Bend to give 60-day notice for Juniper Ridge homeless campers to leave

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The city of Bend says it will begin an outreach process on Wednesday to inform people at established campsites on city-owned property in the Juniper Ridge area in northeast Bend that they need to move from the area within 60 days.

"The timing of this notice is intended to give people at established campsites ample time to safely and voluntarily move out of the city-owned property prior to the start of construction of the North Interceptor Sewer Line Project," the city's announcement Tuesday stated.

"It also allows the city to work with social service agencies to identify and offer critical resources for the safety of individuals experiencing homelessness," it added.

Construction activities for the North Interceptor Sewer Line Project, which provides additional sewer capacity and improves sewer system operations, begin in mid-April.

The city recently adopted the Public Land Management Policy for Juniper Ridge, which calls for reasonable notice efforts approximately 60 days and 30 days prior to any organized removal and cleanup efforts in April, as well as a 24-hour notice required by state law.

NewsChannel 21's Jacob Larson recently went along on a tour of the area by Mayor Sally Russell and others as efforts are underway to plan for assisting those who must move.

Updates on Juniper Ridge are available at www.bendoregon.gov/juniperridge. The web page also includes:

• links for historical information about the land,
• information on the North Interceptor Sewer Line Project, and
• information on the urban renewal plan, including development goals.

A list of community services for individuals to access critical resources during their transition out of the Juniper Ridge area will be added to the Juniper Ridge web page as information is available.

Juniper Ridge is a 500-acre industrial and business park that sits at the center of Central Oregon. The City is coordinating efforts to develop Juniper Ridge for industrial and employment uses, which includes installing the North Interceptor Sewer Line, developing infrastructure and selling land for industrial and employment development.

The City will not issue press releases whenever there are updates to any of these projects. However, interested parties can sign up for Juniper Ridge eNews notifications by visiting www.bendoregon.gov/enews and signing up for “Juniper Ridge” news.

For more information on Juniper Ridge, visit www.bendoregon.gov/juniperridge.