Thomas: Pendleton Urban Growth Boundary needs to grow

PENDLETON – Every year, the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) sets a long list of priorities to address in the coming session of the Oregon Legislature. It then sends it to the city councils throughout the state, asking them to rate their priorities.

The number-one priority for the Pendleton City Council for the 2027 session that begins in January is housing development. While development is going on now, Councilmember John Thomas says the city can’t realize its potential unless the Legislature will allow it to expand its urban growth boundary.

Thomas said the state believes there is much more vacant land within the city limits that could be sites for housing when he believes a large part of that land cannot be used for housing.

“It’s just unbuildable,” he said. “Not only from how much it will cost to build a house with bedrock like a foot below the soil, but also the steepness of the street and how easily fire apparatuses would be able to get to your house.”

Thomas says there’s a big difference from people in Salem looking at a map and seeing vacant land as opposed to people who know the city.

“Those of us who live here and look at that land say, ‘No, it’s not,’” he said. “We would like to expand our urban growth boundary, but the state limits how far we can extend it until we build on the vacant land that they think we have.”

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Elkhorn Media Group