City of Medford Oregon / Planning / Definitions / Urban Growth Boundary

Urban Growth Boundary

The Medford Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)

The UGB includes land within the city, and selected land surrounding the city that is committed to and/or planned for future city growth, the development of which is likely to require the extension of urban services.  Land surrounding the city and within the UGB is called the "unincorporated urbanizable area" in this element.  In Chapter 253 of the Jackson County Land Development Ordinance, it is called the Medford Urban Overlay (MUO) District.  The Medford UGB was amended in 1990 through a cooperative process between the City of Medford and Jackson County.  It is officially delineated on the Jackson County and City of Medford Comprehensive Plan and Zoning maps

Medford's General Land Use Plan Map

The Medford UGB was established to comply with the state law requiring Urban Growth Boundaries around urbanized areas to identify and separate urbanizable land from rural land.  

Establishment and amendment of UGB's are based upon the following Goal 14 factors:

1. A demonstrated need to accommodate long-range   urban population growth requirements consistent with Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) goals;
2. A need for housing, employment opportunities, and livability;
3. The orderly and economic provision of public facilities and services;
4. The maximum efficiency of land uses within, and on the fringe of the existing urban area;
5. The environmental, energy, economic, and social consequences;
6. The retention of agricultural land as defined, with "Class I" having the highest priority for retention, and "Class VI" having the lowest priority; and
7. The compatibility of proposed urban uses with nearby agricultural activities.