HBA Rallies Support as North Plains UGB Expansion Challenged by Farmers

Working with our partners at Westside Economic Alliance and the Realtors, HBA is leading an advocacy push in North Plains that is likely to impact the fate of a UGB expansion request totaling more than 800 acres for employment and housing growth. Following a successful campaign to adopt Ordinance 490, which garnered unanimous approval from the city council to approve a UGB expansion request, we have since learned that that effort is in jeopardy. In mid-October, several farmers submitted enough signatures (roughly 240 in sum) to the county elections that could set in motion a referendum on the city’s vote of approval. While the legality of such a referendum on a land use decision remains at question, HBA and our partners are actively engaging North Plains leadership and Washington County Commission, requesting that they move forward with the approval of this expansion request and not halt what has been nearly a decade of thoughtful and consistent planning.