After years of staring at an empty movie theater, Tigard is finally rolling the next reel on the old Regal Cinemas site. The city’s Town Center Development Agency voted this month to back a split plan that lets a private developer move ahead on the southern block while reserving the northern half for a future public park.
The roughly 10 acre parcel at 11626 SW Pacific Highway will be carved into a developer built street front and housing block on the south and a city led green space on the north. City officials say the compromise is meant to jump start badly needed infrastructure and frontage along Pacific Highway without giving up the park neighbors have been asking for.
The agency purchased the former Regal Cinemas property in 2025 for about $12 million, according to Citizen Portal. City of Tigard documents show the deal was structured from the start to leave room for both parkland and future private development. Staff materials and budget notes indicate the city leaned on Tigard Triangle TIF money and other internal budget moves to cover the up front cost while it began outreach and concept work tied to creek restoration and future trail connections.
Board backs staged approach
At its March 10 meeting, the Town Center Development Agency signed off on a plan that allows a developer to build on roughly 2.5 acres on the south side of the property while the city advances design and engineering for a park on the north side. Staff recommended sequencing the projects so the developer handles new street frontages and a building first while the city moves park design and permitting forward, a strategy officials said is meant to limit risk in a soft market.
The decision followed an online survey of 322 respondents who put walking and biking trails, a playground, picnic shelters and natural green space at the top of their wish list, according to Your Oregon News. In other words, neighbors want a real park, not just some grass around new buildings, and the city is trying to deliver that while still getting taxable development on the books.
Why the split makes sense, officials say
City leaders argue the staged approach threads the needle between community expectations and the financial realities of the fast changing Tigard Triangle. The parcel has been described by staff as the logical spot for the Triangle’s first park and for Red Rock Creek restoration, a point the city has repeated in public materials and outreach, reporting earlier detailed by Tigard Life.
At the same time, staff have warned that the purchase and its financing will tighten the Triangle’s TIF fund for several years, according to City of Tigard documents. That makes a purely public buildout harder to pull off in one shot, which is why officials are leaning on private construction of streets and housing to help shoulder some of the upfront work.
Next steps and timeline
Under the board’s direction, city staff will now start detailed park design and engineering while simultaneously seeking developer proposals for the southern parcel. No firm construction start dates were set at the March meeting. Staff said the timeline will depend on market interest, the permitting process and how quickly new street frontage and utilities can be built.
In the meantime, the city has leased one acre of the site to a tenant on a short term basis through January 2027 as a way to generate interim revenue while long term plans come together, according to Citizen Portal.
The decision keeps the long promised park alive on the north side and gives the city a pathway to build the frontage and housing it says the Triangle needs on the south. Board members said they expect to bring back park design options and developer proposals for public review in the months ahead.
