Proposed urban and rural reserves

About the area

This area lies south and east of Damascus, Oregon's second newest city, incorporated in 2004. From the urban growth boundary the area extends south, following the Clackamas River to Estacada. The northern area closest to Damascus is scenic with sweeping views looking east from the plateau above the Clackamas River across a patchwork of nurseries to Mount Hood. Dotted with rural residential development and small patches of forest, the area's rolling landscape of nurseries, berry fields and pastures slopes south to steep terrain along the Clackamas River. The southwestern part of this area rises to a bench of high value agricultural land bounded by private forest near Redland. To the southeast, the mixed farm and forestland extends to Estacada and beyond into private and federal timberland. This area includes the rural communities of Eagle Creek, Fischer's Mill and part of Redland.

Proposed reserves

Areas proposed for either urban or rural designation by Metro and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties

2A urban

This 1,576-acre area lies south of Highway 212 on the south side of Damascus. The area is bordered by Deep Creek to the east, the Clackamas River Bluffs to the south and the Damascus boundary to the west. Approximately 500 acres is already within the Damascus city limits but outside the current urban growth boundary. Damascus identified this area as suitable for expansion and necessary as an easement for city services and has requested its designation as an urban reserve. The eastern portion is suitable for residential development, mixed use or employment. The bluffs, an important natural landscape feature, lie outside the proposed urban reserve and establish a southern boundary to future urbanization. Most of this area is identified as conflicted agricultural land.

2B rural

Lands located immediately south of 2A urban and the Damascus city limits are proposed for designation as a rural reserve to a distance of three miles from the existing urban growth boundary. (Due to their physical separation from the urban area, lands farther than three miles from the boundary are not considered subject to urbanization.) This area includes the Clackamas River and associated bluffs north of Highway 213, Noyer and North Fork Deep Creek canyons, and lands identified as foundation and important agricultural land. It is characterized by steeper topography and scattered rural residences. The Clackamas River, bluffs and canyons form a natural southern boundary to urban development.

Most of the land within this proposed rural reserve is identified as important agricultural land. The Oregon Department of Forestry has also identified several areas of mixed farm and forest. Much of the area is in active agricultural production, predominantly in nurseries, Christmas trees, berries and horse and cattle operations. Overall, the area is well suited to the production of agricultural and forest products. The flat bench areas have excellent soils. Large parcels are conducive to intensive and extensive agricultural operations. To the south, agricultural and forestlands combine into larger blocks of resource land to provide the ability to operate with limited conflicts. Rural reserves are proposed on both sides of the Clackamas River and Noyer Creek so these inventoried important natural features can provide buffers and hard boundaries to future urban expansion.

2C rural

A 1,672-acre area to the west of Estacada is proposed for designation as a rural reserve to define a boundary to the city's urban expansion. This area is largely made up of natural features and recreation sites along the Clackamas River. It is identified as foundation agricultural land.