LOCATION, CONGESTION, GREED & BAD LOCATION
People move to Bend because of the lifestyle, ambiance, outdoor activities, to get away from congestion, and pollution. However, greed is impacting this.
People who work in Bend are having a hard time finding housing with landlords upping rents drastically. If a homeowner feels they aren’t making enough in rent, they turn their homes into Vacation Rentals impacting once beautiful neighborhoods.
Homeownership for Bendites is fast becoming a distant dream. Developers are destroying open areas throwing up houses that most people in Bend cannot afford. It’s sad because the reason people move to Bend is for the openness.
Congestion is unreal. Many streets are already parking lots. It’s not unusual to have to sit through several cycles to get through some lights. The roads are already filled with potholes and ruts, which will get worse in winter.
The location is all wrong for four-year colleges. Who has ever heard of building a four-year college on ten acres, or building it on a pumice mine? Didn’t they learn anything from the field sinking at Summit High School? Who will be paying to repair it when the buildings start sinking? Housing will be difficult and parking will be even worse. I doubt faculty, staff, and students will walk 3.5 miles into downtown Bend. I think a college student would be happier going a couple of hours away to a college where there would be the ambiance of a real campus that has housing, parking, and athletic fields.
People need to see that the quality of life is eroding. Congestion is getting worse every day. At this rate it won’t be long before our beautiful blue sky will be a big brown cloud.
—Deedee, a concerned Bendite
IN REPLY TO “LESSONS FROM THE LAND” (10/14)
Outdoor school changed my life. I became a scientist and a teacher because of how outdoor school made the world real to me. Oregon needs aware and capable citizens to prosper and outdoor school is the best means to ensure this happens.
—Rex B.
IN REPLY TO “FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY” (9/30)
Regarding the riverside market controversy, as an outsider looking at it from a citywide policy perspective, consider that the “market” has operated illegally for several years. And where is our city—should they not have been enforcing our codes? And assessing a penalty for violations? Instead they are recommending a conditional use permit without even requiring a survey to see if legal parking requirements can be met! I guess in Bend it pays to ignore the code and then cozy up to staff when neighbors object to an illegal operation! It is clear this business does not belong in this neighborhood.
—Allan Bruckner
CORRECTION: In last week’s letters section, we misidentified the armed veteran and student at Umpqua Community College who declined to use his firearm in response to the fatal shooting. His name is John Parker, Jr. We regret the error.
This article appears in Oct 21-28, 2015.
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To ‘not yet homeless’,
I’m sorry that you’ve had the usual introduction to life with incompetents in central OR!
There is an absence of city codes, law enforcement, and State laws to protect consumers here.
Good luck with your future life.
DeeDee, if you think Bend has too much traffic (which I disagree with), why not do something about it, like drive less? I’d list the benefits of riding a bike, but there’s not enough space. The location of the college is fine, and no one picks a school based on ease of parking. If parking is inconvenient or expensive, they use alternatives if those alternatives are available.
Allan Bruckner, former mayor of Bend, should do his homework. The Riverside Market has done a survey. I live in this neighborhood and certainly do not object to the convience of being able to grab a cup of coffee, meet friends for dinner, grab a snack or sunscreen when I am floating the river. My friends with kids have play dates here. It has been here much longer than the neighbor that had time on his hands all summer to call police for noise. If you did your homework you would know that there was never a high decibel reading.
Born and raised in Bend. Left for college and then for the military mostly overseas. I have been back fewer than a handful of times, and it has changed significantly. My dad left town over 10 years ago, so I don’t have much of a reason to visit as he was my anchor there. He had a saying that Bend is “poverty with a view.” Apparently there are many bankrupt families there and many more on the verge if they lose their job, which is ironic since high paying job are rare. These same people rent their house, their car, and their furniture, so they don’t own anything. It’s all a facade and is a far cry from the town I experienced. I’m not one for nostalgia because I fully embrace progress, however, people being on the verge of financial ruin shouldn’t be the case. Maybe that is a symptom of what is going on in the rest of the country, but Bend has become my worst fear: fake.
sonofbend, there’s nothing “fake” about Bend anymore than any other town. The problem you’re pointing out is that housing is expensive. It’s expensive because of demand.
I am always amazed by all the people who feel landlords are greedy. I own homes in Central Oregon and for nearly 10 years I have lost money. That recession nearly bankrupted me. What renters do not seem to understand is it is expensive to own a home. Yes, I have raised rent recently like many owners. But, what many of you do not realize is that it will take many more years before I break even on my investments.
This poster really seems to miss the point of Not Yet Homeless’. His point is not that rent is too high , it’s that the property management company is criminally unethical which isn’t unusual in Bend.
In reply “Location, congestion, greed, and bad location”
Well DeeDee, I think you about covered it all. Bend has become what most people moved here to get away from . Anyone that has been here at least 5-6 years can see what has been happening and how quickly things are changing, and not in a good way . Bend has become more about squeezing every dime out of the so called ” experience, or lifestyle” this great place has to offer, and less about building a strong comunnity where people that actually live and work here can live at a reasonable cost. The new norm of rental cost and property values is way beyond reasonable, it’s just plain greed. But if nothing is done about it and the people that migrate here continue to pay this out of control pricing , then it will never stop and only get worse. No one seems to have any common sense anymore when it comes to the long term outcome of Bend , all they see are dollar signs and the next opportunnity to capitalize on the Bend”experience”.
I hate to say it , but Bend is a lost cause unless some drastic changes happen soon.