When a City of Bend committee crafted the City’s tree preservation code, it was nothing if it wasn’t a community-driven process. Developers were among those represented on the committee that eventually came up with various means for large developments to handle the big trees on a given plot of land — preserving some of them or paying a fee in lieu of preservation among them. In the end, some have called the watered-down version of the tree code that emerged a “license to clear cut” a property.
We saw it as a compromise that is akin to carbon credits. Now, there’s at least some level of regulation around simply clear-cutting a large property. If you do that, at least you have to pay into a fund that preserves or plants trees elsewhere in the city.
And yet, some of those very same developers balked when the code went into effect, saying the process was going to be too burdensome. Some of them banded together to appeal the tree code to the state — an appeal that they eventually dropped for reasons that remain mysterious to the general public
Now comes the next sticky situation. As reported in The Bulletin, the developer of a local affordable housing project is refusing to comply with the City’s tree code, which requires the developer to submit a tree preservation plan. The developer behind the project is Thistle & Nest, which builds homes for people to purchase at below-market rates by tapping state government funding to fill the gaps in construction costs. In this case, the property in question is an affordable housing complex that will be constructed near Murphy Road.
With this, the City is in a tough spot: Either approve the project without its required tree preservation plan in place and effectively nullify the tree code — or deny the project and possibly see an affordable housing project fall by the wayside.
Those are homes that are certainly needed — and since they’re ones that locals would be able to purchase at rates more affordable than most anything else on the market, they’d be incredible opportunities for members of our community to achieve an American Dream that has been increasingly out of reach for so many in Bend.
But rules are rules — and in the case of the tree code, those rules were put in place through a community-driven process that brought together stakeholders from across the community, and across viewpoints. Everyone compromised a little, in the interest of making some attempt to protect Bend’s tree canopy and avoid more heat islands in the city. The City has to hold fast to its policies — until such time as those policies change.
It might sound sexy to say that the big, mean City — which has been accused more than once of being slow and inefficient at approving development projects as a whole — is standing in the way of an affordable housing project. But that interpretation also smacks of opportunistic marketing. Affordable housing project or not, a democratic process was used to craft a tree preservation code on behalf of the people of Bend, and it needs to be respected.
After it’s been in place for a year, the Bend City Council will look at how well the code is meeting the goal of preserving trees, while also assessing whether it’s allowing development to progress. After that, the Council could consider changes.
Until that time, rules are rules.
This article appears in The Source Weekly April 3, 2025.
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This is a footbridge right? How is it going to change Traffic? So everyone is going to walk now….
I’m confused. The city of bend instagram posted last week that the Thistle and Nest Development is providing ONE affordable housing unit, not multiple like this piece suggests. Do we know which one is correct?
Larry Kine has basically thrown up his middle finger at the city several times. The “clear-cut” for a luxury RV park (he blamed the city for miscommunication), the Century Dr “clear-cut” for needed (??) $1 M+ housing, and now the “clear-cut” for the reported affordable housing. How much are the ground lease payments when added to the structure price?? Is it really going to be affordable for lower middle class folks? The city needs to Stand Up to this builder and tell him rules are not meant as suggestions!!
Pass the codes, enforce the codes, and then ignore the codes… It’s how government works these days. Emulating the Federal administration, goals (not).
How the City of Bend continues to trample this entire area with their stupidity and corruption is beyond comprehension.
I have an idea. If you can’t afford housing in Bend, find a more affordable location. Affordable housing is a social justice sham. I want to live in Capri. Is there anything affordable there? Carmel-by-the-Sea, perhaps? The only people who should benefit from affordable housing in Bend are teachers, firefighters, hospital workers, police, etc. Those who give back to a community and do not just take from it.
In reading this article, it seems that Thistle & Nest wants to have their cake and eat it too. They’re tapping into state funding to build affordable housing, which allows them to profit even when selling units at a lower price, all on the back of taxpayer money. But then, they turn around and use the banner of “affordable housing” as leverage to cut down more of our city’s precious trees — trees that are central to what makes Bend such a special place to live.
This feels like manipulation. It’s using a legitimate public need — more housing people can afford — as a way to skirt the rules and push through developments that may harm the community in the long run.
Bend’s tree code didn’t come easy. It was a hard-earned compromise, shaped by many voices who care deeply about our environment and quality of life. Developers shouldn’t get a free pass to override it. If anything, we should be supporting builders who are committed to growing Bend responsibly — those who understand that our trees, open spaces, and community character are part of what makes housing here valuable in the first place.
Yes, Bend is growing. But growth without conscience isn’t progress — it’s loss. Our city officials must take a stand and ensure we grow in a way that honors the Bend we all fell in love with: a place rooted in nature, community, culture, and balance.
If our current leadership can’t uphold that vision, then it’s time we elect leaders who will.