BEND, OR -- The Bend Parks and Recreation Board of Directors has voted to not cut some Systsem Development Charges (SDCs) to help encourage more affordable housing development in the area. The city of Bend already decided to cut some SDCs for some devlopers and had asked the parks district to follow suit.

The board's vote was 3-2; Nathan Hovekamp voted with the majority. "We just felt the constituency that we're responsible to, the people who use the parks and trails did not send us a message they have interest in lowering the level of service in order to subsidize the development of that housing," he tells KBND.

This was the last Parks and Rec board meeting for Chairman Dan Fishkin who lost his reelection bid, partly on his stance against lowering SDCs. Brady Fuller won Fishkin's seat, and was very vocal about supporting a decrease to help encourage more affordable housing development in Bend. Fuller tells KBND he's disappointed in the vote and hopes to revisit the issue once he takes his seat on the board, after July seventh.