The Horizon

All the latest updates on our work defending rural lands, creating livable cities and towns and preserving wild lands and water throughout Central Oregon

Cities & Towns, Bend CO LandWatch Cities & Towns, Bend CO LandWatch

Bend is ready for Middle Housing

There is a housing shortage across the country, driving up costs and limiting available housing options for residents in cities and towns nationwide. Bend is no exception. HB 2001 requires most cities in Oregon, including Bend, to allow more middle housing options within city limits.

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A Win for Bend's Transportation Future!

Over the past two years, the 21-member Citywide Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) worked to develop a new Transportation System Plan (TSP) for the City of Bend, and LandWatch was there every step of the way advocating for a safer, more equitable and more sustainable transportation future.

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Don't miss the big picture of the Bend core area plan

Bend’s population is exploding, and we need a strategy to accommodate the growth. one that utilizes underdeveloped parts of our city instead of sprawling onto our farms and forests. We need well-laid plans that prioritize efficient use of land and protect what we value most about living in Central Oregon.

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Economist on the Core Area Plan for Bend: It Makes Fiscal Sense

The vision for a vibrant, healthy, and inclusive mixed-use neighborhood in the Bend Central District with safe connections between east and west Bend depends on the Core Area Plan to be funded through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). Steve Porter, an economist who served on the Urban Renewal Advisory Board, explains why TIF is the right tool to use from an economic perspective. This Guest Column was in The Bulletin on July 31st, 2020. For more on TIF, see our Frequently Asked Questions.

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BCD Update

We've seen an incredible response from the helpers in our community as we face the threat of COVID-19 and its fallout together.

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Legislative Recap & Plans to Reconvene to Address COVID-19

As frontline defenders of Central Oregon’s rural lands, water, and wildlife and as proponents of sustainable, attractive, prosperous communities, another of the arenas in which LandWatch actively engages is legislative advocacy. We track bills, conduct background research, work with partner organizations, meet with legislators, provide testimony, and participate in crafting legislation. We work to support and strengthen good bills and to oppose, defeat, limit, or mitigate bad bills.

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