It’s time to discuss Oregon’s urban growth boundaries
Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) system, established by SB 100 (1973), is creating tension between housing affordability and economic growth as cities struggle to expand within restricted boundaries. Hillsboro’s failed Oregon Jobs Act, sponsored by Senator Janeen Sollman to add 1,700 acres for industrial development including data centers, exemplifies how UGB expansion has become contentious, with critics like Oregon Agricultural Trust opposing development on farmland. While the Legislature has passed piecemeal measures to help high-rent communities expand their boundaries, the state faces larger questions about redesigning the UGB framework to balance housing costs, economic growth, and land preservation.