Oregon Public Broadcasting

The vast area needed to build new work sites over the next twenty years doesn’t require expanding the Portland region’s urban footprint.  That's according to a Metro report released Wednesday. Rob Manning has more.

Every five years or so, Metro studies whether there’s enough land within the region’s urban growth boundary to accommodate the demands for housing and employment.  If not, the boundary has to move.

Metro anticipates a need for between 180 and 270 million more square feet of space, for industries and other employers.

But Metro councilor, Rod Park, says that additional space can fit inside the boundary between Damascus and Hillsboro.

Rod Park: “What this shows is that there is a pathway that would require very little, if any expansion of the urban growth boundary. But it’s going to be how do we choose to invest, and where do we invest, and how do we protect those investments.” 

Park says a tight boundary would mean spending on city centers, and on redeveloping industrial sites. The new report, and a similar residential report from a month ago, will guide further growth discussions.