UGB

Metro looks to Clackamas County for UGB expansion

The regional agency will host public workshops March 15-16 as it decides where to stretch the Urban Growth Boundary

By David Stroup

dstroup@clackamasreview.com

The regional Metro Council is reaching a crucial decision point as it plans the next possible increase in the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) - and it's once again turning its attention to several key areas in Clackamas County. According to Metro Councilor Rod Park, "There's going to be hard questions asked" about the UGB's future: "Do you want more people inside the boundary - which means density - or do you want more people outside the boundary?"

The council just narrowed down its list of possible additions to the UGB; they're focusing on adding "exception lands" - land set aside by the counties and exempted from agriculture and forestry protection - as well as lower-grade farmland. Two large areas of "exception land" in Clackamas County are considered prime candidates for UGB inclusion: Beavercreek, including land as far up as Redland Road; and the Damascus-Boring area, with fingers of land stretching almost as far as the Sandy River.

According to Park, a final decision is projected for August - and Metro officials are encouraging people to get involved now in the decision-making process. They're planning an all-day conference on the issue March 15, plus free regional workshops the next day. "That's an event where we're inviting people from all over the region to talk about not just the UGB, but also our fish and wildlife discussion and our transportation discussion," according to Metro's John Donovan. "The UGB decision can't be made in isolation."

A 20-year land supply in the balance

Metro is required by state law to maintain a 20-year supply of developable land within the Urban Growth Boundary - and to reassess the buildable "inventory" of land every five years. "Theoretically, you shouldn't have any problem with the supply drying up," Park explained, "because you always have at least a 15-year supply of land."

However, Metro officials say they increasingly have to factor other considerations into their planning. For example, once they draw up their map of prime candidates for UGB inclusion - neatly color-coded by priority, from exception lands to quality farmland - they then have to overlay a "Goal 5" map that shows which streams and watersheds must be protected for salmon habitat. If they protect those lands inside the UGB, that means reducing the current inventory of buildable land. "All that combined together means a very big UGB decision coming up," Park explained.

A pricey confab

The all-day March 15 conference isn't exactly all-inclusive: it costs $75 to pre-register, or $100 at the door. "It's a series of activities that informs and involves people in giving us some direction on the issue," said Donovan However, the March 16 regional conferences - including one at 8 a.m. at LaSalle High - are free, and are intended as localized, "roll-up-your-sleeve" workshops for ordinary people who want to participate.

Metro officials say they have a lot of work to do - especially when it comes to figuring out how to pay for urban services in the UGB additions.

Park said that, according to Metro's original projections, if they wait until 2040 to expand, they'll have to increase the UGB by 50 percent - 120,000 acres - at a cost of $13 billion. The current planned expansion would still cost some $13 billion. And tax decreases have hit Metro hard, said Park: "Only $2 billion has been identified for [the expansion]."

For information on the upcoming UGB workshops, contact John Donovan at 503-797-1942, or e-mail him at donovanj@metro.dst.or.us. More on Metro's plans can be found on the Web at http://www.metro-region.org.