Impacts of the CRC project on land uses in Oregon and Washington

Chapter 3, page 122 of the CRC Draft EIS.

Metro confirmed the CRC's Draft EIS findings
concerning land use within the project area.

Issues and concerns have been raised about the relationship between the proposed improvements and the potential to increase sprawl on the fringe of the region’s urban areas.

CRC has negligible impact on urban growth in Clark County

In July 2010, Metro released forecast findings that show the project would have negligible impact on population and employment growth in Clark County. The forecast used the agency’s nationally acclaimed MetroScope growth modeling technology and was completed as part of a collaborative interagency process to resolve outstanding questions. The project’s most significant land use effect was found to be an increase in North Portland employment by about 1.5 percent.

Metro findings confirm land use analysis in Draft EIS

The 2010 findings confirm analysis completed by the CRC project in 2008 for the Draft EIS. CRC found that the project would not cause significant land use changes in the region’s urban periphery (“sprawl”). CRC reviewed national case studies, reviewed land use policies in both Oregon and Washington, used travel demand models that had been reviewed by an expert panel and relied on results from an earlier analysis using the Metroscope model. The research conducted by CRC concluded:

CRC does not provide new access by highways.
Local and regional land use regulations in Oregon and Washington are effective at managing growth.
The project will increase transit ridership.
CRC will improve highway travel times, but induced travel demand from travel savings are offset by the higher cost of tolls during peak travel periods.

Additional details are presented in a 2009 CRC memo.

Additional information on the Metro findings can be found online.