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The ruling body of regional government Metro has decided 10 land areas will be up for debate for a potential urban growth boundary expansion.

During its weekly work session on Tuesday the Metro Council decided it would send out notices to every property owner within those 10 study areas across the Portland-metropolitan area as well as to every household within one mile of them – a requirement in the Metro charter. In total, Metro staffers expect to mail 34,000 notices.

The Metro Council is expected to decide in late October if it’s going to expand the metro-area urban growth boundary, and if so, by how much. But before the council can make that decision, it must notify neighbors of the areas and hold public meetings.

Of the 10 areas, three are being proposed for land meant for industrial employment and the rest are meant for residential growth. While the notices do not guarantee the areas will be included in an urban growth boundary discussion, they do indicate the areas aren’t off the table.

According to Metro Spokesman Ken Ray, Metro expects to get the notices in the mail by next Thursday, which would be in time to notify people of the first public hearing on the matter. The first public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. on Oct 6 at the Beaverton Public Library, he said.

Residential expansion areas

• 1,063 acres south of Hillsboro – south of Tualatin Valley Highway and west of Southwest 209th Avenue;
• 543 acres of the South Cooper Mountain area near Beaverton – north of Southwest Scholls Ferry Road and east of Tile Flat Road;
• 256 acres west of Tigard, near the intersection of Southwest Roy Rogers Road and Southwest Beef Bend Road;
• 276 acres west of Sherwood, near Oregon Route 99W and Southwest Kruger Road;
• 210 acres south of Cornelius;
• 62 acres east of Cornelius; and
• 316 acres adjacent to Wilsonville, near Advance Road.

Industrial expansion areas

• 100 acres north of Hillsboro;
• 115 acres north of Forest Grove; and
• 117 acres on the southwest edge of Tualatin known as the Tonquin area.