BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners are considering a change to what is allowed on land zoned Multi-Use Agricultural. Commissioner Phil Chang tells KBND News, "There's a lot of land in the county in MUA-10, 'Multiple Use Agricultural-10,' as it's called. Currently in MUA-10, mini storage is not allowed. But a couple of different applicants have come in requesting for mini storage to become a conditionally allowable use." The change would allow mini storage facilities just outside incorporated cities, "Along Highway 97 and along Highway 20, close in to one of our incorporated cities. So, in this case, it would be a whole bunch of Multiple Use Agriculture-zoned lands near Redmond or near Bend."

Those businesses say allowing storage facilities on land zoned as MUA-10 would allow for future urbanization. But during this week's public hearing, Chang says they also heard from people worried about preserving rural character, "Particularly right on the edges of our cities, who said, essentially, 'this is a really significant change to what Multiple Use Agriculture zoning means and is intended to do.'"

Chang says, "The written record is still open for a few weeks. And then, we'll deliberate after that, whether to approve this code amendment application or not."

Currently, mini-storage facilities are only allowed in areas zoned for commercial or industrial use.