Follow the Process to Expand Bend’s Urban Growth Boundary
By: Sharon Smith
I am a land use attorney and member of the City of Bend’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Technical Advisory Committee. I encourage you to follow the ongoing process to expand the UGB. An urban growth boundary is a line drawn on a map around a city that identifies land that can be developed. This land represents an estimated 20-year supply of land for commercial, industrial and residential uses. State land use planning law requires cities to periodically review the amount of land in its UGB to determine it has 20-years worth of land available for housing, employment, and other urban uses. Decisions made throughout this process will shape the future growth for the City of Bend for the next 20 years. The UGB expansion project will create a plan for new neighborhoods and commercial areas, parks, schools, and public infrastructure. This is an important issue for all citizens of Bend as well as the entire Central Oregon region as it will have an impact on housing affordability, community livability, traffic, and economic development. The process is well on its way, but the next step is to make decisions on where the city will expand. I recently spoke about this issue at a recent City Club forum along with other committee members and City staff. You can view the presentation at http://cityclubco.org/past-forums/
