Oregon Supreme Court won’t hear OSU-Cascades appeal

OSU-Cascades got a Christmas Eve present of sorts Thursday from the Oregon Supreme Court, which declined to hear an appeal by opponents seeking to block OSU-Cascades’ new campus on Bend’s Westside, where construction is now well underway.

The court, without comment, declined to take up the appeal by the Truth in Site Coalition, which has challenged the city’s approval of the 10-acre site on several grounds, including lack of adequate parking, traffic congestion and lack of a master plan for that parcel and another 46-acre piece it has an option to purchase to the north.

The school in astatement hailed the end of “the last legal obstacle standing in the way” of the campus development.

“We remained confident throughout this land use process that our site plan for the campus was sound,” said Becky Johnson, OSU-Cascades vice president. “This is great affirmation and a timely recognition.”

“We are very grateful to the countless supporters in the community who have waited for this final approval, ” Johnson said. “We are eager to move forward and fulfill the region’s vision for a four-year university in Central Oregon.”

In September, the Oregon Court of Appeals, without opinion, affirmed the city’s and Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals’ approvals of the site at Southwest Century Drive and Chandler Avenue, where OSU-Cascades began construction on its four-year campus several months ago.

In filing its appeal, the group noted the daunting odds, as the Oregon Supreme Court only hears about 10 percent of the cases filed.

The decision by the state’s highest court effectively ends the appeal options for Truth in Site, which said this fall it had gathered more than 1,000 petition signatures opposed to the Westside location. They have said despite losing each round of the land-use appeals, they hope to convince lawmakers the site does not have community support and to withhold funding for it.

Truth in Site and Now 4 Bend, a group supporting the campus, have each touted surveys that show support for their view and criticized the methodology used by the other side in the debate.

Construction of the school’s three-story academic building began in June, and is expected to be ready for students next fall, though the school recently confirmed the residence and dining halls won’t be completed until January 2017. Officials are working on transitional housing and meal provisions for students in the interim.