Frank Bubenik#

Frank Bubenik is the Mayor of Tualatin, Oregon, a city of approximately 28,000 in Washington County. He was elected to the Tualatin City Council in November 2010 and re-elected in November 2014. He was elected as mayor in 2018, taking office in January 2019, and was re-elected mayor in 2022. Addressing the regional housing crisis has been a stated priority throughout his tenure as mayor.12

He currently serves on the Washington County Coordinating Committee (as Chair), R1 ACT, Tualatin Aging Task Force, and the Metropolitan Mayors’ Consortium, as well as chairing the Small Cities Consortium of Greater Portland.3

Background#

Born and raised in New York, Bubenik was in ROTC in college, entered the military service as a 2nd lieutenant, and was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. He later earned an MBA at the State University of New York, where he met his future wife Donna, and the two moved to Washington, D.C., where Bubenik worked for the IRS.4

The couple eventually moved to the West Coast, settling in Tualatin after it was recommended as a good place to live. An IT consultant, Bubenik co-founded Compass Computing Group Inc. His entry into politics started with volunteering for the city’s visioning process on the Tualatin Tomorrow Steering Committee, and he went on to serve on multiple Tualatin and Washington County committees.4

Key Housing Actions#

As Mayor (2019-present)#

  • Plambeck Gardens Affordable Housing: Bubenik championed Tualatin’s first nonprofit-developed affordable housing project, Plambeck Gardens, a 116-unit complex developed by Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) in the Basalt Creek area.5 The city of Tualatin contributed $1 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to install water and sewer to the complex, and additionally granted a tax waiver for as long as Plambeck Gardens continues to offer affordable housing.6 The project received funding from Metro’s affordable housing bond and opened in 2025.7

  • Basalt Creek Residential Development: Under Bubenik’s leadership, the Tualatin City Council approved comprehensive plan amendments in 2019 and zoning code changes in 2020 to enable residential development in the Basalt Creek area, Tualatin’s last significant undeveloped land.8 Of the 400 homes being developed in four phases, 80 will be townhomes and 320 will be detached single-family homes.9 The council also approved additional zoning changes in December 2024 to allow approximately 100 townhomes and cottages on another Basalt Creek parcel.10

  • Housing Production Strategy and Needs Analysis (HB 2003 Compliance): Tualatin adopted a Housing Needs Analysis in 2019 and a Housing Production Strategy (HPS) in 2021, fulfilling the city’s obligations under HB 2003.11 Then on June 12, 2023, Tualatin accepted an Equitable Housing Funding Plan that studied potential ways to increase affordable housing production through different financial sources.12

  • Middle Housing Implementation (HB 2001 Compliance): Tualatin was among the large cities in the Portland Metro region that implemented code changes to comply with Oregon’s HB 2001 middle housing mandate.13 In 2022, the City Council approved a rezoning of the Tualatin Heights Apartments site from medium-low to medium-high density, allowing expansion from 220 to 336 units to help address identified housing shortfalls.14

  • Affordable Housing Community Discussion (2024): Bubenik convened a community meeting on housing barriers and solutions, stating the city was “required by the state to hold this meeting because our severe rent-burdened population is above 25 percent.” Despite planning for and building more units, Tualatin has struggled to keep pace with affordable housing demand in Washington County, which has the highest rental rates in the state.15

  • Urban Renewal Districts: Two urban renewal areas have been created under Bubenik’s leadership — the Southwest Basalt Creek Development Area for industrial and commercial growth and the Downtown Core Opportunity and Development Area (CORA), both intended in part to support infrastructure for new housing and mixed-use development.16

  • Regional Collaboration on Homelessness: Bubenik has participated in regional discussions on homelessness and housing, including advocating for greater city involvement in Metro’s supportive housing services bond planning.17 In 2025, he highlighted the opening of Plambeck Gardens as an example of successful public housing at a regional mayors’ forum with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson.18

As City Councilor (2011-2018)#

  • Basalt Creek Concept Plan: The Basalt Creek Concept Plan was completed and accepted by the Tualatin City Council in 2018, with the project team working with property owners, citizens, service providers, and regional partners. This plan laid the groundwork for the residential development that followed under Bubenik’s mayoral tenure.9

  1. City of Tualatin: Meet Your Council ↩︎

  2. Tualatin Life: Mayor’s Corner: Introducing Mayor Frank Bubenik (February 2, 2019) ↩︎

  3. Westside Economic Alliance: Our 2025 Mayors ↩︎

  4. Tualatin Life: A lesson in the ‘history’ of Mayor Bubenik (November 5, 2021) ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. Tualatin Life: Plambeck Gardens to bring multi-family affordable housing to Basalt Creek area (July 16, 2023) ↩︎

  6. Tualatin Life: Plambeck Gardens to bring multi-family affordable housing to Basalt Creek area (July 16, 2023) ↩︎

  7. Oregon Metro: Affordable housing advocate honored in naming of new apartment community ↩︎

  8. City of Tualatin: Basalt Creek Area Planning ↩︎

  9. City of Tualatin: Basalt Creek Area ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. Valley Times News: Planning of townhomes, cottages continues in Basalt Creek area (December 24, 2024) ↩︎

  11. City of Tualatin: Equitable Housing Funding Plan (PDF) ↩︎

  12. City of Tualatin: Tualatin 2040 ↩︎

  13. Schwabe: OP-ED: Large Cities Preparing to Allow Middle Housing in Residential Areas ↩︎

  14. Tualatin Life: Tualatin Heights re-zoning passes City Council in second vote (March 28, 2022) ↩︎

  15. Tualatin Life: Officials discuss solutions for Tualatin’s affordable-housing crisis (October 15, 2024) ↩︎

  16. Tualatin Life: State of the City: Tualatin is ‘going full-steam ahead’ (April 30, 2025) ↩︎

  17. Tualatin Life: Officials discuss solutions for Tualatin’s affordable-housing crisis (October 15, 2024) ↩︎

  18. Portland Tribune: Portland Mayor Wilson wants Washington County to fund city’s homeless shelters (March 22, 2025) ↩︎

Want to improve this page? Create an issue or edit the file and open a pull request.

Backward Lamar Wise Keith Wilson Forward