ARTICLE
As reported in the third Stafford article by the Lake Oswego Review, the December 2020 Stafford discussions with Lake Oswego, Tualatin and West Linn illustrated the protracted political debate over development vs. preservation in the over 6,000 acre area. However, as the region draws closer to urban growth expansion in Stafford, the majority of cities are noticeably silent on applying conservation easements in the area. While the Stafford Hamlet’s request to the three cities is to include its Community Vision Plan in the 3-City Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), the article series conveys the risks of relying on unilateral no-growth approaches in an area destined to include housing. This is especially important, given the region’s 70,000 unit housing deficit due to underproduction, per a 2020 state report which found the Portland Metro region will need to accommodate another 225,000 units through 2040. Clackamas County’s Stafford urban reserves are part of Metro’s urban reserves, land that will come into the urban growth boundary to accommodate housing, infrastructure and open space, within 50 years from time of designation. The cities surrounding Stafford are ultimately required to perform concept planning in order to bring the land into the urban growth boundary for future development. Unfortunately, this concept planning is stymied by the 3-City IGA that significantly discourages concept planning and indefinitely forces households to look for new homes in more outlying areas, creating upward pressure on home prices throughout the region. Meanwhile, Lake Oswego and West Linn continue to de-prioritize Stafford planning efforts even in the face of Tualatin’s 2020 request to discuss jurisdictional urban service areas. HBA continues to call for Stafford’s surrounding cities to move forward with integrated concept planning, including jurisdictional boundary discussions and a frank acknowledgement of the region’s profound need for current and future housing. Surrounding jurisdictions, the county and Metro should discuss development and preservation in a holistic context, ensuring all Oregonians have a place to call home. To learn more about HBA involvement in Stafford, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org.