Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

107 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 SHERWOOD , OREGON an ongoing investment in preserving those that remain, while creating a vibrant area for local residents and visitors. A diverse collection of businesses and restaurants highlight this pedestrian-friendly part of the city, which is the location of many arts and cultural events. Looking to draw more people to this area, there are plans to add a second community square, “just to drive traffic, drive community activities so we can continue to have a thriving Old Town,” says Mays. Annually, Sherwood hosts the Robin Hood Festival, drawing up to 20,000 tourists to the area. The popular Cruisin’ Sherwood event, organized by the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce, brings 25,000 people to the city each year. According to the Mayor, “For different community events we regularly close different streets down to create even more space. The businesses and restaurants in Old Town have lots of space to have tables and seating outside, in front or behind their buildings.” With State Highway 99W running through Sherwood, there is a plan to unite the neighborhoods on either side of this busy road, through the addition of a pedestrian bridge. As Julia Hajduk, Director of Community Development, explains, “Highway 99W goes all the way to the Oregon coast through Sherwood. It has five lanes and the speed limit is 45 miles an hour, which tends to divide the city because of the traffic and the speed and the volume. So, having that pedestrian bridge is envisioned to be a huge benefit to the community.” The bridge, which will offer a safe connection for students heading to the new Sherwood High School, is in the design and engineering phase and is expected to be completed by 2023. Other major infrastructure projects include the widening of a major east/west arterial boulevard, increasing it from three to five lanes. A sewer upgrade is also underway, which is necessary for future development of the city. Mays reports, “The sewer project is a very significant deal. From a growth standpoint, in the Brookman area, it’s in the 300-acre range, mostly in the city limits. That’s dominated by housing, with some commercial and industrial zoned land, and then that line will wrap around to the other side of Hwy 99W to provide services for a great portion of the 1200 acres that we are working on in our master plan right now.” To meet the demands of both the job and housing sectors, Sherwood has several important projects underway. Hajduk recounts, “We are a smaller city without a ton of room for internal growth, but we do have 150 lots that either have recently been approved and are in the process of being built, or will be very soon. We have a smaller apartment complex being proposed, which is in the review process. We are also planning for a new area to the west of Sherwood that would provide housing and jobs. Sherwood is unique compared to some of our