Metro conditionally approves Sherwood West UGB expansion; Washington County will wait on county ordinance while appeals proceed

PORTLAND REGION — Metro adopted a conditional urban growth boundary expansion for the Sherwood West urban reserve on Dec. 5, 2024; Washington County staff told the county Planning Commission on Jan. 15 that the county will delay filing the local ordinance that transfers land to urban zoning until appeals and Department of Land Conservation and Development review are exhausted.

Metro approved the Sherwood West addition, a 1,291‑acre urban reserve area west of Sherwood, to help meet the region’s 20‑year housing and employment needs. Metro’s decision included conditions such as strategies and incentives for affordable housing, exploring regulated affordable housing in some areas, protecting habitat and open space, identifying two 250+‑acre industrial sites, and requiring Sherwood to complete comprehensive planning that achieves an average residential density of at least 9.2 units per acre within four years.

Why it matters: Metro’s conditional expansion alters long‑term land supply in the Portland region and triggers a series of local planning steps and potential appeals before urban development can occur. County staff said the local ordinance that would apply Washington County’s urban zoning (FD‑20) to Sherwood West will not be filed until appeals and any director or commission actions are final, delaying annexation and development eligibility.

Todd Borkiewicz, senior planner with Washington County’s Department of Land Use and Transportation, described the Metro decision and the remaining local steps. "Land readiness ... is land prepared for development that has willing landowners who might be willing to develop," he said, explaining one of several factors Metro uses to evaluate expansion proposals. He told commissioners that the county will hold off on filing the local ordinance: "The county will not be filing an ordinance to transfer Sherwood West to the urban area and apply the urban FD‑20 land use designation to the area until all appeals to the UGB expansion decision are exhausted."

Metro’s technical analysis estimated the region will need about 3,100 additional housing units and roughly 82,000 additional jobs inside the Metro UGB by 2044. The agency found a need for larger, flat industrial parcels (50+ acres) to accommodate projected high‑tech manufacturing growth and estimated roughly 320 buildable commercial acres would support the expected job growth. Sherwood submitted the only letter of interest for Metro’s 2024 urban growth management cycle; its proposal included housing, employment uses, habitat protection measures and an infrastructure funding strategy for roads, utilities and parks.

The Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) received multiple objections to the Sherwood West expansion before the DLCD deadline; DLCD’s director has until April 18 to take an initial action that may approve, remand or refer the matter to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC). A director decision is appealable to LCDC, and LCDC decisions are appealable to the Oregon Court of Appeals. County staff said LCDC could hear the matter in June if there is a referral or timely appeals.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify timeline and statutory limits. A planning commissioner asked whether rural reserves remain protected for 50 years after designation; staff confirmed the 50‑year protection for rural reserves adopted in the county’s reserve designations. Commissioners and staff also compared the Sherwood process to the separate North Plains UGB matter, noting Metro’s requirement for concept plans and infrastructure strategies means Metro‑led expansions carry different procedural expectations than city‑led or county‑involved decisions.

Todd and county staff outlined the remaining local steps if Metro’s decision stands: Sherwood must complete comprehensive planning and adopt zoning before parts of the area become eligible for annexation and urban development; Washington County would then file an ordinance to apply county urban zoning following exhaustion of appeals. Until those requirements are met, the land will remain outside the county’s urban development zoning and not eligible for urban annexation.

The presentation also reminded the commission that state law and long‑running policy debates remain active: county staff noted recent and pending state legislation addressing urban growth boundary law and the unique reserve framework established in Washington County by House Bill 4078. Commissioners and staff said the county’s share of urban reserves brought into the UGB is currently a little over 40 percent; state rules allow consideration of undesignated areas once 75 percent of urban reserves have been added to the UGB.

The commission’s staff presentation concluded with an explanation of how appeals and DLCD/LCDC review could alter timing: the county indicated it will not enact local changes or accept applications for annexation in the Sherwood West area until the Metro decision’s administrative process is complete.

Ending: Planning commissioners did not vote on any UGB ordinance at the Jan. 15 meeting; the matter remains a Metro decision with pending administrative review and potential appeals. The county will monitor DLCD and LCDC actions and return any local ordinance to the Planning Commission for hearings once appeals are resolved and Sherwood completes required comprehensive planning.