Urban Reserves

Planning for the Next Two Generations


Planning for growth in line with local values is a long-standing tradition in Oregon and Eugene. The goal of urban reserve planning is to identify where Eugene may grow beyond our current urban growth boundary (UGB) to accommodate up to 50 years of projected population growth. 


Urban Reserves are a special designation, allowed by state law, for lands outside the (UGB) that can be considered a first priority if and when a city needs to expand for a growing population. Land designated as Urban Reserves will remain rural, and cannot be urbanized, unless it is brought into the city’s UGB through a formal process for expansion.


Urban Reserves will support the pillars of Envision Eugene, and reflect deep collaboration among the City, County, community, and service providers. Urban reserves will identify lands for the housing, parks, schools, and jobs needed by Eugene’s population in the long-term future (between 2032 and 2062) while implementing the area’s regional open space vision, including preservation of significant farm and forest land, waterways, and natural resources.

Study Area & Updated Web Map


The Urban Reserves Study Area generally includes all land within at least a one-mile radius of the urban growth boundary, with a few exceptions. Land in the study area is being analyzed to see how suitable it is for potential urban reserves. Use the map below to see if your property is included in the study area or click the "interactive web map" button below for a full screen version. The web map has recently been updated with additional information; please note that it may be slow to load because of the large file sizes.

Want to learn more about the study area? Use the buttons below to read Frequently Asked Questions, open the interactive web map in a new window, or check out a fact sheet showing differences between being within Urban Reserves, the Urban Growth Boundary, and city limits. 

Urban Reserves Story Map



Check out the story map below for an interactive overview of our technical analysis, or read on for updates and preliminary results. Note that the story map works best in Chrome.

Story map thumbnail

Technical Analysis


Urban Reserves is wrapping up its technical analysis phase. The first step was establishing the Study Area, which is described above. The next key step in the technical analysis was identifying our land need so we have a rough idea of the amount of land required to accommodate future jobs and population growth between 2032 and 2062. Check out the Land Need infographic for more details on the amount of land we may need for Urban Reserves.


Figuring out where it makes sense for those future jobs and homes to go is an iterative, multi-step process. Staff developed a Land Supply Model that categorizes the land within the Study Area to determine whether it has development potential or not. This analysis removed land that is not well suited to future development, such as land with protected natural resources, natural hazards or land that is committed to public uses. We have divided the Study Area into smaller subareas to make it easier to analyze during the suitability analysis, which staff are currently working on.


The maps below show some of the preliminary results from the Land Supply Model. Click on the thumbnails to download the full maps or check out the interactive map above. Note that file sizes are large and may be slow to load.

Development Potential by Subarea

Thumbnail image of development potential map

Priority Land Classification

Priority Land Thumbnail

Outreach Timeline

This graphic outlines the key phases of the urban reserves project and public engagement opportunities. 

Urban Reserves Timeline Final

Guiding Documents


Two important documents will guide Urban Reserves planning. The Public Involvement Plan outlines the outreach process, key stakeholders, and how various groups can help shape the project. The Draft Project Charter is an internal document that outlines scope of the project and key milestones. 

Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee


In August 2018, the City Manager appointed 13 community volunteers to serve on the Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee (EETAC), a new department-level advisory committee that has been playing a key role in both the Urban Reserves and Growth Monitoring projects. Members have a wide variety of interests and come from around the City, with one representative living outside the UGB.


They have been guiding Urban Reserves Planning by reviewing technical information that will be used to inform policy decisions, providing feedback to staff on technical-related issues, and reviewing assumptions and analysis related to long-term growth management-related efforts. 


You can keep up to date on their work at the EETAC project webpage, which includes the member roster and meeting materials. 

Stay Informed

Interested in keeping tabs on the urban reserves planning work? If you sign up to be on our interested parties list we will send you monthly project updates through the Envision Eugene newsletter, and notify you of upcoming meetings and opportunities.

Upcoming Public Meetings

  • Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee, August 15 2019, 5:30-7:30 pm, Atrium Building, 99 W 10th Ave., Saul Room.

Past Public Meetings

Contact Us

  1. Planning Division


    Rebecca Gershow
    Senior Planner Urban Reserves
    99 W. 10th Avenue
    Eugene, OR 97401
    Ph: 541-682-8816

    Email
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