Aaron Nichols, a vegetable farmer near North Plains, Ore., is among the opponents of the city’s urban growth boundary expansion. The UGB plan was rejected by voters but the referendum’s legal effect remains disputed.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — The fight over urban sprawl in a small Oregon city could soon be headed to the ballot box.

Officials in North Plains want to expand the city’s urban growth boundary, or UGB, by 855.2 acres to build more housing and bring in new industrial businesses to the local tax base, including potential semiconductor manufacturing.

The expansion would more than double the size of the existing North Plains UGB. The city lies about 20 miles west of Portland along Highway 26 and has a population of 3,424.

City councilors approved the expansion on Sept. 18, which now goes to the Washington County Planning Commission for a hearing on Oct. 18.

The proposal has raised concerns from neighboring farmers who argue it will pave over highly productive agricultural land and alter the community’s rural character.

Vote sought

Aaron Nichols, who grows about 15 acres of vegetables east of North Plains, wants to put the issue to a vote. He formed a campaign committee on Sept. 25, called Friends of North Plains Smart Growth, to gather signatures for a referendum that would overturn the city council’s decision.

“This is a major change in the way of life for farmers and residents of (North Plains),” Nichols said. “They should have a say in how their city grows.”

The committee has until Oct. 18 to collect 243 signatures — 10% of the total number of registered voters in North Plains — to qualify for the May 2024 ballot.

Studying growth

City leaders have been studying how and where to expand the UGB since 2020. According to the Population Research Center at Portland State University, North Plains will double its current population by 2035, making it one of the fastest growing communities in Washington County.

An economic opportunities analysis adopted in November 2022 identified 687.8 acres needed for commercial and industrial development through 2038.

The city council also adopted an updated housing needs analysis on Sept. 18 that calls for 1,348 new housing units to keep pace with population growth. To reach that target, North Plains concluded it needs 167.4 acres for houses, apartments, parks and other infrastructure.

Friends of North Plains Smart Growth disagrees with those assessments. Committee members claim the housing needs analysis relies too heavily on large single-family detached homes, which require the most land and be the most expensive for residents.

Farms impacted

Nichols said the jobs created by industrial expansion would also come at the expense of surrounding farms.

The area surrounding North Plains is home to a variety of crops, from grass seed to berries. If farmland is taken out of production, Nichols said it could force tractor dealerships, seed cleaners and other agricultural support services to go out of business or move, while driving up land prices and making it more difficult for farms to expand.

“We need to feed ourselves,” said Nichols, who sells produce directly to 500 people through a community support agriculture program, or CSA. “If we continue to lose farmland, we’ll end up with disconnected farm communities that cannot support themselves.”

Jacque Duyck Jones, a fourth-generation farmer and organizer for Friends of North Plains Smart Growth, said having a voter referendum will give residents excluded from the city’s UGB expansion process a chance to make their voices heard.

“Do you want big box tech or priceless farm soil and elk habitat?” she said. “Do you want huge, unaffordable homes in sprawling subdivisions, or dense and vibrant city centers that you can afford to live in? If you weren’t at the table before the city’s vote, once this referendum passes you can be at the table to redesign your vision for the city.”

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