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Last month with HBA support, Happy Valley reinstated a pro-growth annexation policy for properties adjacent to city limits. In its work session, City Councilors directed staff to craft a policy that would allow any property within the Pleasant Valley / North Carver Comprehensive Plan area to annex automatically and immediately. The policy will allow properties from outside the Plan area, notably in the Damascus area to the west, to annex subject to several additional criteria. The city’s desire to revisit its annexation policy follows a September Oregon Supreme Court’s ruling, which confirmed the disincorporation of Damascus. The ruling puts to rest over three years’ worth of legal battles since the city’s 2016 vote to disincorporate. The Damascus area consists of over 10,000 acres within unincorporated Clackamas County and inside Metro’s Urban Growth Boundary. Happy Valley is also close to finalizing its Pleasant Valley / North Carver Comprehensive Plan. Due to the pandemic, the City has put a hold on public meetings for the Plan, and its timeline will be significantly pushed out. Comprehensive plans are critical to guiding the development process and providing housing in Happy Valley, and HBA will continue to encourage safe public stakeholder involvement in the City-led process to implement a plan for the area. To learn more about HBA involvement in Happy Valley and Clackamas County, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org.