Email: rowan.maiorano@northplains.org
Title: Downtown Coordinator
Organization: City of North Plains
Community: North Plains, OR
Population: 3,441
County Served: Washington County

Meet Rowan Maiorano (they/them):

Rowan is a native Oregonian who was born in Newberg, OR. They moved to Texas to receive a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from Texas A&M University. During that time, they also co-owned/operated a family restaurant in the rural town of Calvert, TX. During this period, they began working with local government and other businesses to advocate for the people and business ventures of Calvert. This sparked a passion for local government, urban design and planning, and community development. Rowan recently spent 5 months abroad travelling to Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe to live with locals and experience different lifestyles around the world. Rowan enjoys hiking and exploring all of Oregon’s natural spaces, watching motorsport, and getting out on the water. They are most excited to help connect businesses and people while building community rapport in North Plains.

Community and Organization:

North Plains is a small city in Washington County, OR. Located just off Hwy 26 between Portland and the Oregon Coast, North Plains is ideally located for many families who desire the amenities of Portland and the associated metro area while maintaining an independent community feeling. North Plains is also home to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course, a world class facility, which is located minutes away from the Helvetia region where much of Oregon’s best local food is grown and raised.

The City of North Plains is motivated to continue improving the municipality in the face of rapid population growth. Projects underway include streetscape upgrades, improved multi-modal transportation (including public transportation), the addition of essential amenities, and an expanded Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).

Projects:

Rowan will be acting as Downtown Coordinator for the City of North Plains. This role encompasses implementing a newly adopted Downtown Improvement Plan as well as supporting the city planning department to influence development of a vibrant downtown district. The Downtown Improvement Plan focuses on connecting downtown business owners to resources to improve their regional footholds, facilitating the enhancement of currently underutilized downtown spaces, creating new and more frequent downtown events, and cultivating a cohesive streetscape for the downtown district. These initiatives will create a lively downtown district that will attract residents, tourists, and investors alike to downtown North Plains.