Bend panel urges council hand off Juniper Ridge oversight

The Bend Economic Development Advisory Board meets next Monday to review and discuss recommendations for the continued development of Juniper Ridge, an area of industrial land owned by the city of Bend.

The recommendations were developed by the Juniper Ridge Working Group, a committee of BEDAB members and other local business representatives assigned with this task last September.

The working group has identified three short-term recommendations:

1. The Bend City Council should seek to divest itself from direct oversight of Juniper Ridge and assign management to a Council-appointed temporary Governing Board.

2. Over the next 12 to 24 months, this Governing Board should be tasked with developing a high-level framework plan to guide future development of Juniper Ridge. The board should also review existing Juniper Ridge governance documents to determine which need updating or revision.

3. The Bend City Council should allocate dedicated city staffing support for the Governing Board and for implementation of its initiatives.

The review and discussion of these recommendations will take place during the BEDAB meeting at noon on July 9 in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Following this initial review, the memo will be shared with the Bend City Council during the quarterly check-in with City boards and commissions on July 18.

Juniper Ridge is a 1,500-acre parcel of City-owned land located in Northeast Bend, approximately 500 acres are within city limits and just under 300 acres are zoned for industrial development.

The Juniper Ridge Working Group memo and associated materials are available online at www.bendoregon.gov/juniperridge.