Discussion on future Urban Service Boundary expansion processes
Expansion areas for the Urban Service Boundary.
In January 14th’s General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee meeting, Hal Baillie of the Division of Planning gave presentation on the City’s upcoming work in developing a new process for how to expand the USB in the future.
Goal 4 of the Imagine 2045 Comprehensive Plan mandates that a new process for potential future expansions of the USB must be adopted by August 1st, 2026. This new process should be “data-driven” and build upon the work of the Sustainable Growth Task Force and the Goal 4 Workgroup.
The Sustainable Growth Task Force worked from 2019 to 2021 on developing a data-collection method to inform Council’s decisions around USB expansion. The Task Force’s model collects annual data on housing, population, retail, and other economic trends. Each year, a report is written with updated data. Council adopted the framework in 2021.
Planning staff are currently working on an updated 2024 report.
The Goal 4 Workgroup worked throughout 2022 on developing a new process for USB expansion. The gist of their proposed process was that LFUCG would adopt a set of “triggers” based on the data collected by the Sustainable Growth Task Force; these triggers, when met, would mandate a USB expansion. The Goal 4 Workgroup’s proposal was never adopted. You can read more about it here.
Future USB decisions will also, most likely, be made separately from the development of the Comprehensive Plan. In the past, USB expansions have been made during the drafting of the Comprehensive Plan. Many Councilmembers and Planning staff members feel that the discussion around the USB distracts from the other important components of the Comprehensive Plan. Separating the USB discussion from the Comprehensive Plan development will ideally make each individual process stronger.
GGP Chair Liz Sheehan (District 5) placed the development of a new USB decision process as an item in the Committee. Committee members will begin working on proposals with Planning staff over the course of the next year.
You can view the presentation slides starting on page 38 of this packet.
You can watch the meeting archive on LexTV.
Jemi Chew contributed to this piece.
