SE Bend area closer to new mixed-use development
Plans to develop nearly 500 acres in southeast Bend with a variety of uses may soon be one step closer to reality.
The land is located at the corner of 15th Street and Knott Road, near the site of the new high school, and goes along Knott Road to High Desert Middle School on 27th Street.
In 2016, the area was identified in the Urban Growth Boundary expansion process as the “Elbow Expansion Area,” just outside the current city limits. It’s been set aside for all types of housing, including single-family homes, duplexes, fourplexes and multifamily housing, for a total of about 800 units.
There’s also land set aside for commercial and industrial uses.
“We’ve also identified a number of acres (for) employment and industrial uses, so that there’s land available in this part of Bend for offices, flex space,” city Senior Planner Damian Syrnyk told NewsChannel 21 Wednesday.
“If somebody’s a small manufacturer, they’ve got some options in the market now, With some of the new industrial land we’re looking at, there being another option for them, maybe starting or expanding their business,” Syrnyk said.
On Thursday, the city will be presenting the fourth version of the plan to the Advisory Committee. The city hopes to receive approval to move ahead with transportation and sewer modeling.
One property and business owner said they’ve been waiting a long time to build a store in that area.
Christen Brown said, “The process is one where we were anticipating, as residents out here in the southeast area, that the annexation would have occurred a long time ago — many years ago.
“And now we’re still waiting, and that makes it a hardship for anyone out here right now, because there’s a moratorium from the city of Bend for building permits and that sort of thing, which means even if you did want to sell your property or develop your property, you’re pretty much prohibited from doing that,” he said,
In December, the committee will look at what kind of transportation and sewer improvements will be needed as the area develops.
Click here for more information and to see a map of the Southeast Area Plan.
Click here to see the interactive Southeast Area Plan map.
KTVZ 2019
