Unilateral Retraction of Cities’ Urban Growth Boundaries

Making even small amendments to growth plans can be cumbersome.  If a single city wants to retract its urban growth boundary for whatever reason, the entire coordinating committee has to be convened and two public hearings must be held.  To simplify the process where only a single city is affected, cities should be allowed to retract their growth boundaries without approval from other members of their coordinating committees, but only where the boundary abuts a rural or planned growth area and only after giving notice to the county and to residents of the area and holding a public hearing.  The affected county should then decide whether to include the removed area in the adjoining rural or planned growth area or to designate a new planned growth area, and the proposed change should be presented to the state’s Local Government Planning Advisory Committee for approval.