Restricting expansion to already-developed areas could hurt future economic growth, some members of the Greater Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce told Metro representatives Tuesday morning.
“We can’t be restricted to fill in and brown spaces; we need a complete portfolio of options” for land development, said Les Davis, president of Lithtex Printing Solutions. “It’s imperative to our job growth.”
The comments came as Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington met with the chamber’s board of directors to hear its thoughts on Metro chief operating officer Michael Jordan’s report, “Making the Greatest Place: Strategies for a sustainable and prosperous region.” The report encourages channeling most growth into the existing urban growth boundary, investing in repairing and maintaining existing buildings and infrastructure, and holding Metro accountable for the goals it puts in place for itself.
Echoing Davis’ concerns was Sara Hopkins-Powell, executive dean at Pacific University’s College of Health Professions. Hopkins-Powell said infill typically rouses strong opposition, and Metro needs to work on communicating its plans to neighborhoods that could be affected.
“Metro has a responsibility to help work with local governments and communities to make developments,” she said.
Harrington said she understood the chamber’s concerns about infill, but reminded members that state law requires Metro to try to use land and resources within the urban growth boundary before expanding beyond the boundary.
“We found that there is a lot of capacity around the region,” Harrington said.
Keith Peal of Baker Rock Resources, saw a contradiction in the report’s stated goals of repairing and maintaining existing transportation infrastructure. He said he sees more emphasis on newer transit systems than traditional roadways.
“I’m very concerned about the movement away from conventional investments,” Peal said.
Chamber President Deanna Palm also took issue with the urban and rural reserves process, saying government limits on expansion won’t encourage investors to spend too much time looking to Hillsboro for opportunities.
“It might be the way we go, but it’s not the way that site selectors and the business community works,” Palm said.
That could hurt potential job creation, said Chamber Chair Denzil Scheller, voicing his concern that Portland and Multnomah County would reap the most benefits of job creation, not Hillsboro.
“It seems like if you’re going to err one direction or the other, that you should err in the direction of jobs creation,” Scheller said.
“You’re right. Job creation is important,” Councilor Harrington responded. Harrington repeatedly said she’s receptive to all comments, and emphasized that Metro’s growth plans are unfinished.
“These are goals. We’ve got a long way ahead of yet to how we might realize those goals,” Harrington said. “Decisions have not been made at all.”
– by Sean Breslin