The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Monday, July 27, to adopt sage-grouse management rules that would cement what are now mere recommendations. The proposal would require developments such as aggregate mining, wind, solar, and geothermal energy plants to engage in mitigation efforts. New rules are also being proposed by the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) to limit development in core sage-grouse habitat by requiring project proposals to show that other areas were considered first. These efforts seek to address threats to core habitats in Oregon that support more than 90 percent of the sage-grouse's population.
The citizen group opposed to the new OSU-Cascades campus, Truth-in-Site Coalition, is moving forward with its next legal battle. The group filed a brief in its fourth appeal since the City initially approved the university's site plan application. This appeal goes before the District Court. The opposition group has indicated it is willing to take the case all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court. Meanwhile, construction has begun at the 10-acre site. And Truth in Site is circulating a survey to measure public opinion, following a survey initiated by a pro-expansion group, Now for Bend. To take the Truth in Site survey, visit surveymonkey.com/s/TRUTH4CO.
The City is studying the central west side of Bend to create a cohesive development plan. In addition to forming a community advisory committee to help draft land use and transportation strategies, the City is soliciting community input through a survey. The boundary for the study includes OSU-Cascades, Park Pavilion, Deschutes County Demolition Landfill, Galveston Avenue, and improvements to the 14th Street streetscape. Public input is being accepted through August 7. Take the survey at centralwestsidebend.metroquest.com and share comments online at bendvoice.org/discussions/the-future-of-central-west-bend.
