Deschutes commissioners get loud message from neighbors of county land north of Bend opposed to RV campground

'We expect a dialogue - not a monologue,' one said

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County commissioners heard a loud message Wednesday from several neighbors of county-owned land north of Bend who are strongly opposed to the idea of an RV campground off Fort Thompson Lane, and want to stop it in its early tracks.

The proposal, still in the discussion stage after a feasibility study by ECONorthwest that was completed last fall, was most recently discussed last week by commissioners but was not on Wednesday’s agenda, so it wasn’t a formal hearing.

But commissioners Phil Chang and Patti Adair heard more than an hour of citizen comments (colleague Tony DeBone was absent) as the meeting began, many upset that the idea had even gotten this far without any contact with the neighbors. Several are involved with the area group, Hunnell United Neighbors (HUNS).

“We expect a dialogue – not a monologue,” Rich Niederhof said, questioning why the county would “propose a commercial campground surrounded on three sides by quality residences and farms and make no efforts to involve or even make them aware of this?”

Niederhof, a retired forestry consultant and COCC professor, urged that the county “be stewards of this land, not developers,” and proposed a more “environmentally conscious use of the natural juniper forest,” located in the “golden triangle” at Bend’s north end that he said will face continued development pressure over the next few decades.

Chang responded frequently to the comments and suggested a work session that’s a less formal process than a hearing, rather than one-on-one meetings with commissioners. He again cited a demand for more market-rate RV campsites and more trails.

“Many of the trails I love to use are now overrun with visitors,” he said, so the demand and need is there.

The goal, he said, is for a revenue stream from camping fees: “Your property tax dollars would not be spent on developing a campground,” he promised, also assuring that it is not part of the process of finding a managed camp for area homeless.

Adair questioned the funding all coming from RV fees: “They are your dollars – property tax dollars,” she told the crowd, adding, “I appreciate hearing your side of the story, because I’m on that side."

Resident Bruce Halperin questioned the need for a “county park. When did the county commission get into the park business?” Chang previously had mentioned talking with the Bend Park and Rec District, but on this day he also noted that nearly half of Oregon counties do operate such campgrounds.

Adair said the county’s RV park at the Redmond Fairgrounds is “not full all the time.”

“I appreciate that people don’t like to see change on the other side of the fence,” Chang said.

Long-time resident Gary Knight, who has spent many hours and thousands cleaning up the property from what the homeless leave behind, put it bluntly: “I don’t trust you, Phil,” calling it a “sneaky way” to proceed with such a development.

Another resident, Jim Mills, said he also cleans up the trash left behind by homeless or others and recently “ran into people with clipboards,” researching possible county trails.

A plan by one family to request subdividing their 40 acres for four 10-acre homesites for family has been withdrawn, a representative said, “until the smoke clears” about a possible collector road going through their property.

One resident said he did a traveling survey of wooded areas near Bend and questioned Chang's claim that there are people with pricey $60,000 to $80,000 RVs also camping in the woods who would make use of a market-rate RV rental campground. Chang offered to go with him and visit spots off Skyliners Road and the Cascade Lakes Highway, to show what he meant.