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Last month, the Columbia River Gorge Commission proposed fourteen draft urban area boundary revision policies within its Management Plan. The proposed policies are part of the larger Gorge 2020 Draft Management Plan. As described in a recent staff presentation, the policies seek to answer a decades-long question over the definition of a ‘minor’ revision in any of the 13 urban areas within the National Scenic Area. The policies also outline procedural aspects for revision applications, and how the commission envisions applications meeting the Act’s subjective urban area revision criteria. Importantly, the policies that the commission adopts in August will become administrative rules for urban area revision applications. However, the proposed policies act as a barrier for flexibility to expand or modify their urban areas. The issues are particularly germane to areas on the Oregon side of the river, where state-regulated urban growth boundaries are tighter with less available land for housing than on the Washington side. Specifically, HBA does not agree with a policy that would limit the expansion of an urban area to the lesser of 20 acres or 1%, cumulatively, over time. This policy would effectively limit available land for housing at an arbitrary threshold with complete disregard for Oregon’s land use planning laws. The commission must afford the counties flexible revision options. HBA will continue to advocate for policies that garner the support of Oregon state land use agencies, as well as county and city stakeholders. To learn more about HBA involvement with Hood River County, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org. To learn more about OHBA involvement in Wasco County, contact Ellen Miller at ellen@oregonhba.com.