Awbrey Butte residents oppose proposed 42-unit ‘middle housing’ development
Opponents cite traffic, fire risk developer says they are doing 'what the city wants'
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- If you walk the full length of Glassow Drive in Bend's Awbrey Butte neighborhood, you'll pass 40 homes, but a new proposed development could double that number and has sparked some opposition and concern.
The West View Subdivision would add 42 townhomes and duplexes ranging in price from $400,000 to $1 million on the 6 1/2-acre site.
The developer said the project is in accordance with HB 2001, state legislation requiring that larger cities (over 25,000 population) allow "middle housing" (duplexes, triplexes and "cottage cluster" developments) in zoning formerly limited to single-family homes, which the city of Bend approved local rules for in October.
But the proposed development is facing opposition from some residents living in the area. More than 100 signatures were gathered on a petition opposing the plans, claiming the project would cause parking issues, increase fire hazards and that the homes would not help to meet Bend's need for affordable housing.
Glenn Kotara with Oregon Builders Developers is behind the project. Kotara and his partners bought the land this summer, with plans to add 42 units to the neighborhood. He told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday that claims the project would cause parking issues and fire hazards are untrue.
“Even if we wanted to short-circuit the system, the city of Bend doesn’t allow you to do that," Kotara said. "The city of Bend has books this (very) thick with codes that we all have to adhere to."
Along Glassow Drive, you'll find several protest signs claiming: 'West View is 2 Big.'
In a statement to NewsChannel 21, the Awbrey Highlands Neighbors Steering Committee wrote, “We understand Bend’s housing crisis and the need for housing infill. This development is not about affordable housing. It never will be. This development is an example of a purely profit-motivated development that fails to address any of Bend’s longstanding goals for affordability, neighborhood compatibility, traffic safety, and stopping the clear cutting of trees.”
But Kotara said he's adding homes to a growing city, which is what the city wants and needs.
“The city is encouraging every builder to densify," Kotara said. "We are providing more houses for the city of Bend, and that’s what the city wants.”
Neighbors and developers will meet on Dec. 23 to ask and answer questions about the project.
People that want to be exclusive cannot do so without excluding people.
Not in my neighborhood, I am a privileged elite liberal. But in the surfs neighborhood’s low income housing is just fine.
So you actually *want* more duplexes? There’s already a sea of them stretching all the way into Sisters.
Not me. Yuck!
A slew of them stretching all the way to Sisters ? I’m not sure where you are looking
but I’ve been on that road a gazillion times and I don’t recall seeing them.
What is wrong with duplexes as long as they are decent looking and kept up ?
I lived in a duplex for about a year and a half back in the late 70’s when I first
moved away from home. The only problem with them is if it’s designed with adjoining walls, and you have neighbors that are loud. Realistically, the new houses that they
are building are almost close enough that you can touch your neighbors house, so they
aren’t that much different than a duplex, except you are paying a lot more for it.
shocking……
Funny how people who voted in the dems who in turn voted for HB2001 (they also ran on that policy) now are upset when it effects their own neighborhood. Destroying single family neighborhoods was very clear when this legislation was introduced. Bad policy voted in by bad politicians. Nice work dems.
Judging from the signs in the yards the butte must be home to rare breed of Trump loving democrats then.
Shots fired
You must be driving in La Pine Aubrey Butte area then, cause there are more blue signs in the Bend Awbrey Butte by far.
Fact still remains that they dems ran on a platform for getting rid of the single family home designation. Train wreck of a policy.
No, bad policy voted in by Dems AND Repubs in order to appease their benefactors. They make builders and landowners richer, and then the sea of duplexes is bought up by REITs and then rented out for exorbitant rates back to the people who are supposed to benefit from these misguided policies.
Affordable housing is probably not extremely high on awbrey Butte residents concern lists. Probably saying that to save face.
Housing ranging between $400,000 and $1 million can not be considered affordable housing.
Ooooh come on, that’s just pocket change.
That’s starter home prices back where they moved here from.
You sound surprised
People don’t actually own them. They’re snatched up by REITs and other investors in order to rent them out.
Exactly.
This sounds like approximately 7 units per acre? That density is not much different than the poorer sections of Bend where the servants live. 5,000 square foot lots are all over the place.
No wonder the Awbrey folks don’t want this. Places under a million dollars each will deal a major blow to property values.
” the homes would not help to meet Bend’s need for affordable housing. “-
Do they really think that any of the homes on Awbrey have helped with affordable housing ?
Not hardly. What they are really saying is that they don’t want townhouses and duplexes
mixed in with their high dollar McMansions. Oh well, deal with it or move…
Or, sue the crap out of the terrible people building these terrible duplexes and win. Last thing anyone needs is to cram their kids in a place they don’t have room to run and play, so they can be on devices all day while their parents work themselves into an early grave in order to pay some rich landlord.
So take your McMansion talk and shove it.
Your concern for the welfare of the kids is touching. Do you really think that
kids grow up any different living in over priced houses that basically don’t
have a yard either ? You make it sound like every house on the butte has an acre lot. That’s a weak excuse at best and it sounds like it touched a nerve. Enjoy watching the duplexes being built and the devaluation of the house that you probably over paid for.
Wait, let me get this straight. The rich Dems of Aubrey Butte that have been pushing for this legislation are now upset that someone actually is going to take them at their word and build according to the new standard? Elections have consequences… Maybe if they had voted with their brains instead of their feels it wouldn’t have come to this.
And if they voted for the knucklehead that you voted for we wouldn’t have a choice anymore.
That knucklehead, as you call him, had nothing to to do with taking away our choices or our rights. That blame belongs to the one party government in office as we speak. It was not the knucklehead who implemented HB 2001. Nor has it been the knucklehead ruining this state for the past 30+ years. Of course you could be referring to the knucklehead in our governors office as we speak, or the knucklehead in the oval office as we speak. Neither have a clue how to lead a country or a state. Or the knuckleheads controlling the house and senate. Those knuckleheads that are doing everything to line their pockets before they are voted out next November. Tell me, How did Pelosi acquire $190,000,000 on a congress salary of $150K-$275K. How did Joe Biden become a multi millionaire on the same salaries. Owning not one but 4 4 multi million dollar mansions? Maybe we need to talk to Hunter.
Welcome to Orifornia.
Not too surprising to hear from the entitled bunch up there. Same part of town that calls the police to report “crummy looking cars” driving on public roads and then learning it’s the people there to build their neighbors mansion. How inclusive of them!
Correct, we don’t want low lifes breaking in our homes and stealing our stuff. We actually worked hard in a career to afford to live on Awbrey Butte. One of the fringe benefits is to live in a bigger house, drive nicer cars, and not have to worry about crime in your neighborhood for your family and property. Get a job and you can be here too
I have a job – a well paying one in six digit range. Have a nice car, decent sized house… I can’t afford to be on Awbrey. So you don’t really have a leg to stand on there Dr Nimby. You want total and permanent exclusivity from the “poors”? Grab your other doc friends and go collectively build out in the county in your own little enclave somewhere. Gate it up, put CC&R’s up the yang – hell, incorporate it and be your own government. The vast majority in Bend would be grateful to have all of you elsewhere actually.
well we know whats of importance to you. A piece of tree made into paper for currency, and material items. I’ll take the outdoors, the environment, and life. Money is the root of evil
Or you sold your cracker box tract house in Southern California for a million plus,
and moved up here, increasing the price of homes here in the process.
I would bet that the majority of people living on the butte aren’t hard working, successful business people. If you are, congrats.
I have nothing but respect for hard working people that are successful.
Something tells me that you took the blue pill
LOL!!
Ever notice that when its a golf course, luxury housing, or boutique shopping the NIMBYs are silent, but when its something that benefits the poor and middle class like a homeless facility, a gas station, or affordable housing suddenly its “Our neighborhood is too big!” or, “Mah view!” or some other excuse?
No. Duplexes are gross. Kids shouldn’t have to grow up without a backyard.
So you’re an advocate of isolating children in their own little corral. We’ve been doing that for decades while the rest of the world is learning teamwork and cooperation out in the streets and parks.
Uh, have you ever lived in an actual city? Kids will be fine, plus they live in BEND, it’s not like they won’t have access to the outdoors. Bend is in dire need of smaller, more affordable housing, period.
Welcome to Orifornia “The Land of Liberals and Failed Policies”.
Here’s the thing,
Your property stops at your property line.
If you want to control an entire mountain, you’re going to need to become successful enough, so that you can buy the whole thing.
Otherwise you’re just a cranky old person yelling at the kids to not walk down the street in front of your yard.
(No, you don’t own the street either)
Maybe someday you can even buy an island of your very own, with no neighbors.
I hope your home owners association finds fault with you and yours.
Pretty much, except you say successful enough when I think you meant to say rich enough. Those are two very different things.
Nailed it.
Liberals love infill and density as long as it’s in other neighborhoods and not their own.
The Butte…or as I call it Snobhill…is hardly a bastion of liberal Democrats. Judging by the signs in the yards during the election, they’d tar and feather a “liberal”. Trump has even replaced Jesus in thier nativity sets.
If you want to see voting, the NYT has a great breakout by precinct. You can zoom right in.
Enter 97703
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html
The Awbrey home owner protest makes prefect sense. Liberal politics have given us the homeless problem, the housing affordability housing problems and HB2001. Since, as Average Liberal Guy says, only conservatives live on Awbrey Butte why should they have suffer for liberal ignorance?
I’d like to know who they voted for last election cycle look in the mirror folks- you created these issues
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html enter 97703
What would you expect different from the snobs on the hill. When it comes to the low lives they want to push to the east side. Nothing new here and the same people who voted for Biden, Harris and Kate.
Who wants to be crowded in a crappy location? Not me.
Age old issue that none of you are willing to do anything about. But now you have a place to gripe together while they buy the politicians who ignore you. D vs R isnt a criteria here you dimwits! Its always $$$$ and that doesnt have a letter in front of it, just $$$$. Now either get your pitchforks and torches out or stop complaining. You know what to do. At least try to look at it from their point of view. If you were capable, youd do the same thing. You cantook down on the peasants if you dont have a hill to do it from. Nevermind that their money employs a lot of people. I mean, cmon, they cant eat out at Bends crappy restaurants if nobody is willing to serve them. Mask or not.
You were born to be ruled.
Yep, and they continue to vote in rulers instead of leaders.
Recently my neighbor next to me decided to turn her home into an airbnb. She’s moving away. I obtained signatures opposing this from all affected neighbors, citing almost all of the same issues. The planning dept took one day to go over all of the objections and approved the airbnb a week later. Do you think it will be the same on Awbrey Butte? Sadly, I doubt it.
liberal Californians working hard to destroy another state and homebuilders are more than happy to oblige. All the true Bendites that I know are moving out of the city to get away from the liberal nimrods who embrace homeless, high density housing, and walking to work until it begins to affect them personally. Then they shrug and go destroy someone else’s home
Heh heh, look at the Trumplicans self-owning their life’s failure by acknowledging that only Dems are successful enough to live on The Butte…now go get me a cup of coffee.
BlahBlahBlah
Smartest comment I’ve ever seen out of you
Not in my back yard
Sounds like a great place for a park. I propose the City purchase the land and build NIMBY Park.
Not a poor vs rich issue, or a nimby issue, or wrong side of town issue. Bend’s exponential building boom is becoming a problem. Having seen this type of growth destroy the soul of other communities, I can say it’s best to get in front of it now; but sadly it’s never easy and mostly a losing battle. Developers are powerful; often with friends in the right places, and they have the dollars to fight in court. They know every code and loophole, because that’s their business, while bewildered homeowners are often starting from scratch. The only way to win is to elect people who will represent your concerns. VOTE!
Or – as long as they follow the rules, developers get to develop. But yeah, changing the rules isn’t easy.
Barney, they changed the single family zoning law with a stroke of a pen…statewide!
The Legislature did, after hearings, etc. But there are lobbyists in many industries who play major roles in what comes out of proposed legislation.
Dez, don’t know how long you have lived here but Bend has always been run by big timber and still is. The difference today is big timber owns millions of acres land that they years ago striped of timber and are now selling to refuges from other states. Read Brooks Resources history.
Nice pipe dream but too little too late se la vie🤠
My god. Can we just stop with the political catchphrases? It’s infuriating that nearly every comment follows the same basic formula: 1) put opposing arguments in political box; 2) buzzword, buzzword, buzzword; 3) insult of all members of political box. This is boring. I’m
bored. Debate the ideas and we are all the better for it. If you want to change a mind you may wish to skip over the insults and trendy misspellings. If you don’t want to change a mind what are you trying to accomplish?
But, but what about Hunter and Trump and, and and? Gotta blame someone?
“Affordable housing” is really an ambiguous term.
Lol, concerns about parking…as though everyone complaining doesn’t have a driveway and a double car garage.
I own 6 acres and the thought of someone trying to cram 42 residences on it staggers my imagination. Insanity rules.
Always great entertainment when the half wits and brain trusts here blame Libs and Repubs for everything. Guess what? NO ONE CARES as long as pockets get full and people are not smart enough to see it or really do anything about it. I don’t care what your politics are, I will take your money if you’re stupid enough to let me and blame someone else. LOL!
Was just talking to a couple of guys living in a rv near Lowes. Sounds like the plan when they get kicked out of there, for a bunch of those people, is to park and live on awbrey butte. Duplexes will be the last thing the elite Awbrey’s will worried about.