Hillsboro officials claim city is out of industrial land, wants legislature to review rural reserves

Posted onMay 2, 2018 Edit on by Justin Pot

City officials claim Hillsboro is running out of land for industrial development, and would like the Oregon legislature to review the 2014 Grand Bargain that classified 2,200 acres north of the Hillsboro Airport as permanent rural reserves.

“There are zero acres of urban reserves currently feasible for future economic development,” said Dan Dias, Economic Development Officer for Hillsboro, in a City Council work session on May 1.

“Having viable land for future economic opportunities is critically important for Hillsboro’s competitiveness,” said Dias, “and for the expansion of homegrown businesses from our community.”

The 2014 compromise saw 545 acres (shaded above in solid pink) opened for industrial development, while leaving the 2,200 other acres designated as permanent rural reserves. The Metro government defines rural reserves as “lands that are high value working farms and forests or have important natural features like rivers, wetlands, buttes and floodplains.”

City Manager Micheal Brown said Hillsboro accepted the reduced industrial area in 2014 in part because the city prioritized the development in South Hillsboro.

“The city was in the awkward position of having to give up on something that we knew we needed,” said Brown. “Now it’s time to demonstrate the need for additional industrial land.”

Here is what Hillsboro plans to ask the legislature, according to Dias’ presentation at the meeting:

  1. Include 1700 acres of previous identified urban reserves for future urbanization.
  2. Restore ability for local jurisdictions to evaluate need for future inclusion within the Urban Growth Boundary.
  3. Remove statutory requirement that this land remain rural reserves forever.
  4. Remove statutory provision requiring part of Jackson East (the 545 already approved, as seen in solid pink in the map above) to be employment.

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