state relatives are sending us money to help just cover our bills so that we don't lose electricity or get evicted.

    And it's not for lack of trying: I've looked into housing assistance, SNAP/WIC, "affordable housing", energy bill assistance, et cetera, only to be told that we just make a few hundred dollars too much per month to qualify.

    I ask them the same thing every time we get told "no": so are we not supposed to work as much to try to get ourselves out of this situation? I understand there are many worse off than us, but when you're being told "no" by everybody, it is incredibly frustrating. We feel pretty invisible.

    My husband works full-time, and as much overtime as he can. We cannot afford to send our daughter to daycare so that I can have a full-time job, so I work at a retail job one day a week on my husband's day off, and do freelance work from home to even afford to live paycheck to paycheck.

    The only help we have ever received is from St. Vincent De Paul - twice. We can't afford a deposit on a new apartment that doesn't charge a $150 late fee if you get paid one day past their grace period, and our rent is about to be raised more than $100 per month. The only decent apartments around here seem to be in cahoots to make sure nobody pays less than $1,500 a month to live around here.

    We can't afford a moving truck back home, so our choice is either to continue to live in constant fear of not being able to make it, or put all of our stuff in storage and live in a combination of a tent/our vehicle (that is, if it doesn't get repossessed first).

    Oh yeah, and that is while we watch "For Sale" signs go "Pending" within days all over the place around here. It is unfathomable to us how anyone could possibly afford to buy a house here, or even rent for more than a few years without making six figures a year, or receiving some form of assistance.

    It may be too late for us, but I'm hoping you can construct some form of plan for the future that will eliminate families like ours being forced out just for not having two high-paying full-time incomes come in each month.

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    Great start

    by Jennifer , over 6 years ago

    I’ve been impressed with the efforts so far of the city to keep housing affordable, from the percentage of multi family rentals, to the transportation services offered. My main concerns are: 1) is there a plan for the mobile home park? If the landlord decides to sell, is the city prepared to assist these residents? 2) the town center redevelopment should have housing as part of the plan 3) please do not cave to pressure again regarding multi family development in the later Frog Pond development. What I observed was a number of loud voices from current single-family home owners... Continue reading

    I’ve been impressed with the efforts so far of the city to keep housing affordable, from the percentage of multi family rentals, to the transportation services offered. My main concerns are: 1) is there a plan for the mobile home park? If the landlord decides to sell, is the city prepared to assist these residents? 2) the town center redevelopment should have housing as part of the plan 3) please do not cave to pressure again regarding multi family development in the later Frog Pond development. What I observed was a number of loud voices from current single-family home owners, more invested in the rising equity of their own homes than young families or retirees who require options other than single family homes. City council meetings should be marketed to attract attendance from renters so their voice is also heard.

    On social media, there also seems to be a lot of residents who are unsure of affordable options in Wilsonville, such as what to do when rent goes up, or how to sign up for housing vouchers. Perhaps the city could do outreach to those residents, and hold quarterly info sessions with reps and housing advocates.

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    When housing was affordable

    by DagneSunrise, over 6 years ago

    My family moved here in 1987. The company my husband worked for had been closed down by the county, state and Federal tax departments. The owner left the country. My husband had found a new job in Portland and we had a 1 year old. It was a tough and scary time for us. Although inside the urban growth boundary, Wilsonville was considered a rural town. At the time it had an elementary school and middle school. The high school was in West Linn. There were 2 stop lights, the ones on either side of the freeway. It had Thriftway... Continue reading

    My family moved here in 1987. The company my husband worked for had been closed down by the county, state and Federal tax departments. The owner left the country. My husband had found a new job in Portland and we had a 1 year old. It was a tough and scary time for us. Although inside the urban growth boundary, Wilsonville was considered a rural town. At the time it had an elementary school and middle school. The high school was in West Linn. There were 2 stop lights, the ones on either side of the freeway. It had Thriftway where the bowling alley is and Lowies where Walgreen is. The Wilsonville primary school was where the old Albertsons' store is. There was no Fred Meyers store complex. The library was a double wide mobile home.

    We found a nice duplex to rent in Old Town, across from Boones Ferry Park. It was a nice community (still is for the most part). At Halloween, we could leave the candy in a bowl on the porch and take our children out Trick-or-Treating and there would still be candy in the bowl when you came back. I found many volunteer opportunities here, too.

    Wilsonville's housing was very affordable in true meaning of the word. It was a working class community. The cost of both rentals (apartments and homes) was less than the 1/3 of middle class income standard. The cost of buying a home was affordable, mortgages also were well under the 1/3 of middle class income. We were pleased to find that after 3 years, we were able to put a down payment on our house. We still live there today. We had also hoped our children would be able to find jobs in Wilsonville and be able to live here.

    Shortly after we moved here the city council was taken over by a group of developers and real estate agents. They decided the town needed to get on the Urban Development bandwagon and voted to get urban renewal going. As citizens, we voted it down but were told our vote was none binding and City Council went ahead with it. Their first big project was the Fry's - Town Center project. They called the hay field a blighted area. We had a recall election and removed all but one of them. The next council look ed at what infrastructure we need. They built the library, which we had been asking for, for quite a while. But the damage was done. The city has gone berserk with the easy money.

    Since then, the city staff and the City council have been focused on using urban renewal to create a high end city, trying to beating out L.O., Tualatin and West Linn for being the most upscale local community. Wilsonville's city government and staff has put expensive housing developments and it's tax dollars ahead of all the needs of its citizens. The city wants big business to come here but hasn't invested in working class housing for the needed workers. Sadly every city council so far, has only listened to the money talking and not what the community has asked for and needs.

    The City only listen to the citizen who give lip service to what the council and staff want to hear about what they have already planned to do.

    Why do we still live hear? We can't afford to leave Wilsonville and the Metro area. This is were the jobs are. My son does have a job here in Wilsonville, he just can't afford to live here. So he pays rent on his bedroom to help us out.


  • Share Planning for the future growth in Wilsonville on Facebook Share Planning for the future growth in Wilsonville on Twitter Share Planning for the future growth in Wilsonville on Linkedin Email Planning for the future growth in Wilsonville link

    Planning for the future growth in Wilsonville

    by mike walsh, over 6 years ago

    My wife and I raised our 2 children in Wilsonville when there was only 1 traffic light and the name Lowrie was associated with the only grocery store and not a school. That was in the 1980's and early 1990's. It was the country with wide open spaces and driving from one end of Wilsonville to the other took less than a minute. We now live in Charbonneau which so far the river has blocked development in our immediate area.

    I can understand why people were moving to Wilsonville over the last 20 years. It is obvious to anyone who... Continue reading

    My wife and I raised our 2 children in Wilsonville when there was only 1 traffic light and the name Lowrie was associated with the only grocery store and not a school. That was in the 1980's and early 1990's. It was the country with wide open spaces and driving from one end of Wilsonville to the other took less than a minute. We now live in Charbonneau which so far the river has blocked development in our immediate area.

    I can understand why people were moving to Wilsonville over the last 20 years. It is obvious to anyone who has lived in Wilsonville over the last 5 years that things have changed- not all bad- but planning for the future growth like Frog Pond West and East developments has to be taken seriously and immediately.


    The necessary infrastructure and proper planning by Wilsonville officials to fix things before they become a problem doesn't seem to be happening in all areas. City Council was forward thinking in developing the water treatment system to handle growth. What happened everywhere else?

    Example is the need for new southbound lane over the Boones Bridge. It's great that a little funding from the State for planning has been just provided but doing anything to resolve the congestion to get on to I-5 South is years away. Why wasn't City Government taking action 3-5 years ago? The quick fix-its like metered 3 lane entrances to south I-5 has helped but in no way solved the problem


    When over a thousand new houses will be built around Frog Pond and there are only two entrances- Wilsonville Rd and Eligison- to get on to I-5. It will be grid lock much worse than now. The only visible infra structure efforts I can see are the new school and a stop light at Boeckman and Stafford Rds.

    Wilsonville has the land to build. Developers will come in and build houses/condos, and more people will move into them. However without immediate planning and the appropriate budget for construction of roads, parks, schools, mass transit, etc- (which the Developers should be contributing more to the costs than they are now) Wilsonville will be just like Beaverton, Tigard and Tualatin.

    Plan for the Future- NOW








  • Share Wilsonville WAS a great place on Facebook Share Wilsonville WAS a great place on Twitter Share Wilsonville WAS a great place on Linkedin Email Wilsonville WAS a great place link

    Wilsonville WAS a great place

    by GW01, over 6 years ago

    We bought our home in Wilsonville in 1999 because it was more affordable than everywhere else in the metro area, and it was quieter w/less traffic. And it was almost like being out in the country; on the other side of our cul-de-sac were farms and forest.

    Most of the things that brought us to Wilsonville are long gone, replaced by "McMansions" on tiny lots (Villebois), Tigard-like congestion on the roads during certain times of the day, and a city council that thinks it has to pursue growth, often for it's own sake.

    Wilsonville is still better than many cities... Continue reading

    We bought our home in Wilsonville in 1999 because it was more affordable than everywhere else in the metro area, and it was quieter w/less traffic. And it was almost like being out in the country; on the other side of our cul-de-sac were farms and forest.

    Most of the things that brought us to Wilsonville are long gone, replaced by "McMansions" on tiny lots (Villebois), Tigard-like congestion on the roads during certain times of the day, and a city council that thinks it has to pursue growth, often for it's own sake.

    Wilsonville is still better than many cities on the west side (e.g. Tigard, Beaverton and Hillsboro). But it has lost much of what made it special to us ~20 years ago.

  • Share We love Wilsonville on Facebook Share We love Wilsonville on Twitter Share We love Wilsonville on Linkedin Email We love Wilsonville link

    We love Wilsonville

    by Ngcombs, over 6 years ago

    We moved from California 17 months ago. We started looking in Oregon because our daughter's family lives here. We looked in several different communities and then our daughter suggested Wilsonville because it seemed to be the closest to the type of community we were living in.

    We visited several times before settling on our current residence. We love the many parks, walking trails and the real sense of community in Wilsonville. We both have done volunteer work, which really helps you to get to know the area and the people. The community Center is a great place to meet other... Continue reading

    We moved from California 17 months ago. We started looking in Oregon because our daughter's family lives here. We looked in several different communities and then our daughter suggested Wilsonville because it seemed to be the closest to the type of community we were living in.

    We visited several times before settling on our current residence. We love the many parks, walking trails and the real sense of community in Wilsonville. We both have done volunteer work, which really helps you to get to know the area and the people. The community Center is a great place to meet other seniors, take a class or enjoy lunch. Everything you need is close by and the citizens are out going and very friendly.

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    Why wilsonville

    by Sandra V, over 6 years ago

    We moved from LO to take advantage of a great market in LO. We found the renaisssnce boat club and love the area. However as retirees we are finding that Wilsonville really is geared to young families. Not much for us. No eclectic restaurants, no better grocery stores. Lots of great parks. We would love if he city would start considering things that might appeal to a broader range of community members.

    We moved from LO to take advantage of a great market in LO. We found the renaisssnce boat club and love the area. However as retirees we are finding that Wilsonville really is geared to young families. Not much for us. No eclectic restaurants, no better grocery stores. Lots of great parks. We would love if he city would start considering things that might appeal to a broader range of community members.

  • Share Starting Out on Facebook Share Starting Out on Twitter Share Starting Out on Linkedin Email Starting Out link

    Starting Out

    by Caitlin, over 6 years ago

    I never thought that I would live in Wilsonville. But here I am.

    Growing up in SW Portland, Wilsonville was a small town to pass through on the way down I5. Somewhere in my childhood, Bullwinkles came to town. That’s what I knew the town for. Birthday parties and the slightly strange Fry’s (I think it was something else in the 90s?). Wilsonville was fun but not on my radar as a place to live.

    Fast forward through college, the recession, and learning to budget. When it came down to purchasing a house, I wanted something with freeway access, a... Continue reading

    I never thought that I would live in Wilsonville. But here I am.

    Growing up in SW Portland, Wilsonville was a small town to pass through on the way down I5. Somewhere in my childhood, Bullwinkles came to town. That’s what I knew the town for. Birthday parties and the slightly strange Fry’s (I think it was something else in the 90s?). Wilsonville was fun but not on my radar as a place to live.

    Fast forward through college, the recession, and learning to budget. When it came down to purchasing a house, I wanted something with freeway access, a big yard, and affordability. Wilsonville stood out as a place where that could happen - I was pleased to discover the quality of the library, schools, and other public works!

    I complain about my commute and traffic daily, but when it comes down to it, I appreciate the life I have. I don’t think I would be so happy if I had a higher mortgage. Part of Wilsonville’s charm is that it’s a great place for young families or people starting out.


    I think there are ways to get creative in creating affordable housing. More apartments or mobile homes are solutions but perhaps zoning for duplexes or even a tiny home village could help broaden the range of options.