As the city’s property at 14th and Main enters the final steps of environmental cleanup, Philomath officials are beginning to map out its future — and the possibilities are wide-ranging.
“Where we’re at now is what is the highest, best use for this property and is it within the scope of the urban renewal plan so that we can use our remaining urban renewal dollars towards it,” City Manager Chris Workman told the Finance and Administration Committee at its Nov. 18 meeting.
The discussion didn’t produce concrete decisions, but it revealed differing perspectives on how the prominent downtown lot should serve the community.
Mayor Christopher McMorran said he’s intrigued by the property’s potential to “continue the momentum we have with our downtown,” but he’s skeptical about using it for parking or a town square.
“I have always been a huge fan of the idea of having some kind of plaza, community gathering space,” McMorran said. “I don’t feel like 14th and Main is the right place for something like that. Even if it’s beautiful and has trees and grass and art and everything, it doesn’t seem like the perfect place to have a park or some sort of town square.”
Instead, McMorran suggested the city should look at where people already gather naturally and invest there — he mentioned the 13th Street corridor.
Councilor Teresa Nielson raised parking as a practical concern, recalling public comments from farmers’ markets a few years ago.
“Sometime, we need to figure out where everyone’s going to park if we’re going to bring more people into downtown,” she said. “We want people to congregate there — where are they going to park?”
Workman acknowledged he once envisioned a three-story parking garage with commercial space on the ground floor, but the idea became too expensive.
The most detailed scenario Workman presented involves mixed-use development with retail or office space on the first floor and two to three levels of residential housing above.
“It could be affordable housing, it could be market rate housing or it could be a combination of that,” he said.
Another possibility would be a small boutique hotel — perhaps 15 to 20 rooms — sized to fit the property.
Earlier discussions during the city’s streetscape planning process included the idea of a downtown plaza or event space that could host the farmers’ market and other community gatherings.
Workman said once the city settles on a plan, staff would reach out to potential development partners and pursue grant opportunities.
The property was added to Philomath’s Urban Renewal District in 2016 after the city identified contamination issues at the former gas station, auto repair shop and car wash site.
An initial attempt to purchase the property failed when soil contamination complicated the deal. The city ultimately acquired it in 2020 for $285,000 using Urban Renewal Agency funds.
The city secured grant funding for environmental assessment work and last month approved a contractor to remove underground fuel tanks and a hydraulic lift pit. That contractor will work directly with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on the cleanup.
When the work is complete, the city will have “a nice gravel pad with all of the environmental stuff taken care of and cleaned up,” Workman said.
Lifting the site’s brownfield status will leave “a very developable site and I would argue, a very valuable site right there at 14th and Main,” he said. “It’s kind of that gateway into the downtown area. … It’s going to become a very, very valuable property.”
Workman said he anticipates scheduling a City Council work session to develop a list of priority projects and determine next steps.
Consider installing an EV fast charging station. Those who stop to charge typically have 20-30 minutes to visit restaurants and stores. Does the site have access to megawatts of electric power?