Deschutes County 2040
Ways to get involved in the County’s Comprehensive Plan Update
We can shape future land use and environmental policy for Deschutes County. Is something working well? Let’s make sure the County continues in this direction. What’s not working? What do we need from our local government?
Deschutes County is currently updating its Comprehensive Plan.
What is a Comprehensive Plan? It’s Deschutes County’s “map for the future and provides goals, policies, and actions intended to guide the day-to-day decisions of elected officials and staff.”
This update will affect all of Deschutes County, outside city limits, and will establish policies to guide the county through 2044. This planning process will encompass a wide range of issues, from wildfire and drought to tourism and infrastructure. What do we want Deschutes County to be in twenty years? Now is the time we can help shape that future.
What’s the timeline?
Deschutes County is in Phase 3 of the process. They are gathering public input that will inform the Comprehensive Plan Draft. Throughout each step, there will be opportunities for public input, and we’ll be sure to share those with you.
LandWatch will be closely following and participating in this process. As a watchdog for land use policies that guide the future of Deschutes County, this is an important moment to make sure those policies are sound reflections of our shared values.
How to get involved
1. Attend an upcoming open house
Mark your calendars for one of these dates to provide perspective and feedback on what you hope to see in Deschutes County.
2. Take the online survey
Here is what we are asking Deschutes County to emphasize in the Comprehensive Plan Update. Join us in asking the county to:
Protect wildlife, biodiversity, and open space
Preserve remaining agricultural land
Protect the region’s strained water resources
Protect communities from wildfire
Support housing affordability and availability inside our cities
3. Schedule a presentation with County Planners
If you have a group, club, or neighborhood association that would like to be more involved, you can schedule a presentation with County Planners, and they’ll come to you! Contact Nicole Mardell, Senior Planner, to schedule at Deschutes2040@deschutes.org.
4. Sign up for updates
Throughout this process, there will be several ongoing ways to participate. Sign up for updates here through Deschutes 2040 to stay involved.
What’s our take?
Central Oregon LandWatch, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 350 Deschutes, The Environmental Center, Friends of the Metolius, Great Old Broads for Wilderness Bitterbrush Broads, Oregon Land and Water Alliance, Protect Animal Migration, Sierra Club Juniper Chapter, Think Wild, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Worthy Environmental - submitted a joint letter on the ongoing Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan update.
These groups ask that the updated comprehensive plan do better to protect our land, water, and wildlife. We look forward to further engaging in this process to create a better future for Deschutes County.