A Bitter Past Still Fresh
You can’t stop progress- especially in a small town like North Plains, Oregon, where influence is peddled by outsiders waiting to cash in on what they see as a town ripe for the picking.
The town and the people, who love their agrarian roots and small town living, have been through the wringer on growth. The city’s 2023-2024 fight over an 855-acre Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion was no ordinary land-use debate—it was a brawl. Outsiders poured in money, local landowners bankrolled campaigns, and deceptive mailers landed in voters’ mailboxes.
Residents pushed back hard. At the ballot box, nearly 73% of voters said NO. A new mayor and slate of councilors were swept in on promises to end the growth free-for-all. Many assumed the debate was finished.
But here we are again.
Enter the TGM Grant
At the work session on 9-2-2025, the staff from City Hall started up the machine again. The drone of presenters now points to a $230,000 state Transportation Growth Management (TGM) grant. Officially, it’s a grant to move future growth forward and create “just a concept plan”—a framework of maps and options, not a binding UGB expansion. Staff insist it’s about “homework” and “better information.”
Critics see it differently: a Trojan horse rolling into town, carrying the same players and the same agenda in new packaging.
The September 15, 2025, council meeting is scheduled to include a vote on a resolution that would:
Approve TGM contingency tasks related to the public engagement process (Task 3).
Authorize forming the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Public Advisory Committee (PAC).
Begin public engagement using the existing conditions reports (Memos 1 & 2).
If that resolution passes, the city will enter the community engagement phase of the TGM grant and establish the committees that will help shape the alternative concept plans through fall and winter 2025.
The issues are that the TAC and the PAC in the past were loaded with pro-growth-aligned citizens. The entire process is backwards. There is no need to have a TAC and a PAC when a good old-fashioned BBQ and community get-together with a bunch of whiteboards could help the community envision what it wants. Or a significant survey and mailer to everyone in town seeking guidance and input on growth- how hard would that be? You don’t bring consultants and steering committees in before the people. That is what led to the 73% No Growth vote last year. That is what led to the loss of trust with City Hall and the entire process. “Growth to pay for the previous growth that didn’t pay for itself”- that was what we heard a lot of last year.
👉 In plain terms: the Sept. 15 vote isn’t on the UGB line itself, but on whether to roll the Trojan horse through the gates and start the public engagement process under the TGM grant.
Who Stands to Gain?
The last round of battles revealed a cast of powerful interests with much to gain if farmland around North Plains flips to urban zoning:
Jackson Farm Land, LLC —Adjacent to Sunset Ridge, this large parcel will rise in value 10 to 20 times if it gets in ~120 acres that could skyrocket in value if brought into the UGB. This LLC orchestrated sending out a deceptive mailer during the last cycle, and we uncovered that in this story: https://hillsboroherald.com/north-plains-voters-assaulted-by-outsiders-and-landowners-with-false-mailers-and-more/
Lone Oak Land & Investment, LLC (Susan Cropp) and Ferelden, LLC (Bob Bobosky) — Both tied to PACs funding pro-expansion candidates during the last election cycle.
Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors (PMAR) — Poured outside money into local races, fueling suspicion that profits, not residents, were driving the push.
Former leaders Teri Lenahan and Russ Sheldon — Aligned with pro-growth forces before voters removed them from power. Word is that the insiders and members of the sitting council are looking to move Sheldon into the Mayoral seat to let the good times roll!
The question now: are these same outsiders and power brokers and others lobbying City Manager Bill Reid and shaping how this TGM grant unfolds? Everyone is watching this time. The eyes are squarely on City Hall.
Read more on these direct connections from last year’s revealing story:
North Plains Voters Assaulted By Outsiders And Landowners With False Mailers And More
Déjà Vu or New Opportunity?
City staff argue the grant only requires planning for the city’s housing need of ~790 homes. They stress that North Plains can decide how much employment land to add, if any.
But the process matters. When consultants are paid to draft “growth alternatives,” history shows those maps quickly take on a life of their own. Public engagement, while promised, can be shallow. North Plains, under the former group led by Sheldon and Lenahan, spoke of engagement, but much of it was a token effort at best. And once state-funded studies are on the books, pressure builds to justify them.
“We changed out the council, we voted down the map, and here we are again,” one resident told the Herald. “How many times do we have to say it?”
Questions That Must Be Answered
As the council prepares to vote on September 15th on whether to greenlight the engagement phase, several questions hang heavy in the air:
Lobbying Pressure – Who is whispering in City Hall’s ear? Are landowners and developers quietly pushing Reid and staff to keep expansion alive?
Public Trust – After false mailers and mystery letters in 2024, how can residents trust that this “engagement process” won’t be manipulated again?
Priorities – Why is staff time tied up in growth planning when residents clamor for basics like a grocery store, food bank support, and livability fixes?
Mandate – With voters so decisively rejecting expansion just last year, why is the city even entertaining more growth studies now?
Trojan Horse – Is the TGM grant truly a neutral planning tool, or just the latest strategy to drag the city back to where developers and land owners die for that big paycheck?
The Real Choice Ahead
On September 15th, the council must decide whether to proceed. If they approve, consultants (outsiders) will begin drawing 3–4 growth alternatives this fall. By 2026, a final concept plan would be ready, potentially giving developers exactly the maps they need to argue for expansion again.
And just like before, consultants will be in the driver’s seat and not the people. The people of North Plains are smart. I bet if they were given a real chance to pick what they wanted and what they needed, the town would grow, but in a way true to their history and beliefs. A lifestyle like the one they love could be maintained while making room for others to join them. Accepting State grant money and entering into a TGM is fine, but after the people weigh in. Not before.
For North Plains, this moment isn’t just about a grant. It’s about whether the city listens to its people or to the same power brokers who tried to sell expansion before.
👉 Bottom line: The Trojan horse is back at the city gates. Will the council roll it in, or stand with the voters who said “enough”?
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Another way to take the Tax payers money, there are more of Us than Them . Time to take back our state Oregon. And make sure our Voices are heard. And the voters. Are heard. And elections are watched . End mailing voting period. I Give all Holy To my Lord Jesus Christ Please Pray 🙏 We need more to overcome
these take overs Of Blue States. No more being their slaves .
While I do not personally believe with your position, there is nothing wrong with you expressing it. These cities are full of powerhungry people that seem to believe they know more than the people they serve. That is wrong- and in a place like North Plains it is very wrong. On the other hand Dan, North Plains has a heavy dose of Republican influence going on and always has. So this is not a Blue Government over there.
Great reporting!!