Bend councilors get Parkway update, OK funding for three affordable housing projects

Recent ODOT plan to clear homeless camp sparks public comments

(Update: Adding video, comments)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend city councilors were joined by Oregon Department of Transportation planners Wednesday evening to get an update on the plans to improve the Bend Parkway.

ODOT Region 4 Principal Planner Rick Williams said their vision is focused on the next 20 years, to meet the needs of Central Oregon's growing population.

"Currently on a slow day, we have around 20,000 vehicles using the parkway," Williams said. "We say 50,000 is our current peak, but it's actually closer to 58,000."

Williams added that between 2014 and 2040, Bend is expected to grow by a little more than 28,000 households and just under 28,000 jobs.

Peak traffic could rise to 80,000 daily trips along the parkway, with 90% of drivers' trips beginning and or ending in Bend.

"To put that into perspective, if you will think back to the (2017 solar) eclipse, 80,000 is roughly the volume we had," Williams said.

The plans focus on improving parkway connections with changes to on-ramps and off-ramps to improve traffic flow.

On another topic, with a line of the public prepared to speak on the issue, Assistant City Manager Jon Skidmore brief councilors about ODOT's ongoing homeless camps sweeps, including 10 days notice given to campers on ODOT property off Murphy Road. citing issues ranging from fires and trash to trespassing on neighbors' property.

While the state had given the campers 10 days to move their belongings, due to cold weather, Skidmore said no action has been taken.

He said the city is now working with other agencies to address the challenging problem.

"We're meeting quarterly to discuss issues of homelessness," Skidmore said. "It's been an issue for a lot of the public agencies on their lands."

Skidmore said the city will ask that other agencies at the next meeting in March to let them know when they plan to clear property, so services can be provided and other officials notified.

During the public comment section, several callers said they were grateful for city plans to turn a motel into a shelter, through a state program called Project Turnkey, but they were critical of homeless camp sweeps and called for more efforts to address the homelessness and housing problem.

Councilors later unanimously approved the 2021 Affordable Housing Fund recommendations from the council-appointed Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for three developments, totaling $1.3 million, to support the creation of over 435 affordable housing units. 

They'll leverage some $90 million in private investment to create 435 units of affordable housing.

The projects selected to receive funding this year are:

• Housing Works for the purchase of approximately 5.5 acres of a 35-acre property that expands Bend’s Urban Growth Boundary for the development of affordable housing.
• Mary Rose Place Apartments, an affordable housing development proposal to be located at the intersection of Mary Rose Place and 27th Street, in the Northeast Bend Mountain View neighborhood.
• Bend Heroes Foundation’s development of an emergency shelter that will provide wrap-around services for veterans experiencing homelessness. The planned Veterans Village, where work has already begun, will include a community building for meals and services, with 15 single occupancy units initially and the ability of expansion to 30 units.

More details on those projects are in the city council's issue summary: https://bend.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=9&event_id=493&meta_id=46188

The Affordable Housing Fund program started in 2006 as a solution to develop a wide variety of housing throughout Bend. Since its beginning, the fund has contributed to obtaining or creating over 800 affordable housing units. This fund collects one-third of 1 percent of building permit fees submitted to the City of Bend, and uses the proceeds to acquire land for deed restricted affordable housing, develop land, construct homes, or rehabilitate homes.

Additionally, on April 7, Council is expected to decide on recipients for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funding. The CDBG is a federal funding program that provides assistance for housing and community development activities that benefit low- and moderate-income persons. The city expects approximately $400,000 will be available to distribute to organizations operating in Bend that support community members facing economic hardship.

Both the Affordable Housing Fund and CDBG programs are guided by the City of Bend Consolidated Plan, a comprehensive housing and community development strategy that was prepared with extensive public involvement.

Learn more about the City’s Affordable Housing Program online at www.bendoregon.gov/affordablehousing.