The Eugene City Council approved a recommendation to establish a new urban growth boundary (UGB) at their July 20 work session. By a vote of 6 to 2 the Council agreed to move forward with establishing a “baseline” UGB for 2012-2032. This boundary would be based on the data and analysis gathered and vetted through the Envision Eugene project (including the population forecast adopted by Lane County in 2009). While there will be no expansion for housing at this time, the new boundary will include a UGB expansion in the Clear Lake area to meet the community’s 20-year land need for jobs, parks, and schools.
The approved recommendation would make use of the new population forecast, recently released by Portland State University, to immediately begin the process of establishing urban reserves that would address the community’s long term need for residential land. Urban reserves define areas surrounding Eugene where the city could expand when the need arises over the next 50 years.
The UGB proposal will go to the City and Lane County planning commissions for public hearings and recommendations. Following those hearings, both the City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners will have additional public hearings before taking action to adopt the new urban growth boundary.
In Oregon, state law requires each city to establish a UGB that can accommodate 20 years of projected growth. Envision Eugene set out to create a vision for growth that balanced economic prosperity and natural resources, neighborhoods and affordability, and Eugene’s needs today with future opportunities.
"The recommendations were developed thanks to hundreds of hours of work by community volunteers and with community input over several years,” said City Manager Jon Ruiz. “This action makes good use of that work, while also effectively using the new population forecast to address the community’s need for a buildable land supply."