On Wednesday the Metro Policy Advisory Committee endorsed a collaborative effort led by Metro and several local governments and non-governmental organizations to pursue a $5 million Sustainable Communities Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The grant, if awarded, would enable the region to develop and implement a Housing Equity and Opportunity Strategy that would link investments in affordable housing with investments in other public services to provide more affordable access to transportation, employment centers, health care, and educational and recreational opportunities for more people in the region. The Housing Equity and Opportunity Strategy would be an implementation plan that creates new partnerships among government and non-government agencies and provides policies and investments that promote equity and opportunity for all of the region's residents.
Following its vote to endorse the grant application, MPAC turned its attention to the report issued on Tuesday by Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan that outlined his recommendations for the development of a Community Investment Strategy aimed at supporting jobs and safe neighborhoods throughout the region. Jordan's recommendations fall under four main categories:
- Investing in safe, livable communities
- Promoting economic development and good jobs
- Protecting our natural areas
- Reducing inefficiency, fostering innovation and demanding accountability
Jordan stressed the need for a public investment strategy that better integrates existing investments in land use, transportation, economic development, housing and other components that contribute to successful communities in order to attract enhanced private investment that supports new development and jobs.
Jordan's report also recommended modest expansions of the urban growth boundary south of Hillsboro in order to meet anticipated demands for additional housing over the next 20 years, as well as another 300-acre expansion north of Hillsboro to accommodate anticipated need for large-lot (50 acres or more) industrial employment sites during the same period.
The report was largely well-received by the committee, though questions were raised as to how a Community Investment Strategy would be governed, how decisions about investments would be made, and whether the Metro Council could decide not to add any land to the UGB this year. These and other questions will be discussed at MPAC and through other forums throughout the region over the next few months.