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The 109 people who voted in the unincorporated North Bethany area of Washington County on Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved a permanent property tax rate to help pay for transportation needs in the area pegged for extensive development.

Measure 34-189, which 73 percent of the voters approved, creates a tax rate of $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed value on the 851 acres that make up North Bethany. The tax is expected to generate $13 million to help pay for the $69 million outlined in Washington County’s transportation plan for the area.

Earlier this year, the Washington County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance that outlines the future plan for North Bethany. The plan allows for 4,650 housing units to be built on 700 acres, or about 11 housing units per buildable acre.

To fill the rest of the gap, county staff has proposed adding a transportation system development charge to be paid by developers when building out the housing units. The transportation SDC would cost roughly $13,000 per single-family dwelling.