County line adjustment for Bonny Slope West?

A meeting was held in early October for landowners of the area known variously as Area 93 or Bonny Slope West. This parcel was brought into the Urban Growth Boundary by Metro in 2001. Because it’s in unincorporated Multnomah County, and now separated by a Rural Reserve area from the City of Portland, it has been difficult to proceed with the necessary planning to allow urban development to occur.

At the meeting, landowners heard from a variety of jurisdictional staff and elected representatives about the costs and benefits of a potential county line adjustment that would bring the area into Washington County, which seems to nearly everyone to be the logical provider of the necessary urban services, such as planning, water and sewer, and safety.

State Representative Mitch Greenlick is willing to sponsor a bill that would allow for the very rare instance of a county line adjustment. County Commission Chair Andy Duyck wanted to find out if the landowners were in favor of such a move before putting any county effort into it.

Nearly everyone in the packed Leedy Grange Hall raised their hands when asked if they would consider it. At least one of the opponents later said she was only worried about the effect on wildlife. Between the buffers prescribed by Clean Water Services, and the potential of THPRD acquiring much of the area surrounding Bronson Creek, it is felt that natural area protection would improve.

The preliminary concept plan that was developed by Multnomah County in 2010 called for fairly dense development. Chair Duyck expressed his opinion that if the area were brought into Washington County, it would not be so dense. Less traffic on county roads, and less pressure on service agencies, plus the appeal of larger lots for “executive homes” were some of the reasons for this.

Many details remain to be worked out before any action is taken. We’ll let you know when there’s more to report.

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