TL;DR (generated · confidence: high)

Stakeholders identify insufficient development-ready sites as a competitive constraint, citing lack of infrastructure funding, high costs of facility expansion (water, sewer, utility, transportation upgrades), and a disconnect between policy land definitions and market reality in Urban Growth Boundary inventories. They call for expanded, accelerated, and better-coordinated funding and tools.

Key points (each cites a PDF page):

Lack of development-ready sites identified as key constraint limiting competitiveness (p. 26)
Oregon lacks sufficient supply of sites with characteristics needed for traded-sector opportunities (p. 26)
Many communities lack infrastructure funding required to prepare sites for development (p. 26)
Businesses cite extraordinary costs of facility expansion (water, sewer, utility, transportation upgrades) that delay investment decisions (p. 26)
UGB land definitions: "available" and "suitable" diverge from market reality (p. 26)
Inventories are technically compliant but functionally unusable for near-term investment (p. 26)
Disconnect between policy definitions and market reality creates uncertainty for businesses and limits practical land supply (p. 26)
Stakeholders report existing policies, programs, and tools need expansion, acceleration, better coordination, and increased funding (p. 26)

Summary of Stakeholder Feedback

Summary of Stakeholder Feedback Stakeholders consistently identified a lack of development-ready sites as a key constraint. Oregon does not have a sufficient supply of sites with the characteristics needed to compete for traded-sector opportunities, and many communities lack the infrastructure funding required to prepare sites for development. Businesses also cited the extraordinary costs associated with expanding existing facilities, including water, sewer, utility, and transportation system upgrades, that can significantly increase project costs and delay investment decisions. Stakeholders report that Oregon’s existing policies, programs, and tools need to be expanded, accelerated, and better coordinated and funded to increase competitiveness and reduce uncertainty across urban and rural communities. When considering expansions of Urban Growth Boundaries, stakeholders note the definition of “available” and “suitable” land often diverge from market reality, so inventories are technically compliant but are functionally unusable. This disconnect creates uncertainty for businesses and limits the practical supply of land that can support near-term investment.

Parent: Chapter 4: Site Readiness & Infrastructure · PDF: p. 26