Central Oregon LandWatch Awarded $100,000 Grant for Community Planning in the Bend Central District

Central Oregon LandWatch received a $100,000 grant from Meyer Memorial Trust to continue work on the BCD Initiative, which is building broad support for policies and programs that promote the community’s vision for a vibrant, healthy, and resilient mixed-use neighborhood in the Bend Central District. Meyer Memorial Trust awarded the two-year grant to Central Oregon LandWatch from its Healthy Environment portfolio, which engages and supports nonprofits working on a range of place-based and statewide efforts to protect and improve the environment. (INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA INICIATIVA EN ESPAÑOL) 

“Land use planning is at the foundation of Oregon’s ability to conserve our natural resources,” said Jill Fuglister, director of Meyer Memorial Trust's Healthy Environment portfolio. “Central Oregon LandWatch’s initiative builds resilience in the center of the rapidly growing and changing community of Bend by bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to build leadership among those who have a real stake in the future of their neighborhood.” 

Just east of downtown, yet disconnected and underutilized, the Bend Central District is an opportunity area for revitalization. Over the past year, the BCD Initiative formed a broad coalition of local business owners, neighborhoods, developers, and non-profits that recently succeeded in advocating for the Bend City Council to prioritize planning in this core area. Now, the group will continue to build support for the community vision to have safer streets, more housing, and a thriving homegrown economy in the heart of Bend.

Learn more at the BCD Initiative’s new website: http://www.bcdinitiative.org/.