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.

At www.oregonmetro.gov/greatplaces, you can view interactive maps and download reports about each of 10 areas being considered.

On Friday, Aug. 19, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission approved the urban and rural reserves map for Washington County, which was approved by the Metro Council and the Washington County Board of Commissioners last spring.

This decision, combined with LCDC’s decision last year to approve the urban and rural reserves for Multnomah and Clackamas counties, completes four years of collaborative effort to provide significant protections for farmland and natural areas while supplying enough land for good jobs and vibrant neighborhoods for the future. No other metropolitan area in the United States has ever attempted—let alone achieved—such a thoughtful and far-reaching plan.