The Destination Resort Threat

According to your August 5 article, "Now or Never: County's resort map remake opens door for developer amid questions of viability," elected officials are attempting to refine Central Oregon's Destination Resort Map. They could potentially add thousands of acres of previously resort-free land to the areas allowed to be built on. And a study by Central Oregon Landwatch found that if all of the proposed and approved projects were completed, the number of overnight units and resort homes would triple. Though some of the earlier resorts benefit the local economy and generate significant revenues, newer resorts threaten the beauty and resources of Central Oregon.
For example, the resorts proposed near the Metolius Basin posed a threat to the natural setting in the basin, and many other proposed destination resorts pose a similar threat. The state statute regarding destination resorts requires a large amount of money expended to develop common amenities, virtually all of which have been golf courses, a significant consumer of water resources. Yet, Central Oregon is facing increasingly limited water resources. The threat of destination resorts to the natural beauty and resources of Central Oregon should not be overlooked in the numerical deliberations over proposed destination resorts.