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Metro, the governing body controlling regional land use and development, is trying something new.

鈥淕enerally, they make some kind of a transportation decision and then they do the planning around that,鈥� said Barbara Roberts, a Metro councilor and a former governor of Oregon. 鈥淲e did it the exact opposite.鈥�

On June 22, Metro launched an online open house for its Southwest Corridor Plan 鈥� a massive long-term planning effort to create livable and connected communities along the passageway between Portland, Tigard and Sherwood. The effort spans the jurisdictions of eight cities, two counties and three governmental bodies. But perhaps the most notable aspect of the endeavor is Metro鈥檚 philosophical approach.

Rather than telling people what to expect, Metro started the conversation by asking communities what they wanted.

Roberts said when she and fellow Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka were asked to lead the effort she knew there was an opportunity to change the dialogue.

鈥淲e both felt strongly that governments too often step up and tell people what they鈥檙e going to get, rather than ask them what they want,鈥� she said. 鈥淐arl and I have done government long enough to know that there is merit in doing it the other way.鈥�

In May, a steering committee adopted a vision, goals and objectives statement for the transportation initiative, and now planners are hoping citizens will comment on the online forum to help them narrow down the wide range of potential projects identified, such as the development of Bonney Lake鈥檚 Fennel Creek trail, the widening of Tigard鈥檚 Dartmouth Street, or the construction of sidewalks near Washington Square to name a few.

One area that is hoping to benefit is the corridor along Barbur Boulevard.

鈥淲hat we often hear from the community is that Barbur is not a destination,鈥� said Jay Sugnet, senior planner for Portland鈥檚 Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and the project manager for the Barbur Concept Plan. 鈥淭hey might go for a couple of things, but mostly it鈥檚 a way to get from one place to the other.鈥�

Before the creation of Interstate 5, Barbur Boulevard was the major north-south highway in Southwest Portland. Development grew up along the artery in strips. As the thoroughfare took a back seat to the freeway, the strips became disconnected.

Barbur鈥檚 concept plan is designed to change that by adding higher density housing, sidewalks, bike lanes and commercial amenities. Making those changes happen requires the participation of Metro.

But taking all those ideas into account hasn鈥檛 been easy.

The effort began in early 2011 and purposefully started with a loose agenda. Roberts said just getting all of the city leaders around the same table to share ideas for growth necessarily required a somewhat organic schedule.

鈥淲hen you get a bunch of mayors who鈥檝e been through lots of planning processes, they鈥檙e always skeptical of something new I think at first,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淪o we took it very slowly.鈥�

Craig Dirksen, the mayor of Tigard, has been intimately involved in that conversation.

Dirksen is trying to plan for a growing population while maintaining the city鈥檚 suburban composition. To do that he plans to preserve some areas that are made up of single-family homes while developing others for higher density. A perfect candidate, he said, is the Tigard Triangle 鈥� an area roughly half the size of downtown Portland that is bordered by Interstate 5, and Oregon routes 99 West and 217.

Another area along Oregon Route 99 鈥� known as the 鈥渘ever-ending strip mall鈥� by detractors 鈥� is aching for some transit-oriented development, Dirksen said. But it鈥檚 not like bulldozers are going to show up tomorrow.

鈥淔irst and foremost, it鈥檚 a land-use plan looking at the whole corridor,鈥� he said of the Southwest Corridor Plan. 鈥淲hat do we want this corridor to look like and how do we want it to function 10, 20, 30 years from now.鈥�

According to the city of Portland, the Southwest Corridor is poised to become the recipient of significant federal and regional transportation dollars. Roberts said taking a little extra time to identify those objectives now, while legislators bounce transportation funding around in Congress, will hopefully translate into less wasteful spending when the dollars come through.

Roberts said that means getting down into the nitty-gritty: Where are the parks located? How close is the nearest health care facility? If you鈥檙e a mother with a baby stroller, how easy is it to cross the street at the intersection of Southwest Capitol Hill Road and Southwest Barbur Boulevard?

鈥淭his is not a short term investment, nor is it a short term plan,鈥� she said.

The other benefit to identifying those holes, Roberts said, is being able to point them out to potential developers.

鈥淎s we go through this process, we really are going way beyond just the transportation questions,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have some investment questions that we think could be answered by this process.鈥�

Citizens have until July 31 to comment on the Southwest Corridor Plan鈥檚 online open house at .