Oregon law protects farms and forests, and ensures that growth happens in areas where it makes sense. In the greater Portland region, Metro manages the urban growth boundary to ensure there’s enough developable land for the next 20 years of growth. Land inside the urban growth boundary supports urban services such as roads, water and sewer systems, parks, schools and fire and police protection. Metro is responsible for managing this boundary for greater Portland.
While the most recent review showed the greater Portland urban growth boundary has enough land for the next two decades of growth, some areas have not moved forward with the needed planning and urban services required to encourage new housing and businesses. Tigard has proposed a new community in existing urban reserves that can be developed in the near future. Metro is exploring adding Tigard’s River Terrace 2.0 area to the urban growth boundary, while removing land from the boundary in an area that has so many challenges that it is unlikely to provide substantial new housing or jobs needed for the next 20 years.