Lake Oswego City Hall is pictured here. (Staff file photo)

The city of Lake Oswego is creating a committee that will help guide its efforts to transform a district in town that has long been eyed for redevelopment: Foothills.

The City Council provided direction for the local government to form an ad-hoc committee made up of individuals with expertise in things like planning, design, architecture and transportation, as well as a city councilor, a planning commissioner, a Neighborhood Chairs Committee member, at least one community member under age 18 and a business community representative, among others.

“These are the slots we want at least one of, but it’s certainly not meant to preclude any other folks with different experience that is relevant to the project,” Long Range Planning Manager Erik Olson said at the June 17 meeting.

Mayor Joe Buck will recommend appointments to the committee and the council will vote on them during a meeting Sept 2. The committee is slated to meet 10 times from September 2025 to June 2027.

“The CAC would be expected to provide guidance to staff and City Council as the City develops recommendations for an updated Foothills District Plan that reflects current community values and Council goals,” the city staff report reads.

The city first adopted a plan for Foothills in 2012 but opposition, largely against an associated streetcar that would run to southwest Portland, scuttled that effort. This new planning effort is expected to cost $1.34 million.

The City Council has identified housing as a primary component of redevelopment in Foothills and the project could help the city meet its housing production goals. The community needs 2,000 more housing units in the next 20 years, according to a recent Housing Needs Analysis, and 36% of new units will need to be affordable to those making 80% or less of the area’s median income.

Along with approving the committee, the council awarded a $623,000 contract with First Forty Feet for planning consultant services related to this project during the June 17 meeting.