WEA / CCBA Conference focuses on future job growth

Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington & Sherwood Mayor Keith Mays

Planning for future business growth and diversifying employment opportunities in the metropolitan region were the key topics of a regional forum last month hosted by Clackamas County Business Alliance and Westside Economic Alliance.

More than a 125 members and guests from across the region were treated to a variety of perspectives from 16 speakers, representing both the public and private sectors during a half-day conference in Tigard.

Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington and members of “the Core Four” regional decision makers described their work with a 30-member Reserves Steering Committee in planning future urban growth areas for the next 50 years. 

Joining Councilor Harrington on “the Core Four” are Washington County Commission Chair Tom Brian, Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader and Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen. 

Together these public officials have just one year to reach unanimous agreement and designate areas in the tri-county region to allow urban growth over the next 50 years.

Chairman Brian expressed optimism for the Reserves planning process , “This helps us plan our cores and infrastructure, creating a wonderful place to live and work, but it has to be realistic too.” 

He said, “It’s going to take, not just planning, but investment to create a great place.”

Councilor Harrington shared Metro’s vision of “The Greatest Places” and the process in designating the Urban Reserves, which is currently in an analysis phase of studying more than 400,000 acres around three sides of the Urban Growth Boundary. 

Big Look Task Force

Oregon’s Big Look Task Force has spent the past two years studying the strengths and shortcomings of our state’s land use planning system and will present their recommendations to the 2009 Legislature. 

Richard Whitman, Director of the Department of Land Conservation and Development, described the work of the 10-member task force and summarized its findings after 11 townhall meetings across the state, 500,000 newspaper inserts, a number of public opinion surveys, and an informative video. 

These public outreach efforts have led Task Force members and DLCD to recognize the need for more flexibility in Oregon’s iconic land use system. 

Director Whitman said the legislative proposal to state lawmakers in January will enable two or more counties to define sustainable uses for farm and forest lands in their region.

Whitman also described the importance of creating “livable communities” in the urban areas of our state as Oregon’s current population is expected to increase by more than 45 percent at an estimated 1.7 million new residents by 2040.  

“How do we ensure that communities provide the housing and the land supply for jobs?”  Whitman asked.

Keeping track of a mobile and changing work force

Lynn Wallis

Despite dramatic increases in unemployment figures since September, workforce analysts from the state employment office point out that employment numbers in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties remain among the highest in the state.   

While employment numbers have dropped slightly in Washington and Clackamas County for most of the past year, employment figures have actually improved in Multnomah County as companies have closed branches and consolidated operations to their central offices. 

But this shuffling causes significant changes for the regional workforce.  

Jill Cuyler explained that nearly 68 percent of workers living in Washington County are able to work in their county, while nearly 23 percent find work in Multnomah County and about six percent travel to work in Clackamas County. 

Lynn Wallis explained that in Clackamas County only about 40 percent of working residents are able to find work there, while nearly 34 percent leave home for work in Multnomah County and almost 16 percent are employed in Washington County.

Over the next 35 years, state employment projections suggest one out of four new jobs created in the state of Oregon will be located in Washington County, continuing to outpace the population growth here---just as it has for the past 35 years.

“Shovel Ready” Industrial Land

Jill Miles

Jill Miles, an economic development specialist with Oregon’s Department of Economic and Community Development, described the successes of Oregon’s “shovel ready” industrial site certification program and what it means to have sites “certified.”   

The program imposes a rigorous process for landowners, but gives site selectors the information they need in choosing a developable site. 

Created in 2003, OECDD’s site certification program has quickly gained a national reputation for encouraging businesses to locate in Oregon.   

According to Miles, Oregon has certified 62 industrial sites around the state, totaling 4,330 acres, of which 25 are currently being developed or are under contract.   

The Portland metropolitan region currently has 13 sites certified by OECDD for industrial development providing a total of 754 acres, of which four are currently being developed for a total of 610 acres. 

Business panel describes future growth

Business panel members Terry Aarnio, Dana White and Charlie Allcock

Creating new job opportunities and the amount of land it takes to supply different types of jobs was the focus of a business panel made up of Dana White from Providence Health & Services; Terry Aarnio of Oregon Iron Works; and Charlie Allcock from PGE.

White estimated Providence employs approximately 16,000 employees and offers more than just hospital care.

She said most of Providence’s jobs involve clinics and professional services that are placed in communities where they are most accessible to their patients, making for a more livable community.

In order to serve a growing region, White said Providence looks for parcels of 15 acres to locate their offices, but said it is increasingly difficult to find even 10 developable acres. 

Another concern is the amount of time it takes to have sufficient infrastructure in place and the need to be in front of future housing growth.

Terry Aarnio from Oregon Iron Works said urban planners should focus on small and medium size businesses that will be looking to expand because they are more likely to stay in the region.

“I’ve heard a lot of stand up philosophizing going on this morning," said Aarnio, "That’s not the real world.”

He described how his own company started on a four acre parcel in what was once rural Clackamas County and was fortunate enough to acquire four continuous parcels as the company needed to expand.  

But further growth opportunities are limited and expensive.

Charlie Allcock from PGE called for more flexibility in our land use system and urban planning because companies need to adapt to changes around them and have choices when respond to changes in their business plans cause by urban growth. 

Prior to being surrounded by residential and retail development, PGE’s service operation once sat at S.W. Murray Boulevard and Scholls Ferry Road.

PGE used its flexibility to move that operation to a better location.

Allcock also referred to groups of businesses that tend to draw from a similar worforce and list of suppliers.

“We are seeing green technology take a strong interest in the Portland region…. and we are not seeing a slow economy with this cluster,” Allcock explained.

But he cautioned that time allowed for selecting new business locations have never been tighter, and local communities need to be responsive to this change.

Allcock said he’s seen businesses break ground on new facilities in May and roll out finished products by November. 

“This is the time frame things are moving along and community planners need to adapt and be more responsive to these demands," said Allcock.