Over the years, tens of thousands of people have participated in the process through surveys, questionnaires, letter writing campaigns and public testimony. Why we must move the boundary State law requires that Metro make sure there is enough land inside the urban growth boundary to handle 20 years worth of growth. This region will be able to fit most of those people into the boundary through innovative programs. However, we still fell about 32,000 housing units short. State law also requires that Metro expand the boundary to accommodate at least half of the needed land this year, half next year.
State law requires that every urban area in Oregon have an urban growth boundary.
What's next There will be a series of final technical votes later this month. These votes are required so that the Council can add in the legal findings that the legal staff must prepare to justify each decision. Those plans specifically identify how they will deal with issues such as roads, sewers, schools, affordable housing and open space land. Not one truckload of dirt can be moved until this happens. Local jurisdictions will also eventually annex these lands and change the zoning.