BEND, OR -- The city of Bend will host a series of neighborhood workshops, this month, to get input on the Transportation Plan. Senior Planner Karen Swirsky says a lot has changed in the 20 years since the plan was last revised and a lot has changed since then, "We just finished doing the Urban Growth Boundary expansion project, we added some land to the city and we identified some opportunity areas in the city where we want to change the land use, and we just recognize the city’s growing really fast, so it’s time to get the Transportation Plan updated and gets a little more modern."

The plan deals with how people get around, whether by foot, bike, car or mass transit. Swirsky admits the process is lengthy; the project began about a year ago and is now about halfway complete, "Phase One was really to look at these big citywide projects and programs that make a difference. And then, in Phase Two, we’re filling it in with these smaller projects; most of which, if you put into a transportation model, wouldn’t make a big difference in terms of capacity and congestion but make a big difference for the folks living in those neighborhoods." She tells KBND News, "Our hope is that we will have our plan adopted by the city and acknowledged by the state by the early part of 2020. We have a good solid year of work ahead of us. "

Five meetings will be held between January 23 and 31, each in a different geographic location (see below or click HERE for more information). Swirsky says the goal is to get feedback on issues that directly impact each neighborhood. She points out these are workshops where attendees should be prepared to take an active role.