Beyond the Chip: Maintaining that ‘small-town feel’

SHERWOOD, Oregon — Residents have repeatedly said they do not want Mount Vernon and Knox County to lose their character and flavor as they grow.

Their voices are strongest when new housing is proposed and traffic and buildings threaten scenic views and green space.

But what defines that “small-town feel?”

Writing in the Springfield Daily Citizen, University of Missouri Extension Agent David Burton said engagement and connection are at the root of a small-town feel.

On Feb. 4, Heartland Real Estate and its partners celebrated “moving dirt” at Newark Road’s new Liberty Crossing development. The complex will include a mix of owner-occupied housing styles and multi-family rentals when fully developed.

How do you ensure a development becomes a neighborhood? How do you connect a neighborhood 3 miles away with the well-established neighborhoods branching out from Public Square?

Sherwood, Oregon, has grown steadily since Intel arrived in Washington County in 1974. In 2019, residents consciously decided to take an aggressive approach to growth.

But they sent a clear message to city leaders: “As we grow, we can’t lose the small-town feel and the character that we have.”

Maintaining that small-town feel

On Dec. 5, 2024, Oregon Metro expanded Sherwood’s urban growth boundary to accommodate a development called Sherwood West.

Essentially, the city pulled 1,300 acres from its urban reserves into the city. Metro’s decision paves the way for 3,120 to 5,580 housing units, 4,500 jobs, and another hotel.

Retired Sherwood Economic Director Bruce Coleman said city officials completed master planning. Also, they are meeting with planning firms to focus on Sherwood West.

“All of this is going to be really critical so that we get a high-quality community that is an extension of Sherwood and is master planned and developed through phases. Some of this is going to take 30 years to develop,” he said.

“Engagement and connection are at the root of creating a ‘small-town feel.’”

David Burton

Eric Rutledge, Sherwood’s development director, said what city officials hear most when there is potential change is that “we need to ‘keep Sherwood Sherwood.’”

That, he said, can be difficult to accomplish.

“But I think because we pay so much attention to what our community is saying, we’re able to get that vision into the planning documents, and then it’s a matter of implementing the plan for the vision,” he said.

Relationships

Regardless of the catalyst for growth over the years, Sherwood was intentional about maintaining a small-town feel. City Manager Craig Sheldon said relationships are a key component to accomplishing that.

“You had folks who wanted to keep a small-town feel, and still today you have that, even though we’re a lot larger,” he said. “I heard that a lot since I’ve been here.”

“We have a lot of community-based events, things like the Robin Hood Festival, which is uniquely Sherwood,” Community Services Director Kristen Switzer said. “We have a very active historical society, local arts organization, and several theater groups. There is a fair amount of people who don’t want to have to leave Sherwood to recreate, to play, and potentially to work as well.”

Switzer said Sherwood is far enough away from Intel and Hillsboro that a “Sherwood bubble” happens.

“People embrace that. They feel like it’s a safe community for their kids,” she said. “I think Sherwood attracts a lot of people working at Intel or have young children because of our great education system and all of those other things.”

When Sherwood officials built the municipal building in 2006, they offered the library first-floor space to maintain community relationships.

Switzer cited the new high school as another example of how the city consciously maintained relationships.

“They really could have decided to have two high schools, and they decided to build one very large high school,” she said.

Connectivity

A 2022 assessment of Mount Vernon’s West End revealed that residents felt isolated from the rest of the city.

Residents cited child-centered activities at Riverside Park as a way to help neighborhood residents meet each other and draw other city residents to the area.

Other discussions noted that the railroad tracks are a barrier separating the west end from the downtown.

To improve its connectivity, Sherwood is building a pedestrian bridge that spans two major roadways and Highway 99, a major route through the city. Officials expect to complete it this year.

The vision for the bridge originated in 2018 when construction began on the new high school. The idea was to provide safe access to the school for sporting and other events.

According to the Sherwood Gazette, Sherwood Mayor Tim Rosener said the bridge enables children to hop on their bikes and ride to Rainbow Market, a candy store in Old Town Sherwood. That, he said, is a “big deal.”

The bridge will connect the new Sherwood West neighborhood to existing community hubs and provide walkers and cyclists access to trails connecting east and west Sherwood.

Sherwood Development Director Eric Rutledge said that Intel aside, Sherwood would build the bridge.

“It’s a state highway, and there’s a lot of traffic on that road. We want to connect current city limits to our growth area, and we want to do that in a way that’s safe for families, safe for children, and safe for active transportation users,” he said.

Curb appeal

The planning process for Sherwood West spanned two years.

“What we heard during the planning process was that if Sherwood was going to grow, new growth areas should look and feel like current city limits,” Rutledge said.

“Sherwood went to significant effort to make sure that the density, the allowed housing types, the street design standards, everything would be compatible with current city limits and feel like an extension of Sherwood.”

“We really do have a small-town feel and we do not want to lose that as we grow. I think we have accomplished that in the plan.”

Eric Rutledge, Sherwood development director

“We were very detailed in what Sherwood West should look like and feel like, where street connections should be, so that Sherwood West would be a natural extension of current city limits and you don’t lose the small-town feel we have right now,” Rutledge said.

Sheldon noted that planning commission members want certain things and will fight for them.

“That’s why when you see a Walmart here in town, it’s a little nicer than some of the other Walmarts. It’s just the development standards they have here,” he said.

Broadband

“One of the unique things we’re doing right now is a fiber-to-the-home project for our broadband,” Sheldon said.

Sherwood Broadband is owned and operated by Sherwood residents. The municipal project started in 2003 and served businesses only.

In 2021, Sherwood City Council voted to issue $20 million in bonds to build a citywide fiber network.

“I think that’s big, especially with how so many people work from home now,” Switzer said of the broadband initiative. “When they remote work, that’s a huge asset to the community.”

Working remote keeps people in Sherwood during the day, visiting coffee shops and other establishments. Additionally, it reduces traffic and eliminates commute time, leaving residents more time for family and other activities.

Liveability

Aggressive business recruitment might not come to mind when considering livability and maintaining a small-town feel.

However, Sherwood officials say aggressive recruitment helps Sherwood do just that.

“One of the reasons for bringing jobs to Sherwood is to allow Sherwood residents to live closer to where they work,” Rutledge explained.

“There’s only two options: They can move closer to their work, or we can bring jobs closer to where they work.”

He said that when companies relocate, the staff living in Sherwood do not have to drive to downtown Portland or another area.

“Their commute time is now reduced. Now they can spend more time with family, whatever that might be like,” he said.

“So it’s about bringing the high-paying jobs here, but it’s also about the livability of the overall community that our residents don’t have to be in a vehicle for 30 to 45 minutes each direction per day.

“If we can cut that down to literally five or 10 minutes, that’s a win,” he said, acknowledging that it cannot happen overnight — and won’t work for everyone.

Another livability factor related to business recruitment is the boost to local small businesses.

“In Old Town, there are restaurants, there are coffee shops, there are barbers. A certain portion of the employees who are working in Sherwood but living elsewhere are now going to do their business meeting downtown, get coffee downtown, or whatever it might be,” Rutledge said.

Small businesses enrich their communities in various ways.

They also become part of a community’s character and foster close bonds with community members who patronize the businesses.

What is Knox County doing to retain that small-town flavor?

Together Knox, the updated draft of the county’s comprehensive plan, notes that communities reflect the values that make Knox County unique.

Knox County’s municipalities prioritize fostering a sense of community and offer a variety of social interactions that promote a small-town feel.

They promote the small-town feel by displaying veterans’ banners, beautifying downtowns, and supporting small, independent businesses.

“There is no formula retail here, just unique family -run businesses where you can often find the owner or manager at the counter,” Gambier Village Administrator R.C. Wise said.

Mail delivery is a unique way Gambier strengthens its sense of community.

“With no home mail delivery, Gambier residents retrieve their mail at the post office where they can meet their neighbors and learn of the goings-on in the village and campus all at the same time,” Wise explained.

Lacey Filkins cites public space enhancements such as sidewalk snow removal, public bicycle racks, and local artistry on downtown utility boxes as ways Experience Mount Vernon enhances Mount Vernon’s small-town feel.

Centerburg Village Administrator Teri Wise said keeping a community’s small-town, rural feel is not a one-person task.

“It takes work and cooperation among many like-minded people to achieve that goal of keeping the small-town, rural feel to the village,” she said.

Filkins agrees, noting collaboration is important.

“These efforts could be further supported by investing in a more pedestrian-friendly downtown design, preserving and protecting historic structures and facades, and prioritizing small business friendly policies and initiatives,” she said.

What role do residents play?

Livability, connectivity, and curb appeal help a city maintain its identity and small-town feel.

Kenyon Professor Howard Sacks said telling a community’s story and highlighting significant places helps draw new residents into the community and promotes shared values.

Municipal and business leaders can initiate activities and programs to promote social interaction.

However, David Burton’s opinion piece in the Springfield Daily Citizen notes that residents also play a role.

“You, dear reader, are key to the ‘small-town feel’ of your community. If you think the ‘small-town feel’ has disappeared, could it be that you have disengaged from your community?” he writes.

He encourages residents to attend meetings, join organizations, meet their neighbors, and volunteer.

Volunteerism has declined nationwide over the years, and Mount Vernon and Knox County have also felt the effects.

The Knox County Regional Planning Commission and the Clerks and Township Association are among the organizations having difficulty getting a quorum, and civic organizations are experiencing declining membership.

If Knox County wants to retain its “small-town feel” in light of anticipated growth, it starts at home.