For the three counties and 24 cities in Metro's domain, the agency's control over federal highway dollars is a powerful hammer. At first the agency inherited jobs no one else wanted, like managing the zoo and waste disposal. But of all its sundry pursuits, Metro is best known for drawing a line on a map. It was intended to contain development, protect surrounding rural areas from sprawl and encourage a vital urban core. Nowhere is the UGB more evident than along Springville Road in the Bethany area of Washington County.
Many people believe the line is supposed to halt urban sprawl.
It hasn't, says Metro Councilor David Bragdon. It has preserved farm and forest land, there's no question about that. No, it hasn't. The reason, says Rick Gustafson, who served as Metro's first executive officer, is that the line was drawn way too large in 1979. Since then, however, the region's population has swelled to 1.3 million, a jump of 32 percent.