Community & Economic Development

Oregon laws clearly distinguish between urban land uses and rural land uses. In many states, city governments function independently from county governments and there is no coordinated process to allow for urban expansion into rural areas. Oregon’s land use program created urban growth boundaries (UGBs) that are intended to supply land for urban expansion as populations increase. A city may annex land within a UGB and adjacent to the city limits through a relatively uncomplicated process because the land has already been determined to be appropriate for urban development.

Expanding a UGB is a more complicated process involving review and approval of a UGB expansion by both the city and county, in conformance with the Phoenix/Jackson County Urban Growth Boundary and Policy Agreement, most recently updated in May 1995. Expansion of a UGB requires findings of a need for more land for residential, commercial, industrial, or public land that cannot be accommodated within the current UGB. Further, decision-makers must find that the land proposed for expansion best satisfies the need, when compared with other potential expansion areas.

Urban Growth Boundaries are an effective tool for making long-term planning decisions. Landowners outside UGBs can rely on the boundaries to invest in farm and forest practices without worrying that their land will soon be urbanized, while landowners inside UGBs can make plans for eventual urbanization of their properties.