BEND, OR -- As we get closer to the February Legislative session, Bend City staff are identifying priority issues they’ll be watching. City Manager Eric King says Affordable Housing is a key state issue that could have big local impacts. He tells KBND News there is talk lawmakers could look at freeing up resources to build more housing. "But also, is there something that can be done on the land supply side of things so that we can make it easier to increase the land supply? We’ve got a very regulatory process with land use in Oregon. I think Bend is almost a poster child for having both of those issues of limited land supply and this affordable housing problem, so how can Bend position itself to be part of that compromise, or at least bring awareness to how that’s playing out on the ground?"
Other priority issues for Bend include recreational marijuana regulations and public transit funding. Lawmakers open the short session on February first.
