There are a number of things contributing to the current direction the City Council/City of Bend Planning are taking with Juniper Ridge. About a year ago, the City of Bend hired an Urban Renewal Manager to focus on Juniper Ridge and to discern why there was so little activity in businesses/industry wanting to locate within Juniper Ridge since its inception and almost a twenty year period thereafter.
In addition to this Urban Renewal Manager position, the City Council re-established the Juniper Ridge Management Advisory Board comprised of local residents. The Board’s role is to coordinate with City of Bend staff as outlined in Resolution Number 3143. The intent of this resolution was to re-examine why Juniper Ridge interest was almost stagnant and to renew interest in its development. Its stated purpose was:
To assure quality development in Juniper Ridge;
Generate revenues from land sales consistent with good business practices and ensuring support of continued Juniper Ridge development;
Promote a sustainable development pattern that is resource efficient;
Develop marketing strategies that serve existing Bend employers and targets identified economic entities.
This resolution outlined Specific Tasks as: Receive regular updates on the Juniper Ridge Urban Renewal Area budget and land sales and provide recommendations to Council/Staff on expenditures relating to those budgets; Serve as a resource to Council/Staff in pre-development planning and on-going discussions on significant transportation and land use issues; Develop a 24-month work plan for review, consideration and adoption by Council; Review existing agreements and other documents governing Juniper Ridge and suggest amendments as appropriate.
The board is also to develop a vision, land disposition strategy and framework for Juniper Ridge for Council consideration and adoption taking into account prior work and existing legal and regulatory framework. It should provide a description of what development is possible or likely without amending land use regulations and the Governing Documents. It would create an in-depth plan for continued development of Juniper Ridge, including a subdivision plan to coincide with the construction of the North Interceptor.
It is important to understand that about one-third of Juniper Ridge is within the current Urban Growth Boundary (UGB); this represents roughly 500 acres, is zoned IL (light Industrial), and contains a large portion of Bend's available light industrial land base.
These 500 acres is the current task area for the Juniper Ridge Management Advisory Board. It should also be noted that the 2008 Juniper Ridge Master Plan was never adopted by the City Council. However, in 2009, City Council did establish a 306 acre Juniper Ridge Overlay Zone (the area primarily north of Cooley Road). The Juniper Ridge Overlay Zone allows for Research & Development firms, Medical labs, Professional services, Corporate HQ and Education facilities in addition to Light Industrial uses. It is this area, within the Juniper Ridge Overlay Zone, that has been the primary focus of the Juniper Ridge Management Advisory Board's review actions.
This is at best a condensed summary of where the Juniper Ridge Management Advisory Board is going. I hope it helps clear up some of the questions raised. As for additional concerns, I would certainly be willing to address any questions to the best of my understanding. An open forum and plenty of time for questions would be good. Contact with the City of Bend, Urban Renewal Manager would be even better, but that might be limited to Public Meeting comments or email correspondence. I encourage you to make contact with city staff; it is essential that your concerns are heard. Below is the contact information for the City of Bend and Juniper Ridge: