The Bend Urban Area Planning Commission is wrapping up a little early Christmas present for the local builder/developer lobby.
Under the existing city code, development approvals expire after one year and the city development director has the authority to grant a one-year extension. But on Dec. 8, the commission will consider a change that will allow what amounts to indefinite extensions.
Under the revised code, the community development director will be able to “grant one or more additional extensions beyond one year if authorized by a City Council resolution which recognizes a city-wide need for an additional limited-duration extension.”
As one anonymous individual commented on the BendBubble2 blog: “This means that projects that barely made sense during the ‘good times’ will get a reprieve and can be resurrected years later without community input to determine if they still make sense or are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods.”
If you have something to say about this latest gift to the developers and builders, you’ll find the e-mail addresses of the planning commission members here. But do it soon – the deadline for comments is Dec. 1.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2008.
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It’s a gift not just directed at the “builder/developer lobby,” but a very special personal favor for Stephen Trono, whose Mercato project has just been sidelined for at least 2-5 years by the cold market and financing difficulties.
Nothing created by humans should be indefinite. All development needs a periodic review to see if it is still appropriate. I ask you to please not grant indefinite extensions!