Today the Metro Council directed its staff to study several areas outside of the region’s urban growth boundary that can support the creation of good jobs and new communities while supporting investments in existing communities.
This fall, the Metro Council is expected to consider whether (and, if so, where) to expand the UGB. The UGB serves as a boundary for development that seeks to provide for more efficient use of land, public facilities and investments within existing communities while preventing sprawl and preserving valuable farms and forest lands that define the character of the region. It can also be expanded, when needed, to provide for new jobs and housing.
Over the next month and a half, Metro staff will analyze nearly 9,800 acres in various places and look at a variety of considerations. These considerations include the abilities of nearby cities and counties to govern and provide services to these areas, the areas’ proximities to highways and other transportation corridors, and how growth in different areas may affect—and complement—growth and investment in communities already inside the existing UGB.
Every five years, Metro is required by Oregon law to forecast the growth in people and jobs that that the region can expect over the next 20 years and then determine whether the current UGB can sufficiently accommodate all of that expected growth. The most recent analysis, which was completed in December 2009, indicated that additional investments and new local policies would be needed to accommodate all of the forecast demand without a UGB expansion.
Throughout 2010, some local governments increased zoning in certain areas and made other policy changes to accommodate more growth inside the current UGB. The Metro Council also adopted the Regional Transportation Plan last June that included investments in future light rail and other high-capacity transit service that could enhance greater development inside existing communities. These actions enabled the Metro Council to adopt an ordinance in December 2010 that accommodates additional growth inside the current UGB and reduces the need for expansion of the boundary.
Even with these additional measures, the ordinance adopted last December acknowledged the need for some expansion of the UGB to provide more large (100 acres or larger) sites for future industrial jobs. The Metro Council may also consider expansion of the UGB to allow for more residential development in specific areas.
In early July, acting COO Dan Cooper is expected to make his recommendation to the Metro Council on which specific areas should be considered for expansion of the UGB. Following the release of Cooper’s recommendation, the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the recommended areas and provide feedback to the Metro Council. The Metro Council is expected to decide whether, and if so, where, to expand the UGB this October.