Tualatin is getting $740,000 from Metro to design the next chapter of its downtown, with the money funding a framework that will shape how roughly 300 acres around the Lake at the Commons get rebuilt over the coming decade.
Metro announced the grant on Monday, July 13, through its 2040 Planning and Development Grant program.
Tualatin's award was one of four regional projects splitting nearly $2 million this cycle, according to Metro's grant announcement.
The money pays for Phase 3 of the city's Downtown Revitalization Project.
That phase will synthesize years of community input and university research into an urban design framework and updated development standards for new construction downtown, according to the city's press release. Work is scheduled to begin in fall 2026.
What came before
The Downtown Revitalization Project launched in spring 2025. Phases 1 and 2 are complete. Phase 1 produced the Downtown Tualatin Identity Study through community engagement.
Phase 2 brought hundreds of University of Oregon students into the effort through the Sustainable City Year Program, generating renderings and recommendations for specific downtown challenges.
A 14-member Community Advisory Committee has guided the project throughout, according to the city's fiscal year 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
Two anchor projects taking shape
The Core Opportunity Reinvestment Area, known as CORA, stretches from SW Boones Ferry Road on the north and west to SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road on the south and SW Martinazzi Avenue on the east, according to Valley Times reporting. Two projects anchor the plan:
Riverfront Park sits on six acres of city-owned land next to the Juanita Pohl Center. Construction is planned for June 2029, according to Valley Times.
Parks and Recreation Director Dustin Schull has said the park needs "meaningful and accessible river access" and community gathering space, with a launch site for kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes on the Tualatin River. Community engagement for the park is scheduled for 2026, per the city's financial report.
A mixed-use catalyst project is planned for a block bounded by SW Seneca Street, SW 84th Avenue, SW Nyberg Street, and SW Boones Ferry Road. The city is acquiring the remaining quarter of the block for a building with ground-floor retail and housing above, according to Valley Times.
How residents can weigh in
Council President Valerie Pratt has said there will be multiple opportunities for residents to provide input on the Lake at the Commons area, the broader CORA district, and the riverfront property.
Residents can submit written comments to Deputy City Recorder Nicole Morris or speak during the public comment period at council meetings, either in person or via Zoom.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Meetings air live on cable channel 28 and stream on tualatinoregon.gov.
The Tualatin City Council met Tuesday, July 14, one day after the grant announcement. Official minutes from that session have not been posted. Residents can check tualatinoregon.gov/meetings for the schedule and for updated records.
