Officials review urban growth expansion plan
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Friday, April 27, 2007 12:04 PM PDT
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| A tractor moves south along Southwest Fourth Street, outside of Ontario. Land to the east is in the city or the current urban growth boundary. Land to the west, is being proposed for an urban reserve area, which could eventually be include in Ontario’s urban growth boundary. |
ONTARIO - City and county leaders were told Wednesday the process to expand Ontario’s urban growth boundary will take another year and to expect a fight over the proposed inclusion of prime farmland within the new boundaries.
The news arrived during a workshop attended by members of the Ontario City Council, Malheur County Court and the city and county planning commissions at Ontario City Hall.
The workshop was designed to discuss the Ontario Urbanization Study and the Malheur County Coordinated Population Forecast, two documents recently prepared by a committee of community leaders and residents to move the urban growth expansion plan forward.
Both documents present data which will be used to support expansion of the urban growth boundary, and before that, the designation of the urban reserve area.
The urban reserve area plan is set to be completed later this spring and involves designating a 50-year land supply. It is to the reserve areas the city will go to first when choosing land to include in the urban growth boundary.
Ontario City Planner Grant Young said during Wednesday’s workshop there is still some information which the city needs to update before proposing to expand its urban growth boundary. The urban growth boundaries involve having a 20-year land supply.
One key issue is having land for residential development.
“We can’t show a need,” Young said.
The draft Ontario Urbanization Study includes figures which show the city will have a surplus of buildable land for housing for the next 20 years.
“We don’t have lots,” Young said. “We’re weak about utilities. We’re weak on transportation.”
Young added the city transportation plan needs to be updated. Those issues will mean the urban growth boundary expansion plan will occur next year. The lines of the proposed urbanization boundary may change before it is presented for public review and official adoption, but the direction is mainly to the south.
Presently, the proposed urban reserve area includes 2,300 acres of classes 1 and 2 farmland, Young said.
“That figure may change,” he said. “We don’t have any other place to go.”
Bob Parker, a principal partner in ECONorthwest, the firm that prepared the population forecast and urbanization study, told officials that if the final urban reserve area plan faces a legal challenge, it should hold up.
“We think it will stand up. There is no other option,” he said.
Young said, however, he expects an appeal of the proposed urban reserve areas which includes a large segment of farmland.
“I will be surprised if there is not an appeal by 1000 Friends (of Oregon), the (state) farm bureau, (state) department of ag, or maybe all three,” he said.
The public will be able to comment the Ontario Urbanization Study and the population forecast May 22, before a joint meeting of the city and county planning commissions, and May 30, before a joint meeting of the City Council and the County Court. These are set to be held in the Ontario City Council Chambers, but will be moved if necessary.
In June, there will be hearings on the proposed urban reserve areas and related zoning issues.
No Dhimmi wrote on Aug 14, 2009 9:38 PM:
And this isn't "racist," because Islam is not a race, anymore than Communism or Nazism are races, both of which killed far fewer people than Islam.
Disgusting. "