Downtown Vitality - Priority Actions
The Downtown Vitality Strategy Task Force created this list of priority action statements to guide future activities and investments downtown. The priority actions are grouped around nine broad categories.
These priority actions were published in December 2025 and will be revised based on community feedback and engagement in 2026.
Safety: Enhance downtown cleanliness and safety.
- Enhance streetscapes by significantly improving landscaping and curb appeal amenities.
- Invest in street, walkway, alley, and storefront lighting improvements.
- Contribute to an attractive environment that encourages people to gather, shop, and take pride in the downtown community.
- Address all downtown sidewalk safety hazards.
- Provide clean and safe public restrooms throughout downtown.
- Identify and address behavioral safety and social service gaps downtown to reduce harm, improve access to support, and enhance overall community wellbeing.
Economy: Foster a vibrant and successful retail, service, office, and entertainment economy.
- Promote downtown as a compelling and welcoming destination to shop, dine, celebrate, experience history and culture, and engage in human connections.
- Support start-up businesses and community events with simple and understandable processes.
- Provide business friendly city policies and incentives, including tax incentives.
- Promote opportunities to enjoy and explore civic and cultural spaces, restaurants, and events.
- Develop and support strategies to reduce storefront vacancies.
Transportation: Emphasize walkability within downtown and multiple transportation connections to downtown from neighborhoods and OSU.
- Improve safety and travel comfort by improving pedestrian crossings at key 3rd and 4th street intersections with Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe avenues.
- Emphasize collaboration and transportation investments by the state, county, and city to ensure transportation mobility and safe travel and support the regional and downtown economy.
- Emphasize downtown accessibility, walkability, and biking by providing safe corridors of travel.
- Improve and promote downtown access for all people and abilities.
- Increase signage and way-finding enhancements within downtown.
- Provide wayfinding signage promoting downtown within nearby neighborhoods.
- Expand OSU’s scooter program to include downtown.
- Complete missing segments of bicycle and pedestrian connections to downtown.
- Implement recommendations of the Downtown Parking Task Force.
- Explore creating a shuttle service for navigating within downtown that connects to Corvallis Transit System.
Housing: Support housing opportunities that contribute to a vital downtown community.
- Continue efforts by the city, state, and private developers to expand housing and housing options in existing and new downtown buildings.
- Emphasize diverse housing styles within downtown that serve a variety of income levels and needs.
Brand Identity: Implement strategies that contribute to and promote a unique and welcoming downtown identity.
- Differentiate and promote downtown Corvallis as a destination of choice for visitors by collaborating with businesses and cultural partners to provide compelling, memorable experiences.
- Focus on marketing approaches that support steady economic development and draw investments to the downtown area.
- Develop gateway signage leading into downtown.
Public Spaces and Buildings: Invest in public gathering spaces, facilities, and services.
- Retain and enhance municipal buildings, meeting facilities, staff, and services within the downtown area.
Sustainability: Contribute to downtown’s success, sustainability, and resilience.
- Advance environmental and economic resilience through strategic investments, policies, and partnerships among utility service providers, property owners, and government:
- Modernize downtown's power infrastructure.
- Expand green energy solutions, such as solar energy panels and electric vehicle charging stations.
- Invest in resilient infrastructure.
River Connections: Make the Willamette River an integral part of downtown.
- Expand downtown’s connection to the Willamette River with:
- Improved viewing areas
- Improved recreational access to enable year-round engagement with the river
- Support efforts that enhance river water quality and contribute to riverside natural habitat and vegetation.
Urban Renewal and Private Investment: Invest in public and private sector strategies to advance the Downtown Vitality Strategy.
- Prioritize and complete a downtown urban renewal and tax increment financing feasibility study and report to the community.
- Advance strategic private sector investments and leadership in downtown strategies and outcomes.
