The Metro Policy Advisory Committee at its May 12 meeting focused on local concerns about how urban reserves will be planned prior to being included in the urban growth boundary.
Also at the meeting, Metro Policy Advisor Andy Cotugno described a collaborative regional effort to secure a Sustainable Communities Initiative grant through the U.S. departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Metro and its partners are pursuing support for a collaborative regional effort to build more affordable housing, invest in neighborhoods in ways that create jobs and enhance livability, and to create more transparency and accountability for public investments.
Most of Wednesday's meeting was devoted to a follow-up conversation from the April 28 meeting, where the discussion focused on whether or not Metro should bring land into the urban growth boundary if local governments cannot agree on concept planning beforehand.
At the last meeting, Metro staff presented proposed requirements for planning of urban reserves before they are added to the urban growth boundary. At Wednesday's meeting, staff presented changes recommended by committee members but the changes did not fully satisfy many MPAC members.
Of particular concern was a provision that would enable the Metro Council to add land to the urban growth boundary if local governments responsible for concept planning could not reach agreement and the Metro Council was still required by state law to provide sufficient land for future growth. Several MPAC members continued to express discomfort with the idea of the Metro Council adding land that local cities either do not want inside the boundary or cannot agree on how to provide services for.
"What I dislike is that Metro would do something to us if we can't agree. I would prefer that Metro serve as mediator (in such a situation)," said Oregon City Mayor Alice Norris.
Norris' concerns were shared by many other MPAC members, though some expressed support for keeping the language as an impetus to reach agreement on concept plans.
"Having concept plans and knowing what communities want is a good thing," responded Sherwood Mayor Keith Mays.
In the end, the committee recommended the Metro Council adopt the proposal with a request that the language dealing with concept plans be further modified to encourage more collaboration with local cities on the development of concept plans.