Following the Goal 9: Economic Development & Employment Lands Assessment conducted in 2023, Points Consulting and Nexus Planning Services contracted again with the City of La Grande to complete Goal 14 of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development’s planning structure. Our objective was to find the most suitable locations for an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion based on the findings from the prior Goal 9 study. To complete the Goal 14 process, the project team had to stay in compliance with the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR Chapter 660-024), which outline the necessary steps required to complete the analysis.
Through many refining processes such as priority land evaluations, utility access considerations, and hazard/slope analysis, our team identified a total of 148.7 acres of commercial land and 215.4 acres of industrial land ready for expansion into the UGB. Once identified, the targeted areas were subject to a traffic analysis conducted by Fehr and Peers, which aimed to find the overall traffic impact of the potential commercial and industrial expansion assuming full employment.
The full Goal 14 study can be read here: