Summary of Oct. 3 board of directors meeting
October 4, 2023
The BPRD board of directors met on Oct. 3 for a meeting that included updates on two significant planning documents. A video recording of the meeting is available.
Staff shared information about the mid-term update to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan and status of the Strategic Plan that guides how the priority projects are to be accomplished.
Comprehensive plan update
To date, 50 of the 99 projects included in the comprehensive plan have been completed or are in process, and a small update is in process as a mid-point of the 10-year timeline.
In work session, staff focused on the City of Bend’s designated Core Area, a 637- acre area surrounding the Bend Parkway (Hwy 97) and 3rd Street corridor as the “Core Area Urban Renewal/TIF Area”. The Core Area was identified by the city for redevelopment from its current condition of primarily non-residential uses, into a dense urban core that will contain approximately 1,800 new residential units by 2040.
During the development of the district’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan, the Core Area was zoned primarily for non-residential uses and the district did not identify any park search areas within it. Since the Core Area was created in 2020, the city has initiated several programs and projects to promote development within the Core Area. These include a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) program, the multiple unit property tax exemption (MUPTE) program, Business Assistance Program, Development Assistance Program and several projects aimed at reducing barriers to non-motorized transportation, notably the Hawthorne Crossing project which aims to create a new pedestrian bridge over the parkway to connect the Core Area to downtown.
Staff presented an overview of the Core Area, including existing levels of service for parks, potential strategies for park development, recent and potential changes to the district’s development standards and new types of smaller urban parks, to adequately meet level of service targets.
Strategic plan status report
While the comprehensive plan focuses on development, the Strategic Plan has an internal/operational focus and includes actions that will drive the district towards achieving goals and serving the public in an inclusive manner. It was intended to serve a three-year timeline and was extended by two additional years during COVID.
A total of 43 action items were included in the action plan for the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2022/2023. Great progress was made on the action items this period, with six action items Work Session Item 2 5 completed and the majority being complete or in progress. In summary, 99-percent of the action items are complete, complete/in-progress or in progress, with only one-percent, or one action item that has not been started.
Staff plans to begin work on the development of a new strategic plan in 2024. More information about the scope and timing of that planning process will be shared with the board this winter.
Other business
The board adopted Resolution No. 2023-08 supporting the 2023 Columbia Park River Access and Restoration Project Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant application.
They also approved a bonus of 3% for the executive director’s annual salary per contract agreement that equitable with the merit increase level attainable by BPRD staff members as well as a cost of living adjustment that were budgeted for all staff members.
The next meeting is Oct. 17.