I understand that the Bend branch of the DMV is planning to lease a location in the Brookswood Plaza. For many reasons, this is an inappropriate location for the DMV.
The Brookswood Plaza is a small neighborhood commercial area in south end of Bend. The location, design and intended purpose of the Brookswood Plaza render it a completely inappropriate location for a regional government service provider like the DMV. To provide convenient services the DMV should be centrally located in the community near a major arterial with high traffic volume and have access to transit. The Department of Administrative Services policy number 125-6-115 directs public facility siting (sic). Specifically Subsection II directs:
II. Directors of state agencies shall cooperate with the Department to co-locate agency office quarters and activities, and locate state offices, and other facilities, when feasible, within certain targeted areas. These targeted areas are defined as: (1) in or surrounding the central business district of “cities”, and the “capitol area” as defined in ORS 276.010, or (2) other areas which are designated as urban centers in the applicable comprehensive plan, and are highly accessible to the public, have fully developed pedestrian circulation system(s), and have high quality transit service (in those areas that have transit). While these policies shall guide siting facilities in all areas of the state, final siting approval within the area defined by ORS 276.028 shall be in accordance with adopted plans and procedures of the Capitol Planning Commission.
The Brookswood Plaza is located in the southernmost end of Bend, in the middle of several neighborhoods; just a stone’s throw from the city limits and urban growth boundary. This is about as far from the CBD as you can get, there is no transit service
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2010.
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Interesting. River Rim is packed with Fox News watching tea baggers and now they want to stop a legitimate business, under appropriate zoning, from exercising its constitutional rights. Amazing the hypocrisy of right wingers.
I agree, this is a HORRIBLE place for the DMV. Not easy to get to and even a horrible place for a strip mall too.
This is a response to Elitist. First off I am not a Fox news right wing tea bagger. I am a conservative independent CNN watcher. As a homeowner in River Rim we are not objecting to family oriented businesses, we are objecting to a government business in our area. Childrens safety concerns ( traffic and otherwise-if you know what I mean). Increased noise & polution. Congested traffic. Decreased home values. etc. If you think this is such a grand idea, I’ll be happy to trade homes with you and let you deal with all the above and more. Bend council lady said , just because you can doesn’t mean you should. City council knows they did a bad job on current zoning to allow this. Bend city council. “Dumb Idea” Do I need to say more! The audacity of Lovejoy and DMV to do this in secret and shove it down our throats. Send me an e-mail Elitist if you want to exchange deeds. Jim in River Rim
This new DMV office would have a positive impact on that shopping center, and would only serve to potentially fill all the vacancies that currently sit empty. Until those opposed to it can provide some hard data as to increased dangers posed by DMV offices, as well as negative effects on property values, I will remain in favor of it. Rather than opposing this, and potentially stifling that commercial growth, maybe the opponents can petition the city for increased traffic controls on Brookswood.
It was with ironic humor that I watched the gathering at River Rim protesting the DMV. Their discontent was punctuated by the thunder fron the approaching thunderstorm. But to have been here 10 years ago when residents were told that 300 homes will be built on a nature preserve puts this newest little tempest back in its teapot. 300 people packed the Elk Meadow school to hear the city give us a choice between 4 houses/acre or 7 houses/acre. After an agressive “Save Elk Meadow” campaign, the only impact we made was to eliminate the time-share condos. The compromise was to include a convienence commercial district to lower traffic loads on Brookswood. Watching the speaker announce that he had been here two whole years gave me a chuckle as well. After watching developers running the city for twenty years, I’ve gotton used to this charade we call local government. Watching the newbie and his NIMBY bunch brought back a flood of memories of the government steamroller all the way back to the “Stop the Parkway” campaign.
I wish them luck in their campaign, but I don’t expect it’ll have any effect except to galvanize them to participate in future local issues.
A quick check of DMV locations reveals that very few of them are located centrally. Regardless of the ideal policy that was written by a mucky muck in Salem, The reality is that the state doesn’t have the money for a prime location. Low cost is what brought them here. Get used to it. This is the face of “small government and low taxes” that y’all have been screaming for.
It was with ironic humor that I watched the gathering at River Rim protesting the DMV. Their discontent was punctuated by the thunder from the approaching thunderstorm. But to have been here 10 years ago when residents were told that 300 homes will be built on a nature preserve puts this newest little tempest back in its teapot. 300 people packed the Elk Meadow school to hear the city give us a choice between 4 houses/acre or 7 houses/acre. After an aggressive “Save Elk Meadow” campaign, the only impact we made was to eliminate the time-share condos. The compromise was to include a convenience commercial district to lower traffic loads on Brookswood. Watching the speaker announce that he had been here two whole years gave me a chuckle as well. After watching developers running the city for twenty years, I’ve gotten used to this charade we call local government. Watching the newbie and his NIMBY bunch brought back a flood of memories of the government steamroller all the way back to the “Stop the Parkway” campaign.
I wish them luck in their campaign, but I don’t expect it’ll have any effect except to galvanize them to participate in future local issues.
A quick check of DMV locations reveals that very few of them are located centrally. Regardless of the ideal policy that was written by some mucky-muck in Salem, The reality is that the state doesn’t have the money for a prime location. Low cost is what brought them here. Get used to it. This is the face of “small government and low taxes” that y’all have been screaming for.
Ok, what about the fact that the State OWNS the building the DMV is currently housed in, and this one they have to RENT./ Excuuuuuse me! I thought there was a STATE SPENDING DEFICIT?!??!?!?! Those spoiled brat State workers need to suck it up and stay exactly where they aare!
River Rim was a nice place to live until a few folks with nothing better to do than make a mountain out of a mole hill. Now they are attacking peoples jobs and while saying they are tring to protect the children. These are the same cogers who kid mad if a kid kicks a socker ball into thier yard.
Lets bring some jobs to the south end of bend. Tell these boycotters to get a life. Please say hi to the picketers as you fill up your shopping cart.
Comment to “Jim In The Trenches” from above and all others sharing the same opinion. When was the last time you saw a contract being negotiated over the news, tv or community association! I don’t remember seeing an upset blog about contract negotiations not being disclosed in order to put a fitness center; a Sheriff’s substation or a coffee shop in. All of which are, or rather were, there until our communities great idea to boycott! Good job to all our neighbors in River Rim by helping to put the final nail in the coffin at the coffee shop. Keep up with this brilliant strategy and we will have a empty plaza with a DMV in it. Those of you who attended the lynch mob, I mean “Community Meeting” on Thursday and heard the message to not boycott, then showed up the same weekend to boycott, good job! That’s a great way to help your property value, because everyone I know wants to live in a community that has ZERO tolerance for ideas outside of their own and an empty plaza. Lastly, I have an eight year old, so please dont preach Child Safety. This isnt a strip club, its a Monday Through Friday 8am-5pm DMV. The DMV will draw less traffic to the plaza than a restaurant of the same or smaller size! What we are really talking about is approx 100 years of Amber Meadow and 1 more car a MINUTE on Brookswood. Wow, that sounds really dangerous to me!