Urban Growth Management Functional Plan
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The functional plan provides tools that help meet goals in the 2040 Growth Concept, Metro's long-range growth management plan.
The Urban Growth Management Functional Plan is Section 3.07 of the Metro Code. The 13 titles in that section are summarized below.
Download the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan
Title 1 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.110 – 3.07.170) – Requirements for Housing and Employment Accommodation
This section of the Functional Plan facilitates efficient use of land within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Each city and county has determined its capacity for providing housing and employment which serves as their baseline and if a city or county chooses to reduce capacity in one location, it must transfer that capacity to another location. Cities and counties must report changes in capacity annually to Metro.
Title 2 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.210 – 3.07.220) – Regional Parking Policy
The Metro 2040 Growth Concept calls for more compact development to encourage more efficient use of land, promote non-auto trips and protect air quality. In addition, the federally mandated air quality plan adopted by the state relies on the 2040 Growth Concept fully achieving its transportation objectives. This title establishes regionwide parking policies that set the minimum number of parking spaces that can be required by local governments for certain types of new development. It does not affect existing development. Parking maximums are also specified. By not creating an over supply of parking, urban land can be used most efficiently.
Title 3 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.310 – 3.07.370) – Water Quality, Flood Management and Fish and Wildlife Conservation
The goal of the Stream and Floodplain Protection Plan (Title 3) is to protect the region's health and public safety by reducing flood and landslide hazards, controlling soil erosion and reducing pollution of the region's waterways. Title 3 specifically implements the Oregon Statewide Land Use Goals 6 and 7 by protecting streams, rivers, wetlands and floodplains by avoiding, limiting or mitigating the impact on these areas from development.
Title 3 contains performance standards to protect against flooding. The standards limit development in a manner that requires balanced cut and fill and requires floor elevations at least one foot above the flood hazard standard. The areas subject to these requirements have been mapped and adopted by the Metro Council, specifically, the FEMA 100-year floodplain and the area of inundation for the February 1996 flood.
Title 3 also contains performance standards related to streams, rivers and wetlands. The purpose of these standards is to protect and allow enhancement of water quality. The water quality areas are rivers and streams with a protected vegetated corridor width depending on the slope of the stream and the number of acres drained by the stream. Typically, the vegetated corridor is 50 feet wide. The performance standards require erosion and sediment control, planting of native vegetation on the stream banks when new development occurs and prohibition of the storage of new uses of uncontained hazardous material in water quality areas.
Finally, Title 3 directs Metro to establish performance standards to protect regionally significant fish and wild habitat areas. This work is underway and will implement Oregon Statewide Land Use Goal 5.
Title 4 (Metro Code Sections 3.-07.410 – 3.07.440) – Industrial and Other Employment Areas
Title 4 places restrictions of certain uses in three designations on the 2040 Growth Concept Map.
In Regionally Significant Industrial Areas, non-industrial uses are limited to:
- Retail uses less than 20,000 square feet and amounting to only 5 percent of the contiguous Regionally Significant Industrial Area
- Commercial office uses that are not accessory to the industrial uses with the exception of large corporate headquarters, and;
- Uses necessary to serve the needs of businesses and employees of the Regionally Significant Industrial Area.
In Industrial Areas, non-industrial uses are limited to less than 20,000 square feet and amount to 10 percent of the Industrial Area.
In Employment Areas, retail uses are limited to less than 60,000 square feet. This can be increased if it is demonstrated that transportation facilities are adequate to serve the retail use and to serve other planned uses in the Employment Area.
Title 5 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.510-3.07.540) – Neighbor Cities and Rural Reserves
This section of the Functional Plan directs Metro to work with its neighbor cities to protect common locations for green corridors along transportation corridors connecting the Metro region and each neighboring city. The intent is to protect the land along these corridors from continuous strip development to maintain their rural character and agricultural economy. Metro's neighboring cities are Canby, Sandy and North Plains.
Title 5 requests that the counties and the cities adjacent to green corridors and rural reserves adopt comprehensive plan policies to reflect the rural reserve policies contained in the 2040 Growth Concept.
Title 6 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.610 – 3.07.650) – Central City, Regional Centers, Town Centers and Station Communities
The intention of Title 6 is to enhance the Centers designated on 2040 Growth Concept Map by encouraging development in these Centers. Metro will work with cities and counties to implement development strategies which will include an analysis of the barriers to development, an accelerated review process for preferred types of development, an analysis of incentives to encourage development and a program to adopt the incentives. Cities and counties are encouraged to site government offices in Centers and are required to report on the progress made in their Centers to Metro every two years.
Title 7 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.710-3.07.760) – Affordable Housing
This section of the functional plan will ensure that all cities and counties in the region are providing opportunities for affordable housing for households of all income levels.
The intent of Title 7 is to provide a choice of housing types, reduce barriers to sufficient and affordable housing for all income levels in the region, create housing opportunities commensurate with the wage rates of jobs available across the region, initiate a process for addressing current and future needs for affordable housing, and reduce concentrations of poverty.
Local jurisdictions are required to report on land-use and non-land-use tools and strategies they have considered for adoption by January 31, 2002; to report on status of comprehensive plans amendments and adoption of affordable housing land-use tools by December 31, 2003; and to report on the amendments to comprehensive plans, outcomes of affordable housing tools implemented and any other affordable housing developed and expected by June 30, 2004.
Title 8 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.810-3.07.890) – Compliance Procedures
This title ensures that all cities and counties in the region are fairly and equitably held to the same standards and that the Metro 2040 Growth Concept is implemented. It sets out compliance procedures and establishes a process for time extensions and exemptions to Metro Code requirements.
Title 9 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.910-3.07.920) – Performance Measures
This title ensures that progress or lack of progress is measured in the implementation of the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan (UGMFP) and the 2040 Growth Concept. This will help ensure better program management. Indicators for monitoring and evaluating policies and requirements in each Functional Plan title will be identified and reviewed by the Metro Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and adopted by the Metro Council. Metro will gather the data necessary for measuring progress with the assistance of the local jurisdictions. Analysis of the data will include reporting at the regional level, jurisdiction levels and Growth Concept design type boundaries or center areas.
Where appropriate, benchmarks will be formulated for key indicators to, at very least, gauge advancement towards the goals of each of the above titles and those in the 2040 Growth Concept. Each biennium, Metro will gather and analyze data and determine the level of progress towards the goals. Policies will be developed for adjusting the regional plans based on actual performance.
Title 10 (Metro Code Section 3.07.1010) – Definitions
This title defines the words and terms used in the document.
Title 11 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.1105 – 3.07.1140) – Planning for New Urban Areas
The purpose of this title is to guide planning of areas brought into the UGB for conversion from rural to urban use. All land added to the UGB shall be included within a city's or county's comprehensive plan prior to urbanization. The comprehensive plan amendment must be consistent with all applicable titles of this Functional Plan. Title 11 lists ten provisions that need to be addressed in the comprehensive plan amendment including an urban growth plan diagram and policies consistent with the Regional Framework Plan and adopted 2040 Growth Concept design types.
Title 12 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.1210 – 3.07.1240) – Protection of Residential Neighborhoods
The purpose of this title is to protect the region's existing residential neighborhoods from air and water pollution, noise and crime, and to provide adequate levels of public services.
Title 13 (Metro Code Sections 3.07.130 - 3.07.1370) - Nature in Neighborhoods
The purpose of this title is to conserve, protect and restore a continuous ecologically viable streamside corridor system that is integrated with upland wildlife habitat and the surrounding urban landscape.
Revised/Updated 12/5/07
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