Metro's goal to keep population growth inside existing urban areas came under scrutiny Thursday from some members of the Clackamas County Farm Bureau.
Brian Montecucco wondered why urban reserves – land set aside for development – are even needed if Metro staff believes there's enough room for population growth inside the current urban growth boundary. Doesn't that mean Metro is planning to move the boundary, he asked.
"It sounds like 'yeah, we got enough room, but we still want to do it,'" Montecucco said.
Metro planner John Williams told Montecucco that urban reserves are lands set aside for growth over the next 40 to 50 years, and that Metro does evaluations every five years on whether or not to expand the boundary to accommodate 20 years of growth. He also said the existing boundary may not include land for large industrial lots of 50 acres or more, and the boundary might be moved to incorporate those lots.
Williams and Metro Councilor Rod Park met with the bureau Thursday to explain Metro chief operating officer Michael Jordan's growth report, "Making the Greatest Place: Strategies for a sustainable and prosperous region." The report encourages channeling most growth inside the existing urban growth boundary, investing in repairing and maintaining existing buildings and infrastructure, and holding Metro and its local government partners accountable for the goals they put in place for themselves and the region.
While many in rural communities are looking for lands to be protected from development, Jason Montecucco, Brian Montecucco's brother, criticized that land designated as rural is land without options. He said if farmland is protected by rural reserves but the farming industry becomes strangled by regulation, land owners wouldn't be able to sell their property to developers.
"So I should hope and pray for urban reserves so at least I have options?" Jason Montecucco asked.
Shawn Cleave, government affairs specialist for the bureau, offered Metro's reserve policy a backhanded defense. He told Jason Montecucco not to get worked up over a process that's "very theoretical."
"I'm skeptical that any of these designations are finite," Cleave said.
Councilor Park said he appreciated Montecucco's concerns, and reminded the farmers that they had a powerful bargaining chip: popular support. Park cited a survey that said 80 percent of residents want to protect farmland and forests, and said farmers should use that leverage to secure things like water rights and policies that would benefit the agricultural community.
– by Sean Breslin, Metro staff