It's official – an urban growth boundary expansion is off the table this year.
A Monday memo from Metro Council President Carlotta Collette said last month's partial remand of rural reserves from the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission means that a review of the urban growth boundary won't happen until next year.
"We will take the opportunity this fall to consider amendments to existing regional policies that will help us achieve greater efficiencies within our current urban growth boundary and enable us to support the development of great communities," Collette said in the memo.
Also off the table is the industrial land replenishment program recommended by Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan.
As reported last week on Metro's news feed, the council must still consider a capacity ordinance this fall, but only has to prove that at least half of the region's residential need can be filled within the current urban growth boundary.
The change means that the new Metro Council will have to consider if and where it should expand the urban growth boundary. Jordan recommended about 1,000 acres be added to the boundary south of Hillsboro for residential land, and about 300 acres be brought in for industrial land north of the city.
In an interview last week, Metro Council President-elect Tom Hughes, a former Hillsboro mayor, said Jordan's recommendation takes some pressure off of him.
"It's clear the recommendation that's going forward is not the recommendation of a newly-elected council president who comes from Hillsboro, but it's the recommendation of the COO (Jordan), who, oh by the way, happens to come from Clackamas County," Hughes said. Jordan lives in Canby.
Hughes said he anticipated some push from Washington County for a more ambitious urban growth boundary expansion.
"Quite frankly, whether I think it's sufficient or not, I think it's a good compromise and it's a good place to go," Hughes said.
The council will have four public hearings on the capacity ordinance in the coming weeks before an expected Dec. 16 vote.
Once the council decides on the broader policy questions in this year's capacity ordinance, including changes to Metro's planning codes and designations of town and regional centers, Metro and Washington County will get back to work wrapping up the reserves so the growth boundary can be reviewed in 2011.
"Although our work is not yet done, I hope you are as proud as I am of what we have achieved as a region," Collette wrote. "I ask for your continued patience and guidance as we seek to complete this work in a timely and thoughtful manner."