Bend City Council approves Ponderosa development’s master plan

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Among topics discussed at the Bend City Council meeting was the Ponderosa Master Plan, an initiative within the southwest Urban Growth Boundary of Bend.

The Ponderosa Master Plan, first introduced in the early stages of 2021, is designed to create a sustainable community meeting the city's growing needs. 

The location is in southwestern Bend, west of Highway 97 and south of Ponderosa Street.

It's approximately 40 acres, and is expected to include various residential options, commercial spaces, and public amenities.

The plan is set to include 371 new housing units, with a mix of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments for all income levels.

“There's a minimum of, I think, 270 units that are required by our Comprehensive Planning policies to be built here, and we understand that the developer is planning to exceed that minimum number. There are also affordable housing policies that the developer will need to meet, so a minimum number of the units need to be affordable, and so they are they're achieving that level of affordability as well,” said Colin Stephens, Economic Development Director, City of Bend

City officials are also focused on upgrading transportation networks and utilities. This includes enhancements to roadways, bike lanes, and public transit options. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler is excited about the forthcoming development.

“This is going to be a neighborhood that's going to have all different types of homes. Just getting hundreds of homes into Bend in our expansion areas is a great thing. We know we need to build more homes to meet our housing needs here, but we're also going to get great, affordable homes too.”

The Bend City Council unanimously approved the master plan and annexation Wednesday night, two weeks after a public hearing that brought out neighbors concerned about traffic impacts and others supporting the badly needed housing.

Before the meeting, Stephens said, “Council is having a second reading of an ordinance that approves the master plan and annexation of this property that'll become effective within 30 days, so on April 4th, it'll be an effective ordinance. It's a number of years for it actually be built out. Construction will begin this summer.”

Be sure to stay tuned to this space for further updates on this project.