McMinnVille staff say land-use efficiency measures meet housing and industrial needs; commercial shortfall remains

City staff and outside consultants told the McMinnVille City Council in a work session that proposed land‑use efficiency measures would meet the city’s residential and industrial land needs inside the existing urban growth boundary (UGB), but would leave a remaining 71‑acre shortfall for commercial land.

Beth Goodman of Echo Northwest and Elizabeth Decker of JET Planning presented results of the city’s sequential UGB work plan, which staff said responds to State Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) requirements. Goodman summarized the underlying analyses: the housing needs analysis identified a 202‑acre residential deficit, an Economic Opportunities Analysis identified a 29‑acre industrial deficit and a 159‑acre commercial deficit. Goodman said the recommended efficiency measures would add capacity equivalent to roughly 1,396 dwelling units and would bring residential and industrial land into balance inside the UGB; commercial efficiencies would cover a little more than half of the previously identified commercial deficit, leaving about 71 acres still unmet.

The consulting team outlined the specific measures that create additional capacity: framework‑plan reassignments after the 2024 parks plan reduced parkland demand; rezoning and upzoning actions already adopted since the housing analysis; an expected reclassification of about 33 acres on Linfield’s campus to higher‑density residential (R‑4) and Linfield’s interest in reserving about 44 acres for commercial uses that would be added back into the buildable lands inventory if the university sends a formal letter; and a planned update to the McMinnVille Airport master plan that would bring roughly 30 acres into the industrial land supply.

Goodman said, “The result of land use efficiencies … is the land needs are met inside the UGB” for residential uses, and that industrial land needs can be met through the airport plan changes. On commercial land, Goodman and staff argued that redevelopment opportunities along existing commercial corridors and upcoming projects (including portions of McMinnVille Landing and potential Linfield site changes) reduce the urgency of pursuing a UGB expansion solely for commercial uses.

Councilors pressed staff for clarifications. Councilor Chenoweth and others asked whether some commercial acreage (for example land near the airport and the innovation campus) had already been counted in the buildable lands inventory; staff agreed to review the tables and noted that the city’s previous UGB amendment had included a 40‑acre policy statement for an innovation campus but that the acreage had not been counted in the current economic inventory because the map color had not been changed. Council discussion also focused on the timing and longevity of the underlying data: staff and consultants noted that DLCD and other reviewers may require updated analyses if the city later relies on older data for a future UGB amendment.

Staff recommendation and Planning Commission position

Heather Richards, Community Development Director, and Evan Hepdes, Associate Housing Planner, said the staff recommendation — consistent with the Planning Commission’s motion — is to: (1) pursue the non‑map actions needed to implement the land‑use efficiency measures (framework plan amendments, adoption of the airport master plan, securing a letter from Linfield indicating willingness to reclassify portions of campus land, and recording recent rezonings), and (2) defer a UGB amendment for commercial land at this time and instead revisit commercial need when the city prepares its next housing capacity analysis (HCA) and a corresponding Economic Opportunities Analysis (EOA), expected around 2030–2032.

Council direction and next steps

Council members did not take a formal vote during the work session. Instead the council gave staff direction to: confirm accounting in the existing buildable lands inventory (to resolve the double‑counting question raised by council), consult with legal counsel and with DLCD about whether a commercial UGB amendment could be pursued after the March 1 DLCD deadline using the current analysis or whether a refreshed EOA would be required, and return to council with options and timelines. Several councilors said they were open to waiting to see how redevelopment and projects such as McMinnVille Landing and Linfield’s master planning progress before committing to a UGB expansion for commercial uses. Staff said they expect to assemble the package of framework‑plan amendments, the airport master plan adoption, and the Linfield letter for council action in the November–December timeframe.

Why this matters

Under Oregon’s sequential UGB process required by DLCD, cities must first identify land‑use efficiency measures inside the UGB and, only if unmet residential need remains, proceed to amend the UGB. How the city addresses commercial land needs affects longer‑term economic development and redevelopment pressure on existing commercial corridors. Council members asked staff to balance the risk of under‑allocating commercial land with the objective of encouraging reinvestment in underused commercial corridors.

What comes next

Staff will bring back follow‑up information on exact inventory accounting, legal options and DLCD guidance about whether and how a commercial UGB amendment could be submitted after the current March 1 deliverable, and a potential timeline to pursue a commercial UGB amendment if council chooses to do so. The Planning Commission’s recommendation to adopt the non‑map land‑use efficiency measures and to revisit commercial need with the next HCA remains the formal advisory position on the record.