GREG WINTEROWD

Greg Winterowd, Winterbrook Planning

Education

  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning
    University of Oregon
  • Master of Political Studies,
    Queen’s University, Ontario

Professional Memberships

  • American Planning Association
    (Past) Member, Chair, Emerging Issues Committee, Chapter Presidents Council, Latinos and Planning Executive Board
  • American Planning Association, Oregon Chapter
    (Past) Board Member and Legislative Liaison, Vice President, President
  • Oregon City Planning Directors Association
    (Past) Member, Legislative Liaison, Vice President, President

Interesting Facts:

  • Speaks Swedish
  • Studied in Canada and England
  • Worked for the former Supreme Court Justice Wally Carson after attending University of Oregon

Greg Winterowd, the “winter” in Winterbrook, is a cofounder of Winterbrook Planning, along with Tim Brooks. Greg has over 40 years of local, regional, and state level public work, and has worked with private entities for big and small projects alike. His public sector focus has been on growth management, including comprehensive planning, urban growth studies, housing, economic development, historic preservation, natural resource and hazard planning, development code writing and administration, and managing projects through local and state land use regulatory processes. His understanding of local regional, state, and private planning issues provides needed perspective, balance and depth to planning, urban design, and municipal development programs.  

“Because I know the rules so well, I can help you achieve your local objectives consistent with those rules.”

Greg got his undergraduate degree at University of Minnesota. He spent one of those years studying at University of Manchester, which broadened his horizons and nourished his interest in the people and politics of evolving global communities. His intellectual curiosity led to him pursuing a Master of Political Studies at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, where he formed a systems-oriented world view that has served him well as a comprehensive planner.

His desire to make a difference in the world brought him to the University of Oregon, where he received his Master of Urban and Regional Planning. Planning, he felt, would give him the opportunity to work with people and create positive impact through public service. He spent as much time working as studying at Oregon, as a legislative assistant to Senator Wallace Carson (R), who later became Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, was selected for a HUD Internship at Lane Council of Governments, worked for a local housing developer, and edited the Oregon Housing Hotline in the 1975 and 1977 legislative sessions.

His first full-time job was the Planner for Ashland, OR where he prepared the National Register nomination for the Historic Railroad District. He then went on to work for the State of Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. Working for the State he came to know and respect people and communities throughout Oregon.

He spent six years as Planning and Development Director for the City of Springfield, where he prepared a modern development code, numerous refinement plans, and managed the city’s planning, building and land management divisions. This extensive background laid the groundwork for the establishment of Winterowd Planning Services and subsequently joining forces with Tim Brooks to form Winterbrook Planning, a full-service, comprehensive, environmental and land use planning firm.

Representative Projects:

Corvallis Natural Features
In Phase 1 of this multi-phase project, Greg worked with the City of Corvallis’ Natural Features Advisory Committee to determine what resources to inventory and to develop appropriate inventory methods for 10 types of natural features. For Phase 2, Winterbrook Planning led a team of scientists in conducting inventories for wetlands, riparian corridors, wildlife habitat, and tree groves throughout the Corvallis urban growth boundary. The inventories included individual data sheets and digitized maps for over 500 resource sites and were incorporated into an interactive GIS map and database. In Phase 3, Winterbrook Planning advised the City on how to use these inventories to analyze the impacts of different development / protection scenarios. Phase 4 included advice to the City on the combination of incentives and regulatory methods to protect the significant natural features.

Seaside UGB
Seaside is highly vulnerable to a major subduction earthquake and subsequent tsunami event. Winterbrook led the Seaside School District’s application to amend the Seaside UGB to accommodate a new K-12 campus above the tsunami inundation zone. Winterbrook drafted detailed findings for Seaside land use proposal, and drafted a new I-C Campus Institutional Zone for schools and hospitals. The Seaside Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the amendment package on August 1, 2017, based on well-organized testimony from the District and community representatives, the consultant team and key state agencies.

Washington Park Reservoirs
For the Portland Water Bureau, Winterbrook led the land use and environmental compliance tasks for a new below-ground reservoir and the historic redevelopment of open water features in the Washington Park Reservoirs Historic District. The plan calls for replacement of aging reservoirs with new reflecting pools and the historic restoration of Romanesque Dams and Gatehouses. A new, below-ground reservoir will maintain the historic drinking water function provided by the original reservoirs – but will be engineered to withstand ongoing landslide encroachment and potentially catastrophic effects of a major earthquake. For the first time since the 1970s, John Charles Olmsted’s vision of publicly-accessible, open water features as a contemplative and relaxing counterpoint to the bustle of urban life will again become a reality.
The consolidated conditional use and historic review application was favorably reviewed by the Portland Landmarks Commission, the Portland Hearings Officer and the Portland City Council and the project is now under construction.