The annual Tualatin State of the City event is always marked by a bountiful breakfast, a gathering of community leaders and volunteers, insightful speeches and lists of notable accomplishments over the previous year. This year’s event, held April 23 at the Grand Hotel Bridgeport, was no exception.
Mayor Frank Bubenik said that such events should be like comets – “dazzling, eye-opening and over before you know it.” He kept it to the one-hour time limit so all the busy people in attendance could get on with their day and noted that it was being translated live in Spanish while streaming and would be dubbed in Spanish for the YouTube video, which is now available.
A video was shown that recapped some of the major accomplishments of 2024, including the ribbon-cutting on the newly completed trail under 99W. Anticipated this year is the Memorial Day ribbon-cutting at Veterans Plaza on the Lake of the Commons, with the video noting that all the accomplishments would not have been possible without many community partnerships.
Two urban renewal areas have been created – the Southwest Basalt Creek Development Area for industrial and commercial growth and the Downtown Core Opportunity and Development Area (CORA). Leading these efforts is Sid Sin, the city’s new urban renewal/economic development manager “who we pouched from Lake Oswego,” Bubenik said.
The City Council adopted a Climate Action Plan last year with a net-zero goal by 2050, and in 2023, the council created the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advisory (IDEA) Committee that presented its first annual report in December 2024. “Tualatin is an active, interested, kind and inclusive community,” Bubenik said.
The opening of Plambeck Gardens’ 116 apartments this year marked a milestone in the city’s quest to offer more affordable housing, and the addition of an employee shared between Tualatin, Sherwood and Washington County to work on homelessness was another milestone.
The city is nearing completion on updating its Transportation System Plan, and it hired a contract lobbyist to represent its interests in Salem and Washington, D.C.
Economic development is another priority, and Bubenik praised the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce for “working closely with businesses and helping them thrive” and the Latino Business Networking group for its efforts to bring Latino business owners and entrepreneurs together to learn from each other and support each other.
Bubenik said one of the questions he is asked most frequently is why Tualatin doesn’t have any food carts, which a 2023 survey showed many residents want. Bubenik said they will definitely be coming, but with plans underway to develop and create a downtown core, “it is critical that they are in the right spot,” he said.
He added that using urban renewal “to redevelop and help an area within your downtown or manufacturing area, you need to make it a great spot for really good development, so folks can live there and bring in their businesses.”
Tualatin also needs to create an identity, according to Bubenik. “We’ve heard loud and clear that Tualatin doesn’t have a downtown or an identifiable downtown,” he said. “Critical to this is what we do and what we want to be known for. Ideally, the goal of this is that they know where the lake is and that we have a lake. In 10 to 15 years, you’ll see things going full-steam ahead.”
Each of the city councilors spoke briefly, with Council President Valerie Pratt discussing transportation and the updating of the Tualatin Transportation System Plan, which will soon be going to the Planning Commission and then the City Council.
Councilor Octavio Gonzales discussed parks and all the projects that have been accomplished thanks to the 2022 parks and trails bond measure. Dustin Schull, the city’s new parks and recreation director, said that he has been struck “by how much this community cares” about its parks, adding, “Work is going on all over the community.”
Councilor Bridget Brooks talked about the environment and the city’s Climate Action Plan with a goal of net-zero by 2050. Efforts include capturing energy from water pipes, improving backyard habitats, doing a tree inventory in the city and more.
Speaking about neighborhood engagement, Councilor Maria Reyes, who was out of the country and had prepared a video to be shown, said the investments made to neighborhoods should be celebrated along with the accomplishments of the transportation bond measure, Tualatin Moving Forward, that wrapped up in 2023 and is still receiving awards. “We have a thriving volunteer program,” Reyes said.
Councilor Christen Sacco said a third canine officer had been added to the police force. Since none of them were able to attend, she produced furry replicas to represent the drug dog, the therapy dog and the patrol officer dog. She also praised the great work done by the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Advisory Committee.
Councilor Cyndy Hillier explained that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines affordable housing as an occupant spending no more than 30 percent of their gross income on total housing costs, including utilities.
“In October last year, we brought together Metro, Washington County and CPAH (Community Partners for Affordable Housing) to hold a forum for our community members,” she said. “Tears were shed about the lack of resources.”
She added that the city adopted a housing production strategy in 2021, with the next update expected in 2027 but with several key actions already taken such as the adoption of the equitable housing financial plan and low-income-housing property-tax exemptions.
While Tualatin officials can look back at a long list of accomplishments, there is always more work to do.
You can watch a recording of the 2025 Tualatin State of the City at tinyurl.com/4tz6b7h3
