The scope of the projects are varied, but all of them will help cities and counties plan and develop thriving downtowns, develop critical infrastructure where it’s missing, and create more job and housing opportunities.
Happy Valley city officials, for example, want to produce a new comprehensive plan for 2,700 acres in a portion of the former city of Damascus. Beaverton’s planning division aims to remove obstacles for putting up new buildings and creating job and housing opportunities.
“I think this is a great slate of projects,” said Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette. “I look forward to seeing results come out of them.”
This is the sixth round of grants funded by Metro’s 2040 planning and development grants program, formerly known as community planning and development grants.
The nine projects combined will receive nearly $2 million in funding. That includes conditional funding for Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Development proposed project.
As a response to housing affordability challenges, Portland city officials plan to connect land-owning faith-based groups with developers looking for affordable land. Metro will fund the project if the bureau secures at least three faith-based partners to support the project.
Nearly half of the money went toward projects that promote equitable development or serve historically marginalized communities, such as communities of color.
“All these projects, they’re going to add up to a different place in the future,” said Ed McNamara, a member of the program’s selection committee.
“Putting that money out there for the reasons that Metro’s doing it – to get rid of barriers to development, to think about undeveloped land, to increase capacity for developing the region – are great goals,” McNamara said. “The jurisdictions really responded with some terrific ideas.”
Learn more
Visit the past grant cycles page to see the list of the 2017 recipients.