In December 2009, the Urban Growth Report indicated the Portland region would require more capacity for housing and employment than the existing urban growth boundary could provide.
Before an expansion of the urban growth boundary would be considered, the Metro Council considered whether the coming growth could be sufficiently contained within the existing boundary.
The capacity ordinance, part of the 2010 Community Investment Strategy, included policies and investments intended to achieve greater development within existing communities and reduce the need for an expansion of the urban growth boundary. Adoption of the capacity ordinance in December 2010 and January 2011 by the Metro Council aims to maximize existing capacity – resources such as roads and utilities – and minimize costs from developing new infrastructure.
The capacity ordinance:
- provides for about half of the region’s anticipated 20-year needs for housing
- states an intent to add large-lot industrial capacity in 2011
- amends the Regional Framework Plan.
Exhibit A: New Policies in Metro’s Regional Framework Plan
The proposed policies commit Metro to several new courses of action. First, a new policy sets forth six overall outcomes that Metro efforts with local governments will aim to achieve. Second, new policies will focus Metro investments in city centers, main streets, corridors, connecting centers and light rail stations, and coordinate Metro's investments with investments by the private sector and other governments. Third, new policies will use transportation investments to offer lower-income residents less expensive modes of travel to leave more household income for housing. Finally, new policies will aim to improve the regional economy by ensuring a supply of large sites for industries that need them to prosper.
Exhibit B: Title 1, Housing Capacity
Revisions to Title 1 re-confirm the region’s commitment to maintain its capacity for housing, but using a simpler method for doing so. This will make it easier for cities and counties to achieve this important objective.
Exhibit C: Title 4, Industrial and Other Employment Areas
Revisions to Title 4 improve protections of significant industrial lands by limiting the development of new parks, schools and places of assembly in those areas.
Exhibit D: Employment and Industrial Areas Map
This map shows those lands in the region that are protected from conflicting uses for industry and other types of employment. The map shows changes to and from employment designations recommended by the chief operating officer.
Exhibit E: Title 6, Centers, Corridors, Station Communities and Main Streets
Revisions to Title 6 broaden Metro’s investment strategy beyond city centers and light rail stations to transit corridors and main streets throughout the region. Title 6 offers investment and other incentives to cities and counties to develop their own strategies and actions to make these places more walkable and convenient for non-auto travel.
Exhibit F: Centers, Corridors, Station Communities and Main Streets Map
This map shows the boundaries of these Title 6 designations as adopted by cities and counties. The map guides the application of Title 6.
Exhibit G: Title 8, Compliance Procedures
Revisions to Title 8 simplify Metro’s procedures for ensuring city and county compliance with the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan. Initial decisions on extensions of time for local compliance and on exceptions from compliance are to be made by Metro’s chief operating officer, with the right to seek review of the decisions by the Metro Council. The revisions also re-activate an annual report on compliance with the functional plan.
Exhibit H: Title 9, Performance Measures
Title 9 is repealed and the performance measures in Title 9 become part of Metro’s Regional Framework Plan.
Exhibit I: Title 10, Definitions
The revisions define new terms associated with the revisions made to the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan and change existing definitions to conform to the revisions.
Exhibit J: Title 11, Planning for New Urban Areas
The language in Exhibit J, as adopted by the Metro Council, reflects the previous policy language in Title 11, which guides planning of areas brought into the UGB for conversion from rural to urban use, and conforms it to other changes made in the ordinance. In early 2011, the Metro Council will consider amendments to Title 11 that emphasize affordable housing in the planning for urban reserve areas both before and after they are added to the UGB.
Exhibit K: Metro Code Chapter 3.01, Urban Growth Boundary and Urban Reserve Procedures
Chapter 3.01 is repealed. Procedures and criteria for future UGB expansions are moved to the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan to join other growth management tools and strategies. See Exhibit L.
Exhibit L: Title 14, Urban Growth Boundary
The criteria and procedures for UGB expansion onto urban reserves or lands not designated as either urban or rural reserves are set forth in a new Title 14 of the Urban Growth Management Functional Plan. An expedited process for adding large industrial sites to the UGB is included, but such a process can only be initiated after efforts to find large sites within the existing UGB have been exhausted.
Exhibit M: Title 14, Urban Growth Boundary
The urban growth boundary becomes part of Title 14 as the official depiction of the UGB.
Exhibit N: Metro Code Chapter 3.09, Local Government Boundary Changes
The revisions conform Metro’s criteria and procedures for city and service district boundary changes to changes to the law recently made by the Oregon Legislature. The revisions also require petitioners to incorporate a new city to demonstrate that the city will have the capability to achieve the region’s goals for livability.
Exhibit O: 2040 Growth Concept Map
This conceptual map illustrates the region’s overall growth management strategy. The map illustrates the designations of new centers in Cornelius and Hillsboro and a new location for Happy Valley’s center, as recommended by Metro's chief operating officer in August 2010. Other changes to the map make it easier to understand the region’s strategy.
Exhibit P: Findings
The findings explain how the revisions made by all the exhibits to the proposed ordinance comply with state and regional goals and requirements.