Prineville Reevaluates UGB Expansion, Location for Biomass Facility

The City of Prineville decided this week to pause a proposed Urban Growth Boundary expansion, set to accommodate space for a prospective biomass facility among other expansion opportunities. The Prineville City Council voted 4-2 in opposition of the UGB expansion, following concerns from residents about the planned location and a lack of community input.

The decision, which city councilors made at a May 13 meeting, followed a well-attended public hearing with an estimated 100+ residents in attendance.

“We’re going back to the drawing board and trying to decide how to move forward. I think most of the council is in favor a biomass plant, they just weren’t in favor of that property,” Prineville Mayor Jason Beebe told the Source.

The Prineville City Council plans to better engage the community, allowing residents a chance to get involved in the process of deciding if they want a biomass facility and what the best location would be for the building.

Biomass, a renewable organic material, can be burned for heat and electricity. Biomass sources can include wood, agricultural crops and waste. According to Prineville Mayor Jason Beebe, the proposed facility would run strictly on wood.

Prineville is exploring the option of this renewable energy source to encourage economic opportunity. According to Beebe, the City hopes it will create jobs while supporting local forestry and agricultural industries.

The City of Prineville never intended to build the facility and, instead, hoped to put together a concept and move forward with the details and the permitting process to have a shovel-ready project ready for a private entity to take up.

Despite the City’s ongoing plans for the expansion, some residents said they had learned of the proposed annexation just weeks before the initial planned vote, in April, causing frustration about the notification process.

In April, concerns regarding the City’s expansion process, and desire for a biomass facility, ramped up, leading the Council to delay its vote, and ultimately table it on Tuesday.

“Nothing will move forward again until we have a consensus from the community, and we look at other properties, and it may never get to that,” said Beebe.

As of May 15, there is no timeline for the project, according to Beebe. He guesses, however, that this recent decision could put the City back two or three years on the prospective project.

In the meantime, Beebe said the Council would like more community input, such as the formation of citizen group or committee to take up the issue.

Prineville residents, like Julie Thompson, seemed pleased with the May 13 decision and hope to be involved in more decision making in the future. According to Thompson, this is what should have happened in the first place – hearing from community members about what they want out of the proposal.

This article appears in Source Weekly May 15, 2025.