Bend UGB expansion set; may bring down rents

Skyrocketing rent and the lack of affordable housing has been a reoccurring complaint among Bend residents.

City officials say there’s been a shortage of land available for housing and other development, but on Thursday, the Urban Growth Boundary Steering Committee adopted a new plan they hope will help address the need for affordable housing.

If things go as city leaders plan, Bend will be taking on a more urban form, and city councilors say it’s for the better. The council finalized three years of work on the urban growth boundary with help from 60y volunteers.

“Overall, there’s going to be a big improvement in terms of convenience (and) in terms of affordability,” said City Councilor Victor Chudowsky.

Councilor Casey Roats added, “Hopefully, we will see the price of housing be affected a little. In a perfect world, we will see the price of housing come down, so people who work in Bend can live in Bend.”

The city previously submitted a plan to the state in 2008 that it rejected, as officials said the city was seeking to add too much land and needed to develop more within its existing city limits.

But this time, the committee said they got it right. The new proposal to add land to Bend is a quarter of the size of the old plan and emphasizes more multi-family housing

“Instead of apartments costing $1,200 per month, it would be great if they could come down a few hundred dollars,” Roats said.

The committee says the new plan will help accommodate students and service workers. It will also help renters save up to make a down payment on a future home.

“Anyone who doesn’t make a median income of $60,000 to $70,000 can’t afford to live here in Bend. Well this process is going to correct that,” said Chudowsky.

Landowners along the new proposed boundary compromised on how the land would be developed in order for it to be brought into the city limits.

The next step is public hearings that will take place in a few months. It will then go to the state for approval. Chudowsky says he’s confident the state will approve the new plan.

For more information, visit: http://www.bend.or.us/index.aspx?page=1290