One-Time Urban Growth Boundary Expansion

Para obtener información en español, consulte el resumen del proyecto.

The City is currently considering two potential sites to include in its Urban Growth Boundary under Senate Bill 1537. Only one site, up to 100 net acres, can be added to the Urban Growth Boundary through the Senate Bill 1537 process.

There are several ways for the public to get involved. See the Notice of Opportunities for Public Participation and find out more information on the Online Open House and upcoming meetings below.

Online Open House and Survey

The public is invited to an online open house to review the two potential UGB expansion sites and accompanying concept plans and provide comments. The online open house will be available until Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

Visit the Online Open House and Survey

Email BreAnne Gale, bgale@bendoregon.gov, to sign up for future updates.

Upcoming Dates

November 20: City Council work session to review site proposals
December 4: City Council meeting to select a site, with an opportunity for public testimony

Detailed City Council agendas, including meeting times and locations, can be found here.

Tentative Project Timeline

If a site is selected, the applicant will be required to apply for a UGB Amendment and Comprehensive Plan Text and Map Amendment within one year of site selection. These processes will be conducted similar to the City's typical land use processes, which include future opportunities for public comment.

Under SB 1537, notwithstanding ORS 197.626, the action by the City under this legislation is not a land use decision as defined in ORS 197.015. The UGB Amendment and Comprehensive Plan Text and Map Amendment are submitted to the Department of Land Conservation and Development for review. Judicial review of their final order may only be initiated by the City or an owner of a proposed site.

SB 1537 Banner Timeline

Background

In 2024, the state legislature passed a bill, known as Senate Bill 1537, that provides qualifying local governments a one-time option to add up to 100 acres of net residential land to their urban growth boundary (UGB). Using this bill, cities can go through an abbreviated UGB expansion process to build affordable and market-rate housing more quickly than a typical UGB expansion. Traditional UGB expansions can take many years and first require updates to the City's housing capacity and economic opportunities analyses.

Click here to read the full text of the bill for one-time site additions to UGBs (SB 1537 sections 48-60).

The bill was intended to offer a menu of tools to provide the support needed to ease Oregon’s housing shortage. One of the tools in the bill is the one-time, 100-acre expedited UGB expansion for housing.

Any land added to the city through this process would require 30% of housing units to be affordable. Affordable in this context is based on a household of four making 80% of the area median income (approximately $83,750 annually) if they are renting. It is based on a household of four making 130% of the area median income (approximately $136,110 annually) if they are purchasing a home.

On June 20, 2024, the Bend City Council directed staff to proceed with requesting site applications, including a draft concept plan for the site, from interested and eligible landowners. A link to the Council work session presentation and discussion can be found here.

Past Events

A Q+A informational session was held August 27, 2024 at Bend City Hall. A recording of the session may be viewed by selecting this link and entering passcode: gx55S2%1.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can more than one site be added?

Does the City qualify for a one-time UGB?

Yes, the City currently qualifies for a one-time UGB based on the requirements of the bill. Requirements include demonstrating the need for additional land for market rate and affordable housing, based on the criteria in SB 1537 Section 52(1)(b) and 52(2)(a).

SB 1537 Section 52(2)(a) requires at least 75% of previous UGB expansion lands to be developed or have a comprehensive plan designation in preparation for annexation and a public facilities plan and associated financing plan. Over 82% of Bend’s UGB expansion lands meet these requirements.

Section 52(2)(a) requires that a city must also have “a greater percentage of severely cost-burdened households than the average for this state based on the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy data from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.” The City of Bend currently meets this requirement; however, this number is updated annually and therefore it’s possible that the City may become ineligible in the future.

How will a site be selected?

Site applications will be reviewed by City staff for completeness to ensure they meet the minimum application and bill requirements. They will be evaluated based on how well a proposal meets or exceeds the minimum requirements in the bill.

After receiving input from the public on the proposed sites and reviewing the proposals, the City Council may select an application for all or a portion of the site. Once a site is selected by the City Council, the concept plan for the site will be refined and eventually adopted by the City Council as an amendment to the City’s comprehensive plan and UGB.

Following the City’s approval, the state Department of Land Conservation and Development will need to review and approve the concept plan and applicants will be required to apply for an annexation and master plan prior to development.

Applicants are encouraged to watch the City Council discussion from June 20,2024 on the one-time UGB and consider how their proposal is consistent with the adopted 2023 – 2025 Council Goals and Work Plan.

Does the Council have to choose a site if only one applicant applies or they are not satisfied with any of the proposals?

How can I stay informed?

What are the affordable housing requirements?

The bill requires that at least 30% of the residential units be subject to affordability restrictions as specified under Section 55 (f). These include requirements for deed restricted affordable housing for rental units for households earning up to 80% area median income (AMI) or for purchase units for household up to 130% AMI. This means these units would have to remain affordable for at least 60 years.

There are also requirements for the timing and construction of affordable housing, access to common areas and amenities, and requirements that the developer provide a guarantee that the affordable housing will be built.

What can we expect the added site to include?

The bill requires the site added to the UBG to include:

A diversity of housing types
A minimum of 30% of the housing units as affordable
A minimum density of ten dwelling units per acre
Public recreation and open space lands
Small-scale commercial or mixed-use
A transportation network with connectivity that provides options for biking, walking, rolling, and transit

Full application requirements can be found here.