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Susan Muir Kurt Yeiter May 30, 2t)06 Page 3 Goal 14 requires that, in considering a UGB expansion, local governments must evaluate alternative locations consistent with the priorities set out at ORS 197.298 and, in doing so, consider the following four factors: (1) Efficient accommodation of identified land needs; (2) Orderly and economic provision of public facilities and services; (3) Comparative environmental, energy, economic and social consequences; and (4) Compatibility of th.epl'QPosed urban uses with. nearby agricultural "and forest activities occurring on farm and forest land outside the UGB. You specifically aSked whether the City co:uld adopt a local plan that pre-sets the location of specific UGB expansions and the order in which each UGB expansion is expected to occur. Under this scenario, theprocess for considering one ofthe UGB expansions would automatically be initiated when a pre-set residential density benchmark is reached within the UGB. While such a. plan is, to our knowledge, unprecedented, we believe it could be crafted in such a way to comply with tbegoals, statutes and administrative mles.4 However, the practical aspects of such a plan would need to be carefully considered". For example, monitoring the residential density in a multi-jurisdictional area may be cost prohibitive. Measures to Increase the LikeUhood that Residential Development will Occur at Densities SlIfficient to Accommodate the HOllsine Need Instead of, or in addition to a UGB expansion, the City could accommodate growth through actions or measures designed to increase the likelihood of higher density residential development. The statutes include the following examples: (a) Increases in the permitted density on existing residentia1land; (b) Financial incentives for higher density housing; (c) Provisions pennitting additional density beyond that generally allowed in the zoning district in exchange for amenities and features provided by the developer; (d) Removal or easing of approval standards or procedures; (e) Minimum density ranges; (f) Redevelopment and infill strategies; (g) Authorization of housing types not previously allowed by the plan or regulations; or forestry, or both. The statute provides that "l1igher priority shall be given to land of lower capability" and that land oflower priority may be included. in a UGB if land of higher priority is found to be inadequate for one or more of the following reasons: "(a) SpeCific types of identified land needs cannot be reasonably accommodated on higher priority lands; (b) Future urban services could not reasonably be provided to the higher priority lands due to topographical or other physical constraints; or (c) Maximum efficiency of land uses within a proposed urban growth boundary requires inclusion of lower priority lands in order to include or to provide services to higher priority lands." 4 Considering the priorities in ORS 197 .298 (see previous footnote), the proposed plan may best be carried out in conjunction with the readoption of urban reserve areas.