Minutes

April 27, 2023 at Fire Station 303 at 5:30pm

Meeting Minutes

Board Attendees:  Ken Atwell,  Jim Christo, Susi Gaylord and Sara Moss, Michelle Abbey (absent) 

Minutes

• Welcome & Public Comments  

• Conversation with SEBNA's City Council Liaison: Mike Riley  - Mike was unable to attend this month but he reached out and asked us to send any questions

  • Can we focus on pedestrian accessibility for SE Bend? City planning not pressuring Crown Villa into adding sidewalks on the westside of Brosterhous (south of Murphy) or pushing for a safe route to school for our Pines children. PLPLAM20220923, PLPLAM20220922, PLPLAM20220921, PLSPR20220891, PLMISC20230103 - this is a critical turning point 

  • How can we be productively involved in striking vehicle-intensive and -dependent uses from CC zones (BDC 2.2)? What are the next steps for Bend City Council on this topic? When will these next steps be kicked-off?

  • CFEC: How can neighborhood associations or be more engaged in identifying potential climate friendly areas? What is the list of areas being discussed? Who is / has the authority to designate CFEC areas? Is the Opportunity Area at Murphy and 15th or the Elbow (Knott and 27th), the Old Back Nine or "The Thumb" south of China Hat being discussed? We would like to know more so that we can keep our residents informed and also so we can be in a position to support the designated areas. Based on the work done around the gas station opposition, we know that our residents want a walkable, bikable SE Bend. 

  • SE Area Expansion Plan: Is there a committee discussing infrastructure development at The Elbow? 

  • Fire Levy was discussed - we would like to understand where to direct questions that are coming from neighbors  

• NLA Hot Topics  

  • SE Area Expansion Plan - 480+ acres just across from Knott Elbow is the largest undeveloped acreage in Bend; Ken noted sewer infrastructure costs will be born by tax payers benefiting the 480 acre owner

  • New Tree Committee (aka TRUAC) - 1 NLA and 1 NA rep will be allowed to join, will be voted on in the Wed Council meeting (May 3rd) (Susi to f/up with Makayla around how to get Karon Johnson on the committee / who decides?)

  • Delegated voting - Susi to f/up with Makayla about changing bylaws to accommodate NAs assigning voting rights to a delegate when the appointed NA rep can't attend

• NART Hot Topics  

  • Fire Levy was discussed - we would like to understand where to direct questions that are coming from neighbors  

  • Susi captured tips around organizing a successful NA annual meeting

• Community Building (How can SEBNA help build SE Bend Community?)

  • • Review our March brainstorm and prioritize ideas on what can be done to help build a stronger community - we ran out of time so this item is pushed to the May agenda

      • Michelle indicated her interest in outreach (tabling, etc.) to increase newsletter sign-ups/social followers, Bend "Welcome Week" committee, outreach to neighborhood HOAs or management companies 

• Next Steps and Wrap Up  

• Next Board Meeting

  • May 25 at 5:30 pm  (Zoom) - September Party (date/planning), community building, extra time to Mike if needed

  • Jun 22 at 5:30 pm (Zoom)

  • Typically the 4th Thursday of the month at 5:30pm

Ongoing Notes

• SEBNA News

  • Caldera students are meeting with the mayor to talk about how to make Bend more green; there is a Google survey that Ken will send out that the students would like neighbors to complete. It would be great if we could put the survey out via social media, nextdoor and a special SEBNA newsletter

  • China Hat Road Cleanup Saturday, April 8th will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteer Sign-up:  https://centraloregondaily.com/bend-oregon-cleanup/

  • Some are asking about the construction at 15th and Knott. Ken tells us that this is the owners putting in sewer throughout the lot so that development can begin on the approved Lamont Apartments

  • New road crossing infrastructure (traffic island, pedestrian pad, lights) to be constructed this summer/fall at Parrell Road & Calvin Way and Parrell Road & Grand Targhee Drive (both locations are south of Murphy)

• Hot Topics & SEBNA Board Positions

  • Climate-Friendly & Equitable Communities (CFEC) starting to make its way into code

    • Timelines are set for the next two years - City will be following Oregon state timeline - designating areas, conforming code to CFEC and SEBNA needs to be involved along with developers and affordable housing reps are present, will result in country approved residential areas and then the city will absorb these larger lots; we're not opposed to 40 units to the acre plan but just need to be involved to understand transit plan, parking, etc. - need aggressive engagement at the NLA level asap - Jim will bring it up with the NLA

      • A city of our size must designate at least one area of 25 acres or more by the end of this year (or early 2024) AND total climate friendly areas large enough to hold 30% of our the project population within the existing city limits; 40 units per acre

    • Parking is being redefined - HB2001 and continuing, covered in 1/18 Council Meeting, talked about how we need Transit, City Parking department funded by parking tickets! So, without onsite parking available and public transportation, illegal offsite parking is expected 

  • Comprehensive Plan / Urban Growth Boundary discussion

    • Ken expects this to come up again soon, Ken noted there are subjective elements to the code that needs to be turned into specific, objective requirements

    • Ken noted all code flows from the Transportation System Plan  and the Comprehensive Plan and public input is allowed in these plans but we MUST change subjective terms into objective / measurable metrics  

    • Public generated opinions about what we want Bend to be; must be defined as objective and defensible code because subjective definitions seem to favor developers not residents when permits are submitted. For example, what does "walkable" mean? Yes to speed limit definition (objective), No to "discourage pedestrians" (subjective)

  • Active Transportation Connectivity through and throughout SE Bend - Michelle / Ken - Proactive SEBNA effort in progress

    • Ken noted that code states there will be 100% sidewalks on public and private lands

    • Talked about working with Bend Bikes to understand current, planned and wish list routes

    • Ken encouraged us to brainstorm solutions for paying for plans at the same time we identify connectivity opportunities

    • Ken noted that Parks & Rec is very interested in opportunities

    • Country Club to The Bridges Pedestrian Zone. Ken suggested that the Board could dive into what it would take to create great bike/pedestrian connectivity throughout SE Bend. 

    • Arnold Irrigation Moving Underground 

      • Arnold will be finished by ~2026

      • Ken noted syphoning under Knott and China Hat is expected to be a variable - Ken will research

      • We discussed that covering the canal is a federally-driven project 

      • Will become a paved bike/pedestrian path

    • Bike Connectivity in SE Bend 

      • Michelle and Ken to go meet with Karen Swarsky who wrote the Transportation System Plan 

      • Ken will also coordinate with OFDNA / Karen (Jan) - need to connect up with adjoining neighborhood associations

      • Ken to email map of idealized bikeways to the Board (curb, sidewalks and expanded bikeway required by City, Ken noted that this won't work as planned by the city. As an example: Tillicum Village won't allow some residents being forced to build-out sidewalks on private streets. So, we need a creative approaches and solutioning here. 

  • Railway Safety

    • Safety concerns around trains carrying fossil fuels or highly volatile materials passing through SE Bend (Alpenglow Park / Caldera High School / homes); "Some 12 schools — or 47% of Bend's schools — are within that blast zone" 

    • https://www.bendsource.com/opinion/railway-safety-is-an-effort-for-all-cities-18693959

    • https://www.opb.org/news/article/central-oregon-grapples-with-rising-oil-train-safe/

  • Bend Development Code Permit Process Favors Developers Not Neighborhoods

    • 2021-2023 No Gas Station movement experiencing this firsthand

    • A few years back - Whitepaper by several Land Use Chairs, NAs, etc. which got the attention of council, became a 2-year project adopted by council as a goal and made permit process changes

  • Building up city-wide support for various initiatives through NART, NLA, etc. to influence council policy

• Land Use

  • Crown Villa - PRIORITY

    • Planner has not posted Ken's comments over the past 3 weeks and has escalated - MUST HAVE SIDEWALKS ON WEST SIDE OF BROSTERHOUS

    • Lot line adjustments, etc. - a lot of big things happening - current planner not responding and they are making decisions without a neighborhood meeting; 

    • City planner finally responded to Ken's feedback and indicates they will not be changing anything

      • Unclear to SEBNA why they are able to consolidate lot lines into one property, not dedicate right-of-way

      • Unclear why no neighborhood association meeting is required - planner says not a city project because private development, point to the code and people do the minimum

      • Unclear why Ken/SEBNA comments are not posted

    • All we're asking for is sidewalks on the east side of Brosterhous (just south of Murphy)

    • This is terrible news for kids, strollers, people with physical needs that need to stay on the sidewalk; it forces pedestrians to cross at the Murphy/Brosterhous circle and again in front of Cascade Heights

    • Why are only wealthy neighborhoods entitled to sidewalks in SE Bend?

  • No Gas Station Update - PRIORITY

    • LUBA notice to appeal was filed; actual appeal will be filed before end of March

    • Colvin Oil has filed to be a party to the appeal, as expected

    • SE Bend Neighbors for Responsible Development are asking that letters expressing your unhappiness about the gas station and drive thru be sent to 

      • Parent Company: Bill Sandbrook, Co-CEO & Chairman of the Board, Michael Andretti, Co-CEO & Board Member, Andretti Acquisition Corp, 7615 Zionsville Road Indianapolis, Indiana 46268; ir@andrettiacquisition.com

      • M.J. Castelo, President, Andretti Petroleum Group; 1324 5th St, Eureka, California, 95501; mjcastelo@andretti1.com

      • Casey Hayes, VP, GP Energy; 2520 Foothill Blvd, Grants Pass, OR  97526; chayes@andretti1.com

      • Ken Diener, owner of KJDArchitecture, Architect for Brosterhous Plaza; kend@kjdarch.com  

  • Other Land Use

    • No updates on Shiloh, Easton, etc.

    • Some are asking about the construction at 15th and Knott. Ken tells us that this is the owners putting in sewer throughout the lot so that development can begin on the approved Lamont Apartments

• Community Engagement

  • Neighborhood Leadership Alliance (NLA) - Jim  - Morgan Schmidt (Chair)

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    • Council Liaison - Barb Campbell assigned to SEBNA - Jim will reach out and invite her to our March meeting

  • Neighborhood Association Round Table (NART) - Susi - No Meeting since last SEBNA meeting

  • City Council Working Sessions & Meetings

    • Ken suggested that we consider tracking what the City Council is working on during their Working Sessions (Oct)

    • Susi suggested that we rotate a SEBNA Board member attending City Council meetings (Feb)

  • Planning Commission - Michelle to monitor agendas

• Annual Meetings (will be promoted by the city)

  • Annual SEBNA Block Party  - slated for September 2023 - Alpenglow Park; Makayla working with Parks & Rec around which parks we can use; wrapping trailer with chairs/tables, BBQ, sound system, etc., City will handle certificate of insurance - will be ready by end of March (rolling 6 month reservation system should open by first of April or so), Zavi/Makayla will drop the trailer for us - all we need to do is find food, find entertainment and work with Makayla around direct mail - Susi will lead event planning/coordinating for us

  • Annual SEBNA Business Meeting - slated for late Mar/Apr 2024

    • Ideas for Next Annual Business Meeting - Water conservation, Christian Williams (City of Bend Engineering Safety to talk about crosswalks, safety issues)

  • City Popup Town Hall - will be in the SE once per year

  • Makayla will help SEBNA with engineering communications, city feedback, etc. if needed - just reach out

• SEBNA Budget Update - Budget: $3600 (Jul 1 - Jun 30); $393 spent YTD (use it or lose it year to year)

• Communications

  • Board Meeting

    • Decided on a regular meeting date, agenda to be published and shared with public one week prior to the meeting on the website and will schedule to go out one week each meeting via mailchimp - e.g. 2/16 for 2/23 email

    • Settled on the 4th Thursday of the month - will likely need to move Nov and Dec dates 

  • Website - Sara - will continue to build out; Makayla to redirect to our new website OurSEBNA.com

    • Is  City site redirected and Weebly site shut down? Still getting web responses from weebly.

    • Sara to update website graphics provided by Susi

  • SEBNA Email: Susi will monitor the inbox

  • E-mail List: 177 subscribers (-2 from last month) 

  • Direct Mail List - Starting in June, Makayla will provide templates and deal with mailing house 

  • Social Media - Susi (Facebook/Twitter)/Michelle (Instagram) - ad hoc; important for engagement; Susi will research setting up Facebook against our SEBNA email address

  • Media Coverage - Bend Bulletin interview completed, will reach out for pictures, spreading the stories over 9 months

  • Survey -  Survey Planet account set-up; we discussed Michelle's draft survey; Makayla noted Orchard NA has had a lot of success asking demographic data and learning about their residents; annual meetings are promoted by the city so associated surveys will be as well but not all surveys or city digital person could share; Feb 23: Board decided to wait until summer/fall and send survey in conjunction with invite for SEBNA Block Party

  • Newsletter - Susi / Michelle - Was sent out for Mar/Apr -- next newsletter May TBD; Susi/Michelle considering sending a monthly newsletter

• Other Business

  • Digital Radar - due in April - last year we did Parrell and Country Club - Send suggestions to Jim Christo

  • SEBNA Boundaries - Current boundaries don't seem to be intuitive. We are a new Board and a growing NA. Will revisit in Jan 2023. 

  • Potential Meeting Locations - Barnes & Noble, East Bend Library (free, reserveable online), Fire Station Community Room (tbd), Trinity Lutheran (Knott & Brosterhous tbd - friendly but busy), and The Pines Community Room (free, open to , Back 9 Club House (Ken can ask Jody), Country Club ($150/use, Timber Ridge HOA meets there)

Ongoing SE Bend Land Use Projects

• • Shiloh - APPROVED AS PLANNED

    • Ken to double check status, but believes plan has been approved

  • Townhouses by the Golf Course - Ken Proactively Reaching Out

    • Have a plat for 37? units, at 31 require a second access 24' wide for fire department, which is expected at 4th/5th hole of the golf course - Ken watching the application

  • Woodside Court (on the south side of railroad on Country Club, dead end right now) - Withdrawn by Developer

    • Kim Ward gave to Affordable Housing Group as a tax deduction; third try to get affordable housing there, Ken responded to developer questions, developer withdrew again, would require another access onto Country Club would double the size of Woodside Court resulting in minimal parking and ending in parking on the road without curbs and sidewalks; was 45-50 units and asked for forgiveness of right of way for additional units

  • Lamont Apartments (15th & Knott) - High density apartments are planned - 200 units (just east of Caldera) - APPROVED AS PLANNED

    • No update since November SEBNA Board meeting - Ken has reviewed the plans and is not seeing any concerns at this time

  • Brosterhous Railroad Pedestrian Underpass - Under Construction - COMPLETE

  • Parrell & 97 - Under Construction - 2 lots are subdividing into 13 lots 

    • Ken is following-up on Calvin Way crosswalk request (long-time safety request) - Ken received no response since Nov? email

  • Opportunity Area/Zone (15th & Murphy) - No Known Development Plans

    • Ken noted that 'anything' could end up at this location because of the unique zoning; Seems to be a staging area for local developers at the moment

    • Density, commercial is expected - could end up being a climate-friendly zone (this time next year the city will have to have decided where these areas will be 25-40 housing units/acre - vertical building expected; no zoning designation

    • Jody Ward owns this property; unlikely they won't develop this property until opportunity truly defined

    • Board to discuss in future meeting  

  • South of China Hat

    • Ken does not expect development in this area for decades

  • Short-term Rentals continue to come up - Golf Course, Timber Ridge and Mountain High (all have HOAs) are the only green zones on the online map meaning virtually all short-term permits have been taken