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HBA members and staff recently met with the cities of Beaverton, Hillsboro, King City, and Wilsonville and representatives from PGE to discuss strategies to effectively plan for the development of public and private infrastructure in Urban Growth Boundary expansion areas. The four cities are currently in the process of planning for their recent expansion areas and laying out a strong set of systems to efficiently support needed infrastructure is critical to their success. Merely relying on developers and builders to address these issues will lead to higher building costs, unwieldy timelines, and reduced housing affordability. As such, the cities must take steps to provide for a smooth rollout of needed infrastructure that is funded through a myriad of sources. Members with experiences working in expansion areas shared valuable insight and identified key nodes of engagement that the cities should pursue to solicit additional feedback throughout the infrastructure planning process. With a decision from the Land Conservation and Development Commission on Metro’s approval of the four expansion areas expected this summer, the four cities are expected to support the lion's share of new communities in the region during the coming years. The HBA thanks our city partners for continuing planning efforts in the expansion areas and believes that through strong comprehensive analysis, we can lay the framework for smart growth to ensure that all Oregonians have a place to call home. To learn more about our efforts to support comprehensive planning efforts throughout the region and to join future meetings, contact Ezra Hammer at ezrah@hbapdx.org. Next Article