Westside neighbors hope to stop COCC housing plan

More than 100 neighbors gathered Tuesday evening to voice their concerns about a new housing development slated for Bend’s Westside.

In 2010, Central Oregon Community College signed a deal to develop 15 acres along Mt. Washington Drive south of Shevlin Park Road. But until this year, the project was put on hold due to the struggling economy.

Some neighbors of Shevlin Park in the Shevlin Commons, NorthWest Crossing and Valhalla neighborhoods are hoping to stop the project, by keeping an eight-acre piece of land from being rezoned from single-family to multifamily use.

Neighbors argue that developers are not being clear or honest.

“Originally it was for students, then it was for low income, and then it was for market value rent,” said Michael Caligury. He said the neighborhood is residential, and they should put the apartments closer to the jobs where those residents will work.

The 15 acres in question are owned by COCC and being developed by William Smith Properties. Three of the 15 acres east of Mt. Washington have already been zoned for high-density multifamily housing. This property will provide between 60 and 80 apartment units in three- to four-story buildings.

The 12-acre parcel west of Mt. Washington is currently zoned for single-family homes, but the college is hoping to change this. COCC wants to rezone this land to moderate-density multifamily housing, creating more than 100 apartment and duplex units.

Many neighbors say they don’t want the area to be re-zoned. They say they worry about the issues of safety, traffic and the character of the neighborhood

“I’m required to be at the hospital within 20 minutes, and there are days on the weekends that I’m not there due to the traffic,” said St. Charles nurse Michele Flowers.

Flowers said she’s not against the land being developed, but she wants it to stay consistent with the single-family community.

“I would like the college to think about the livability of our neighborhoods, our children playing, people going to work and the impact this will have. Not everything’s about money,” Flowers said.

Neighbor Aimee Johnson said she worries about the additional traffic that will result from the new , denser developments. She said there will be more than 3,000 cars at the Mt. Washington-Shevlin Park roundabout each day.

Parents said they worry about traffic’s impact on their children’s safety walking and biking to school.

The neighbors are hoping by coming together they can change COCC’s mind about rezoning the property.

The issue will also be further discussed at a public hearing on Monday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. at Bend City Hall.