Cultural District executive previews parking study and IGA review for 2026

Corey, representing the Newberg Cultural District, gave the annual report required by the IGA and outlined 2025 events and priorities for 2026 at the Dec. 15 council meeting.

Corey said the executive board is “looking into a parking study to revisit the formula for the current Newberg Cultural District Festival Street Permit,” noting the form in use has not been updated in many years. He said the board also plans to review the current intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to “slim it down while still functioning as a way for the neighborhood residents to have a voice in the cultural district.”

When asked who would perform and pay for the parking study, Corey said that was not yet determined and that it may need to wait for a different budget year. Councilors asked whether the study would reuse prior work; staff and Corey referenced previous parking studies (a downtown-couplet study and a 2022 study for the cultural center) and said the executive board would consider connectivity to those earlier efforts.

Corey said if the study shows a need for additional parking, it would include ideas for where to add parking; he also told council that the executive board may look for ways to simplify the festival permit application.

What happens next: The Cultural District executive will continue examining the parking-study scope and review of the IGA; specifics on funding, contractor or timeline were not finalized at the meeting.