CAC discusses whether UGB expansion should reserve space for medical and service uses

Several CAC participants raised the idea that any UGB expansion planning could deliberately reserve portions of new land for specific service-oriented uses, such as a small medical-office park or spaces for other resident-facing services.

One participant asked whether, if the city acquired more land, the CAC should “reserve a certain portion of those lands for the expansion of said services and building support,” for example a medical-office cluster with parking and multiple services so residents could get blood draws and outpatient services locally rather than traveling to Medford. CAC members noted that single-practice clinics have struggled historically when placed far from hospitals and support systems; multiple practitioners co-located in a medical park could be more viable.

Consultants said the candidate-land evaluation will consider placement relative to desired jobs and noted that different nonresidential uses have different locational needs — some (medical) do not need a major arterial, while others do. They reiterated that the BLI and the adjusted forecast will inform what kinds of candidate lands the city might designate if an expansion proceeds, but no formal decision was taken at the meeting.