Southwest Area Plan

You're Invited!

Your Voice Matters! Please join us for the upcoming Community Open House and provide your input. Based on public input and ideas shared in 2025, we have developed three preliminary concepts for the plan. At this drop-in style Open House, we want to hear from you. Tell us which concept you love the most, or which parts of each one inspire you! Your input will guide the creation of a preferred alternative for the plan.

What: Community Open House
When: Saturday, Janaury 24, 2026, from 10am-12pm, drop-in any time
Where: McMinnville Civic Hall, 200 NE 2nd Street, McMinnville, OR 97128

Thank you to all who participated in Community Design Workshop #1 or completed the survey! Your ideas and input were used in development of the preliminary concepts. We'll be seeking public input on these at the Community Open House to be held on January 24, 2026. Please join us!

Check back and watch social media for more information and additional opportunities to participate!

Information about the project is also available on iheartmac.org, the City's Public Engagement Platform.

About the Southwest Area Plan

This planning project will develop an Area Plan for the southwest area. The southwest area is one of the areas added to McMinnville’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in 2020 as part of the McMinnville Growth Management and Urbanization Plan (MGMUP). This is an area intended to meet a share of McMinnville’s 20-year growth needs. Approximately 640 acres, (a square mile), it is the largest contiguous area added to the UGB in 2020.

The City of McMinnville also adopted a Framework Plan, which identifies the different land uses to be included in each area to meet its part of McMinnville’s overall growth management plan. The Framework Plan includes a high-level concept map for each area. The Area Plan must be consistent with the “sidebars” of the adopted Framework Plan. The Southwest Area Plan will create a plan to guide new neighborhoods to include a variety of housing types, neighborhood commercial uses and services, school and park sites, and opportunities for greenways and walking and biking trails. McMinnville's Great Neighborhood Principles provide a key foundation for the plan.

Once the Area Plan is adopted, it will guide future development of the area. Before a property can be annexed into the City and developed, a property owner must prepare a master plan for development of the specific property proposed for annexation. That proposed development plan must be consistent with the Area Plan, which codifies the community’s vision for the area.

The Southwest Area Plan project will be guided by a Project Advisory Committee to make recommendations to project staff. The City has a contract with a multi-disciplinary consultant team to work with staff and the Project Advisory Committee to conduct the Area Planning work.

Throughout the project, there will be public outreach and engagement such as community design workshops and surveys to help guide the work and develop a plan that reflects the community’s vision.

Project Scope and Timeline

Latest News

December 2025

The City Council and Planning Commission held a joint work session on December 17, 2025
Final PowerPoint Presentation
(Meeting materials, handouts, and PowerPoint presentation are available on page linked above).

October 2025

Thank you to all who completed the survey!

September 2025

The City hosted Community Design Workshop #1 on September 13, 2025. Thank you to all who participated! Your ideas and input will be used to help develop alternative concepts for evaluation and consideration. We'll be seeking your input on these at Community Design Workshop #2 to be held on January 24, 2026.

August 2025

The Project Advisory Committee held its first meeting on August 19, 2025

June 2025

The Project Advisory Committee met for an orientation meeting and site visit on June 4, 2025

December 2024 - May 2025

City staff began working with the consultant team on project start-up tasks in preparation for upcoming work that will be guided by a Project Advisory Committee, and which will include public engagement throughout the project phases.

December 2024

Request for Proposals (RFP) and Contract Award. The City of McMinnville issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Qualifications-Based Selection Process for Professional Services for the Southwest Area Plan. The City received and evaluated responsive proposals. The City issued a Notice of Intent to Award the project to HHPR. No objections were received. At their December 10, 2024 meeting, the City Council adopted a resolution awarding the project to the consultant team led by HHPR.

Project Documents

Foundational Planning Documents

Related Planning Efforts

The City is currently in process, or will be soon starting, a number of other planning efforts. The following are in process or forecasted to overlap with the Southwest Area Planning process.

Transportation System Plan Update
Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan Update (Adopted)
Public Facility Plan Updates (Water Distribution and Wastewater Conveyance)
Docket G 3-22: Draft Natural Hazards Inventory and Management Program
Docket G 2-23: Draft Natural Features Inventory and Management Program (Riparian Corridors, Scenic Viewpoints and Viewsheds, Tree Groves)
Land Use Efficiency Measures Task (Part of Sequential UGB Review)
Housing Production Strategy

For any further questions regarding the Southwest Area Planning Project, feel free to reach out to the Senior Planner, Tom Schauer, directly at Tom.Schauer@mcminnvilleoregon.gov or (503) 474-5108.