OSU-Cascades plans to lease 170 parking spots at park district lot

The Bend Park and Rec District Board is being asked Tuesday night to agree to plans to lease about 170 parking spaces to OSU-Cascades for up to five years, for interim student and staff parking as it develops its new four-year campus that opens this fall.

The initial 10-acre campus site’s plans for 300 short-term parking spaces have been a major bone of contention in the dispute over the siting of the campus off Southwest Chandler Way.

School officials have insisted that various efforts to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and to boost transit and encourage alternate transportation modes would be enough to start at the 10-acre site, which is expected to eventually have nearly 1,900 students. The school also is in purchasing 46 adjacent acres, a former pumice mine, for future expansion and exploring with Deschutes County also making use of a former demolition-debris landfill.

In its Parking Management Plan, OSU-Cascades said the 300 spaces would be for short-term use and that no long-term, overnight parking would be provided, except to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

However, the plan added, “OSU-Cascades may choose to work with on-campus residents to locate a source of off-campus parking that would be appropriate for their use.”

In their issue summary for the park board Tuesday night, district staff members said OSU-Cascades approached the park district about using part of the lot at Simpson Avenue and Columbia Street for interim student and staff parking, adjacent to the new Pavilion on the west side of Bradbury Way. It would be used for three to five years, until permanent campus parking is identified.

“OSU-Cascades has started a broader campus master-planning process and will be addressing long-term parking needs and options as part of that effort,” read the summary from Executive Director Don Horton, Business Manager David Crowther and Planning and Park Services Director Michelle Hardy.

The school has asked to lease 166 to 170 parking spaces, which is about two-thirds of the lot’s existing parking. The rest will continue to be used for Pavilion and Bend Whitewater Park overflow parking.

Legal counsel for both parties are reviewing the terms and language of the proposed agreement, with the goal of it being completed by the end of July, the park district officials said. The park board is being asked to authorize Horton to negotiate and execute the lease, which would be for three years, starting in September, with an option to renegotiate for two more one-year periods.

OSU-Cascades shuttles and/or transit would use the former Mt. Bachelor park-and-ride structure for drop-off and pick-up, they said.

The fee to be paid by OSU-Cascades has yet to be determined, but would be payable annually for three years and is expected to cover the cost pf parking improvements, security patrols “and a small annual rental rate,” the issue summary states.

The park district would refurbish the parking lot with a new surface coat, striping, repaired curbs, sidewalks and lighting, and install cable fencing between the OSU-Cascades and district parking. The park district also would maintain landscaping, parking lot lighting and manage security patrols, while the school would provide snow removal and sweeping of the entire lot and maintain any fencing or gates that delineate the parking area.

The park district already has awarded a contract for the parking lot coat, striping and repairs, to be finished by the end of August. The park district’s 2017-21 Capital Improvement Plan included $80,000 — $55,000 from property taxes, $25,000 from OSU – to cover the parking lot improvements.

Staff urges Whitewater Park passageway reopening; more work ahead

In other business, the park district also will be briefed and get an update on studies done of the passageway channel of the Bend Whitewater Park, which was closed last month due to numerous complaints about users’ experiences, including minor injuries.

After adjusting to provide lower flows than seen in early June, the park district conducted two float tests of the channel, including members of the public who’d commented previously.

After reviewing the consultants’ findings, park district staff is recommending to reopen the passageway channel, though thy said it doesn’t mean improvements are complete.

While some improvements have been made by adjusting the flow rate and creating more signage and public educational materials, they said changes to drops in the channel, the portage area and the boom’s location will be addressed further by the engineering team.

The board will weigh whether to reopen the channel, partially or fully, or maintain the existing closure. A partial opening would keep a boom in place, requiring users to portage at the Colorado Avenue Bridge and use the passageway from McKay Park’s beach only. Under a full reopening, the portage path would remain available as an option for those who choose not to float through.