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After a year and a half of discussions and recommendations, the has officially been expanded.

A mayor-less Portland City Council today unanimously approved expanding the city’s largest urban renewal area 鈥� which is currently 3,744 acres by 425 acres. It’s a move that will allow business and property owners within the five expansion areas to take advantage of the various programs and grants that the Portland Development Commission offers to those inside of URAs.

New areas include 75 acres along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; 33 acres within the Alberta Street/Killingsworth Street node; 28 acres along the south side of Lombard Street; 103 acres in the St. Johns Town Center; and 186 acres within the existing , which is set to expire in 2013.

The expansion proposal had received criticism from stakeholders when Rose Quarter property was being discussed as a sixth potential expansion area. But that criticism died down when the city decided against including it in the proposed expansion because of a stall in the potential redevelopment of the property.

Other concerns have come from neighborhood activists within the Interstate Corridor who feel funds are being siphoned away from projects within the existing URA to neighboring areas.

According to a letter sent from the Interstate Corridor URA advisory committee to the PDC, 鈥�(The committee) believes that expanding the boundaries of the URA will prevent the current URA from reaching its full potential and will leave many community members disappointed.鈥�

In the end, the City Council saw the expansion as an opportunity for more people to take advantage of the resources that the PDC has to offer.