Today the Metro Council voted 6-0 to add 1985 acres to the region’s urban growth boundary for future housing and jobs. (Councilor Rex Burkholder was excused.) This represents less than a one-percent expansion of the region’s urban footprint to accommodate thousands of additional households and workers over the next 20 years.

On Thursday, the Metro Council amended its proposed ordinance to expand the urban growth boundary by adding one new area for consideration at its final public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 20.

Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka makes suggestion to add 48 acres to the area Metro is considering for an urban growth boundary expansion. Council's proposal also sets a baseline for units per acre in expansion areas.

The Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission was reviewing reserves for the second time in a year. This time, commissioners agreed with the plan crafted by Metro and the region's three counties.

On Thursday, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission will begin its review of the revised proposal for urban and rural reserves in Washington County. This revised proposal, which the Metro Council and the Washington County Board of Commissioners agreed to in March, identifies more than 13,000 acres of land for future urban development over the next 50 years while setting aside more than 151,000 acres of land as rural areas for the same 50 years.

Metro staff tells council that the top options for possible 2011 urban growth boundary expansion are in Hillsboro. Areas near Beaverton, Tigard, Wilsonville, Cornelius and Oregon City are also possibilities, or the Metro Council could decide to leave the boundary as-is.

Metro, the Port of Portland, Portland Business Alliance, Business Oregon and the Oregon Chapter of NAIOP are undertaking a comprehensive review of the region’s inventory of large industrial sites and assessing their readiness to support new private-sector jobs.

Hillsboro wants Metro to study land north of U.S. 26 for a potential urban growth boundary expansion. Tigard also eyeing about 400 acres; Clackamas County asks for an eventual study of Stafford.

The Metro Council voted 6-1 Thursday to adopt the last piece of an historic 50-year plan for protecting farm and forest land while allowing for additional housing and jobs in limited areas outside the current urban growth boundary and focusing additional investment and redevelopment in existing communities. The ordinance establishes the urban and rural reserves map for Washington County in Metro’s code, along with the findings that support those reserves. This is the last product of nearly four years’ effort on the part of Metro and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, plus citizens, land owners, business leaders, city and county officials, farmers and others, to allow for sufficient land needed to support future growth while protecting farms and forests that contribute to the local economy and define the character of the region.

Ten speakers turn out for first public hearing on revised agreement. Next hearing is Thursday at Metro.