ARTICLE
The City of Sherwood’s long-running plans for an Urban Growth Boundary expansion passed a significant milestone with the conclusion of its Technical and Community Advisory Committees in May 2023. The Sherwood West Preliminary Concept Plan is a study of 1,291 acres of Urban Reserve lands located to the west and north of city limits. While an earlier version of a preliminary concept plan was adopted in 2016, it’s been updated to accommodate for recent developments including the completion of Sherwood High School, Washington County’s Urban Reserve Transportation Study, the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and the implementation of newly allowed middle housing options from HB 2001. With a robust public engagement strategy, city planning staff have guided this “re-look” with input from many stakeholders including citizens, county representatives, land owners, developers, and community groups. HBA has a seat on the Technical Advisory Committee and has been working closely with city officials to ensure that city planning objectives include ambitious and sufficient zoning for residential uses, included newly allowed middle housing options. Erika Palmer, Planning Manager for the city said “Engaging with residents and other stakeholders was essential for producing a plan that reflects Sherwood’s community values with integrity and foresight. Every step of the way, community members including local high school students, provided meaningful guidance and feedback gathered through interviews, public events, public testimony at meetings, online surveys, and open houses.” Taken together, the city anticipates that an adopted concept plan will generate anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 units of new housing in the expansion area. Several HBA members including Holt, David Weekley, and Ichijo are already building communities in Sherwood, with several others hoping to build in adjacent expansion areas based on the city’s anticipated growth. Additionally, and important to the city’s long-term objectives, there will be a strong focus on economic development and lands for job creation in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. The city hopes to create roughly 4,500 jobs in the coming years, helping to shore up its tax base and provide proximate employment opportunities for newly built homes. The preliminary concept plan also includes creating two larger community parks, as well as six smaller neighborhood parks. Down the road, the city and school district are also anticipating the need for two new schools to accommodate future population growth. Included in the plans are also a large hospitality zone that could host a variety of “gateway to wine country” businesses including wine tasting rooms, hotels, and boutique shops. To move the project forward, the Planning Commission votes to recommend the proposal on June 27th, 2023 with council taking up the question on July 18th for final sign-off. Formal adoption of this three-year planning effort will culminate in a Letter of Inquiry sent to Metro expressing interest in undertaking an Urban Growth Boundary expansion, with a formal proposal due in April 2024. Following this, it will be within Metro’s authority to review and accept this request. If approved, the city will begin the process of annexing lands and preparing to install the infrastructure needed to make these plans a reality. Speaking to the city’s next steps, Palmer says “Future planning of the area will continue to be informed by our community to ensure Sherwood West is a walkable community with a balanced mix of employment, residential, commercial, and greenspaces where families can safely live, work, shop, and play.” If you would like to learn how to support the city’s expansion goals, please reach out to HBA’s Government Affairs team.