City of Bend considers proposal to expand urban growth boundary for affordable housing project

Plans for mixe of affordable housing to accommodate growth, need

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The city of Bend is considering expanding its urban growth boundary east of town for a proposal to create hundreds more homes, much of which would be deemed affordable housing. 

Using just over 37 acres, the proposal is to build 347 units overall, including single-family, multi-family and single-unit detached homes.

A 4-acre park is also a part of the development, the topic of a May 10 hearing before a city hearings officer at 6 p.m. at 1300 Wall Street.

The rest will be housing for households earning between 80-120 percent of the area's median income of about $65,000.  

The parcel is located between Highway 20 and Bear Creek Road and is owned by Porter Kelly Burns Landholdings LLC.

“Affordable housing really helps us retain the fabric of our community, which is under incredible pressure right now with escalating housing prices," city Housing Director Lynne McConnell said Wednesday. "We just don’t have enough houses that’s affordable to our broader community.”

If approved, the housing would have to remain affordable for at least 50 years for households earning at least 60 percent or less of the median income.

The hope is to help out a wide demographic of people.

"All of our service industry workers, all of our students, folks who are nurses and teachers assistants, and child care providers," McConnell said.

However, not everybody agrees more housing in that area is a good idea. Some residents worry about traffic congestion.

The City of Bend however, said the priority is creating more housing, something very much needed by many.

After the property is accepted into the city’s UGB, the developer would apply to the city for a major master plan and annexation. The applicant for the development is Greg Blackmore with Blackmore Planning and Development Services.

Both will go through a city council public hearing, likely this fall. Construction may begin as early as spring.