A new plan for Old Town

SHERWOOD, Ore. — Old Town will be getting a new facelift over the next five years that could include more signage for visitors, additional pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, and ground floor retail and commercial use like more food and drinks.

On Feb. 17, the City Council discussed incentives of the Old Town Strategic Plan, which lays out the vision for the next five years. An ongoing plan nearing completion, it is intended to revitalize the traditional heart of the community by promoting growth and vibrancy in the Old Town district.

This comes after voters approved development policy measures in the January special election, which City Councilor Renee Brouse said will shape the future of development in both Sherwood West and Old Town by strengthening Sherwood’s commitment to meaningful citizen involvement in land use decisions.

“Growth will continue, but these measures ensure that how we grow reflects the voices of the people who live here,” Brouse said. “In Old Town, where redevelopment must honor both history and vitality, the measures reinforce the importance of local input in preserving what makes the district unique while still allowing for smart, intentional investment. Citizen involvement written into the charter signals that Sherwood values its heritage and wants any revitalization to be done with care, collaboration, and respect for the people who know the area best.”

Eric Rutledge, community development director with the City of Sherwood, said infrastructure and public investment is one key, and the other is focusing on businesses, design, and character.

“We don’t want to lose track of Old Town, and the importance of Old Town … as Sherwood grows and as we’re looking at Sherwood West and other places, we felt like we could also revitalize (Old Town),” Rutledge said. “We really want Old Town to be a walkable and vibrant place. Old Town currently serves, in my opinion, as the heart of the community, the culture, the civic and business, in certain regards, and we just want even more of that. We want it to be a destination for local residents.” 

He said the strategic plan has a list of actions the city can take, starting with low-hanging fruit like wayfinding, to direct more traffic to Old Town businesses.

“We want to make sure that people, as they’re driving through Sherwood either on Tualatin-Sherwood Road or Highway 99, know and are aware that Old Town is here,” Rutledge said.

He said the city’s earlier moves to build the Robin Hood Plaza, Cannery Square, the City Hall, and the Center for the Arts is a good foundation for the current activity, and now the city is ready to make the next push. The city has been working on this strategic plan since October 2024, and the council is expected to vote on specific actions in the coming months.

“It’s fairly comprehensive, and I like that, I think it gives us a lot of options,” Rutledge said. “It goes back to having a place where people want to spend time. Old Town is open for business. The city is going to continue to make investments in Old Town.”

New Developments

He said one of the first things the city is likely to do first is issue an RFP for the vacant lot near the Center for the Arts, retain ownership, but find a developer for commercial use — possibly leasing space to retail or commercial businesses such as food and beverage near the Cannery Square fountains.

“We wouldn’t do it for a revenue stream; we would do it more for place-making,” Rutledge said. “It’s more about getting the mix of businesses we want, instead of having the developer own it and get the most rent out of whoever it might be.”

To the east along Columbia Street, there might be a new hotel. There’s a vacant space it could go, or the city plans to relocate the Public Works building and could put the hotel there.

All new developments will adhere to Old Town’s development code, which will also likely be audited and renewed, Rutledge said. There is a local historical design code, although Old Town is not on the National Historic Register.

“We really want to make sure that as growth and development happens, that it looks and feels like Sherwood and Old Town,” Rutledge said.

This includes extending the curbless street design, which helps make annual street fairs like the Robin Hood Festival and Cruisin’ Sherwood car show seamless and keeps Old Town walkable as well as accessible for strollers and wheelchairs.

“It can be a little dangerous to have the curbs when you’re holding those events, because you have the tents, and the curb is usually somewhere at the front or back of those tents, so you can trip on the curb as you’re trying to walk through those events,” Rutledge said. “The curbless design allows you to have a nice, flat event space — and of course the roads get closed when those events happen, so you can really have a lot more flexibility with the layout of those events.”

There could also be a change in access, or a new front door, to Old Town down the line. The strategic plan includes a feasibility study for expanding Columbia Street, which could later be added to the city’s transportation system plan.

“We have a plan to connect Columbia Street here into Oregon Street,” Rutledge said. “That would be a pretty big, transformational change …  but we don’t want to sell ourselves short in the vision. I’ll be ambitious and say there’s a very small chance we can get it done within five years, but it would be dependent on a lot of things falling into place.”

New Businesses

Rutledge said the city wants to make sure there is a good mix of businesses that activate pedestrian friendliness, bringing more people into Old Town at all hours of the day. For example, Symposium Coffee and Sesame Donuts serve the morning crowd; offices like dentists, hair salons, and lawyers operate during the day; and restaurants like Cooper Mountain Ale Works serve folks lunch and dinner in the evening.

“The planners talk about extending the hours that Old Town is alive and vibrant,” Rutledge said. “Right now, we’re really heavy in that midday sector, so we need to expand on the morning and the evening, and typically that’s going to be food. We’re likely to do some targeted outreach to attract those businesses.”

He said the city is targeting food, drink, and especially wine businesses, as Sherwood establishes itself as the gateway to wine country and is surrounded by local wineries in the Willamette Valley.

He said the city could offer some incentives for businesses if the city council approves, and also make permitting easier for busy business owners to navigate with new FAQs and documents to demystify the process.

“It can be difficult for a business to understand what they need to do just to get a tenant in,” Rutledge said. “They’re focused on their business, so we need to make it as easy as possible for them to come in, understand the permit process, and actually do it.”

“If businesses want to come to City Hall and talk with someone, we will talk with you. Just running a business isn’t easy, and we really need to meet them halfway or more,” Rutledge said.

Learn more about the Old Town Strategic Action Plan here.