An advisory committee of regional leaders signed off Wednesday night on a plan to add 310 acres to the urban growth boundary for large lot industrial sites, turning down a request from Washington County representatives to expand by nearly four times that amount.
The Metro Policy Advisory Committee consists of 30 elected officials, appointed special district board members and citizen representatives from across the Portland area. The committee's decisions, made by 21 voting members, aren't binding, but the Metro Council uses MPAC's guidance as a gauge of regional opinions.
This week, the advisory committee was asked to look at Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan's recommendations for changes to the town and regional center designations, and Jordan's suggestions on industrial capacity.
Committee members were given a few choices for industrial expansion areas, all in Washington County. The only area Jordan recommended for expansion was a 310-acre agricultural area north of Hillsboro.
Hillsboro, Cornelius, Tualatin and Forest Grove combined to request 1,126 acres for industrial development, with Hillsboro asking for more than half of that.
Tied up in the conversation about immediate industrial need was a debate over a proposed industrial replenishment system. The committee did not vote on the replenishment suggestion.
The large industrial request drew a sharp rebuke from Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who accused Hillsboro of not being supportive of industrial growth in other cities in the region. Adams asked for more attention and resources to bringing some 17 brownfield sites in his city closer to shovel-ready status.
"I spend a lot of time on trade missions, and I do a lot of selling for companies not in the City of Portland, that are in the region," Adams said, citing Hillsboro's SolarWorld and Clackamas' United Streetcars as examples. "It would be great if once in awhile, my suburban friends would speak to the issues that we, in the older, established cities in the region face, with as much passion as you speak to wanting this proposal."
Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey said Intel's vendors bring in $1 billion to the region's economy, and pointed out that many Intel employees live in Portland.
"I think there's a lot of benefits that, certainly, the region enjoys by any particular employment area that's developed and continues to be developed," Willey said.
Adams stayed on his point. "I think you should start advocating for another Intel, in Gresham," he said.
Willey: "Last time I heard, they didn't ask me where they wanted to go, Sam."
Adams: "The point is, mayor, you're a great advocate and very passionate for what's in your backyard. I want you to be more passionate for what's in some of our other backyards."
Willey's argument for aiming high on the industrial side is that the Portland region is competing both nationally and internationally for new employers.
"310 acres is a nice start," Willey said. "It doesn't provide us with enough opportunity to really compete over a long term period of time. It doesn't allow there to be a competitive opportunity among the lots," which could cause prices on the existing large lots to go up.
Committee members, though, seemed to be more in favor of using replenishment as a way to address that supply issue.
The Washington County request, made by Sherwood Mayor Keith Mays, was voted down 14-4. Adams then moved to endorse Jordan's recommendation for the 310 acres north of Hillsboro. The board voted 8-7 in favor of that idea.
Earlier in the meeting, the committee voted unanimously voted to support proposed changes to centers designations. The proposals include moving Happy Valley's town center to the area near 162nd Avenue and Sunnyside Road; establishing Cornelius as a town center; and creating an AmberGlen regional center to replace the Tanasbourne town center.
The committee also decided to look more thoroughly into centers at a future meeting.
The Metro Council has until the end of the year to vote on the advisory committee's recommendations.