Downtown Bend restaurants not worried about possibility of ‘snow emergency’

Eight city streets deemed problematic are designated emergency snow zones

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The winter storm has arrived, and Thursday only marked the beginning of what should be a weekend full of snow. As NewsChannel 21 found out, that new snow could have a huge impact on downtown Bend this Valentine's Day weekend.

After a big snowstorm in February of 2018, the city of Bend implemented a pilot program that designated certain areas throughout town as emergency snow zones.

The snow zones are:

• Wall Street (Portland Avenue to Colorado Avenue)
• Bond Street (Wall Street to Colorado Avenue)
• Chandler Avenue (Mt. Washington Drive to Century Drive)
• NE Courtney Drive (27^th Street to Conners Avenue)
• NE Conners Avenue (27^th Street to Courtney Drive)
• NW Broadway Street (Franklin Avenue / Riverside Boulevard to Colorado Avenue)
• NW Tumalo Avenue (Riverside Boulevard to Broadway Street)
• 17^th Street & Troon Avenue (Galveston Avenue to Mt. Washington Drive)

Those eight streets have been identified as problematic because on-street parking, combined with heavy snow, can lead to narrow and sometimes impassable roads in those areas.

David Abbas, the city's transportation and mobility director, told NewsChannel 21 Thursday the majority of Bend would need at least six inches of new snow to even consider declaring a snow emergency. Road conditions and weather forecasts also come into play.

If the city does activate one of those emergency snow zones, cars would not be able to park in that area for a 12-hour window, likely between 10 p.m.-10 a.m. Crews would have to plow on those streets and clear the snow from curb to curb.

More details and maps at: https://www.bendoregon.gov/government/departments/streets/street-operations/winter

According to that page's information, "As this is still a pilot program, the City of Bend does not intend to tow vehicles. If we have to tow a vehicle to facilitate safe streets, it will be at no cost to the driver."

Abbas said any outdoor patios at restaurants in downtown Bend would not need to be moved.

That was a relief to hear for Melissa Talbott, Deschutes Brewery’s assistant general manager.

"We put so much effort into getting this built, to have a sound structure, and then to have to take it down possibly in two days just to get the crew together to do it -- it would have been heartbreaking to have to do something like that,” Talbott told NewsChannel 21.

Bend has never declared such a snow emergency before. In Talbott’s eyes, doing so for the first time over the holiday weekend would not affect business, especially with indoor dining returning in limited capacity.

"This is Bend,” she said. “People love this, they dress for it. When it snows like this, they get out there on cross-country skis and snowshoes, and find a way to get here, if they can't use the roads."