Bend’s NIMBY vs. YIMBY tension is ramping up and now
pitting developer against developer as the city holds public hearings on a
Seattle company’s plans for a 170-unit westside apartment complex.
On one side is a vocal group
arguing that the proposed four-story building will loom over the new whitewater
park on the Deschutes River while also further tangling area traffic and flooding
offstreet parking.
Some are labeling opponents the
NIMBY (not in my backyard) faction. Their cause has gained support from
visionary developer Bill Smith who turned a mothballed timber operation upstream on the Deschutes into
the fashionable Old Mill District mixed use project.
On the other side is a group that
has embraced the YIMBY (sub the Y for the N) mantle, arguing that skyrocketing
rents and lack of multi-family dwellings are pricing many working residents out
of affordable housing.
Evergreen Housing Development Group
of Seattle has proposed a 170-unit, four-story, 168,000 squre foot building on
the 2.91 acre site zoned mixed use waterfront (MR). The proposal calls for 170
offstreet parking spaces supplemented by another 16 on street.
The site is between Bend’s new
Pavilion multi-sport recreational facility and sits above Shevlin-Hixon
Drive, McKay Park and the Deschutes River rafting safe passage channel and whitewater park.
Smith reportedly was involved in
establishing the MR zone, with an early, hypothetical master plan that at one
time envisioned a 120-room hotel on the site. An illustration Smith reportedly had
prepared before the recent hearing is intended to show the proposed apartment on
a massive scale in relation to its surroundings.
As well as traffic and parking pressures,
opponents maintain the bulding will cast a shadow over the park grounds and
river.
The Bend planning department had
initially approved the apartment proposal at the administrative staff level,
noting that it met zoning requirements but would require a height variance of
five feet more than the 45-foot code standard.
But a senior planning official elevated
the application review to require a hearing as the result of increased public
interest.
Opponents have taken to Facebook posts
on various groups, including a YIMBY group advocating for this project and
others which could improve housing availability.
A sampling of comments include rants
about greedy real estate professionals and insensitive out-of-town developers,
along with laments about Bend losing its small town atmosphere.
One contrary post, to the YIMBY group that
favors the project: “The effing real estate pros OWN this town. They make all
the rules and take all the profit for short term gain. Really sad. But hey,
that’s American Capitalism. Rich get richer, poor get poorer.”
Another: “Is everyone aware of this?!
This is poorly planned project lining the pockets of companies completely
outside of Bend :( Not to mention creating a parking and aesthetic nightmare!
Please get the word out!”
Apartment supporters say, among other
points, that Bend is no longer a small town, with a population nearing 100,000.
It needs to plan for the future rather than hiding from inevitable growth
issues.
“We are a city now we’re not a town
anymore and building up and not out is really important for sustainability in the
future,” said one speaker at the January 11 public hearing.
The hearing officer scheduled a
continued public hearing of the proposal for Friday, January 18, at 2:00 pm.
