Bend set for next step in UGB growth plans

The city of Bend is moving forward with the next big step in its urban growth boundary plans, having received state approval late last year.

At Wednesday night’s city council meeting, officials are holding a public hearing and discussing adding “urbanization area districts” to the recent additions to the city’s UGB.

These would act as “holding zones” for land owned by developers. The idea is to work with Deschutes County and preserve that land for when the owners are ready to develop the parcels and annex them into the city at the expected levels of intensity (density and use) outlined in the state-approved UGB expansion.

This is the first time Bend has proposed an urban holding zone, but they wouldn’t be the first Central Oregon city to use one. Sisters and Redmond currently have holding zones, city planners said.

NewsChannel 21’s Mike Allen will have more about those plans on Fox @ 4 and KTVZ at 5 and 6.