Share your thoughts
The online survey, available in English and Spanish, will be open July 9 to Aug. 22, 2024. Input received during the public comment period will help inform the Metro chief operations officer’s recommendation and the Metro Council’s decision on an urban growth boundary expansion by the end of 2024. Additionally, Metro Council will receive testimony in-person, online or in writing at a public hearing on Sept. 26, 2024 and at the first reading of the ordinance on Nov. 21, 2024.
Take the survey
Metro is seeking input to help shape the future of growth in the greater Portland region. From July 9 to Aug. 22, members of the public are invited to provide feedback on Metro’s draft 2024 Urban Growth Report as well as a proposal from the City of Sherwood to expand the urban growth boundary (UGB).
Metro is responsible for managing the urban growth boundary for the entire greater Portland region, which includes 24 cities within three counties. Under state law, Metro must keep enough land in the UGB for the next 20 years of housing and business growth. The boundary protects farms and forests around greater Portland from unplanned development, and helps create thriving, people-centered communities.
Every six years, Metro assesses whether the region has enough land for projected growth under state law requirements by examining trends such as changes in population, household size and the future of workplaces, as well as inventorying lands already in the boundary. This information is published in the draft Urban Growth Report, which helps guide policy discussion and the public input process for the urban growth management decision.
City of Sherwood expansion
As part of this process, Metro asks interested cities to submit proposals for expansion and demonstrate that they have plans to ensure that UGB expansions result in housing and job creation. For the 2024 growth management decision, the City of Sherwood is the only municipality to complete a concept plan for a proposal to bring an area within an urban reserve into the urban growth boundary.
The City of Sherwood proposed expansion into the Sherwood West urban reserve to support the development of homes and jobs. The planning for this area began in 2015 and has resulted in a concept plan that will shape employment, economic growth and the development of housing in Sherwood West.
“Here in the Metro region, the urban growth boundary has helped us make the most of the land we have as we work toward achieving our region’s shared goals. We have minimized our carbon footprint and focused development within the boundary, providing easier access to places where people live, work, play and study,” said Metro planning director Catherine Ciarlo.
“That said, collectively we must continue to make affordable housing and economic opportunity available to more people. If a need is identified to provide more land for housing and job creation, Metro's charge is to work with cities seeking UGB expansions to make sure those proposals will provide enough benefit to justify bringing additional land into the urban growth boundary.”
Learn more about Metro’s urban growth management process