On Feb. 22, Metro Council President Tom Hughes and Washington County Chair Andy Duyck unveiled a revised proposal for urban and rural reserves in Washington County. This proposal was offered in response to direction provided by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission last October, asking the two governments to revise the map they submitted for review and approval. (At the same time LCDC accepted proposed urban and rural reserve maps for Clackamas and Multnomah counties without changes.)
Specifically, LCDC rejected a proposed urban reserve north of Cornelius, 623 acres in size, citing its value to the agricultural community in northern Washington County. LCDC also asked Metro and Washington County to re-evaluate a proposed urban reserve north of Forest Grove and determine whether it meets established factors for designation as an urban reserve.
Because of the exclusion of the urban reserve north of Cornelius and the uncertainty over the amount of land that would be included as urban reserve, LCDC did not approve the proposed rural reserves in the county. This left Metro and Washington County with the flexibility to find appropriate and suitable urban reserves elsewhere in the county if the two governments chose to replace all or a part of the Cornelius urban reserve. LCDC instructed that the total amount of urban reserves in Washington County could not exceed the total amount from the map proposed last fall (13,884 acres).
Staff and elected officials from Metro and Washington County have worked to revise the map to follow LCDC’s instructions and provide sufficient urban reserves to meet future growth needs while maintaining protections for valuable farm and forest lands. Since LCDC was supportive of the urban reserves proposed for Washington County, aside from the two areas north of Cornelius and Forest Grove, the revised map now under consideration includes all of the other original urban reserve areas proposed for Washington County. These urban reserve areas were designated after extensive analysis and public review over a period of more than two years.
The new reserves map for Washington County features the following changes to last fall’s proposal:
- Of the 623 acres of urban reserves proposed north of Cornelius (formerly labeled as "Urban Reserve 7I"), 426 acres are now proposed as rural reserve that will be excluded from urban development for 50 years. The remaining 197 acres on the eastern side of this former urban reserve are proposed to be included as "undesignated" land that is neither urban nor rural reserve. This area includes what is known as "exception land" (lower-quality farmland), has existing non-farm uses, and generally consists of smaller parcels owned by multiple owners. As undesignated land, it would be of lower priority for future urban growth boundary expansions, as state law requires the Metro Council to look to urban reserve lands first. If the Metro Council wishes to expand the urban growth boundary onto undesignated land, it must demonstrate that undesignated land serves growth needs that cannot be met inside the urban growth boundary or on designated urban reserves across the region.
- In the proposed 508-acre urban reserve north of Forest Grove (Urban Reserve 7B), only 28 acres, between Council Creek and Highway 47, were removed and proposed to become undesignated land, while the rest of the proposed urban reserve remains intact. This addresses the primary area of concern expressed by LCDC about providing urban reserve land north of Council Creek and allowing the creek to serve as a natural buffer between farmland and future urban growth. This retains the remainder of the urban reserve area to meet future housing and employment needs.
- A new urban reserve of 585 acres is proposed on previously undesignated land north of and adjacent to Highway 26, south of Northwest West Union Road, and adjacent to previously designated Urban Reserves 8A and 8B. This land, with its flat topography and connections to existing transportation routes, provides a suitable alternative for future employment and housing to make up for the previously identified reserves north of Cornelius. Leaders from the City of Hillsboro and Washington County have also indicated that they have the willingness and financial capacity to provide essential public services to serve future growth in this area.
- A 383-acre undesignated area is proposed south of Southwest Rosedale Road and north of Southwest Farmington Road, adjacent to proposed Urban Reserve 6A. This land was previously proposed as rural reserve but is proposed as undesignated land to provide additional flexibility, if it should ever be needed, for urban development south of Hillsboro and west of Beaverton.
If these changes are adopted, along with the other urban and rural reserves proposed for Washington County, there will be a total of 13,745 acres of urban reserves and 151,372 acres of rural reserves in Washington County. (Note: these acreage totals are slightly different from what was announced in February. These revised numbers reflect refinements to the boundaries of urban and rural reserves to account for street right-of-ways, floodplains and alignment of tax lots.)
The proposed urban and rural reserves map for Washington County, and the contractual language between Metro and Washington County that administers the urban and rural reserves, must be approved by both the Metro Council and the Washington County Board of Commissioners. This agreement will be considered at a public meeting to be held on Tuesday, March 15, beginning at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building in Hillsboro. Public comment is welcome and encouraged on this reserves proposal through March 15.
Following adoption of the intergovernmental agreement, the Washington County Board of Commissioners will adopt an ordinance that formally designates the rural reserves, and the Metro Council will adopt an ordinance that formally designates the urban reserves. These land use actions are expected to be completed before the end of April. The revised urban and rural reserves map for Washington County is expected to be reviewed and acknowledged by LCDC before the end of the summer, after which the Metro Council may consider targeted expansions of the urban growth boundary into urban reserves in any of the three counties as needed.