Bend’s Anti-Growth Backlash: Who Really Benefits from Development?
Bend, Oregon, is at a crossroads. Once a small ski town, its population has surged to over 100,000, with projections showing another 54% increase by 2045. This rapid growth has brought with it a housing crisis, contentious development debates, and a growing divide over who truly benefits from the city’s transformation.
Developer Influence and City Policy
To address the housing shortage, Bend’s city leaders have enacted a range of reforms. The city has eliminated parking minimums and allowed for more diverse housing types—including backyard cottages, duplexes, triplexes, and rowhouses—to encourage denser and more affordable development. Developers now pay service development charges proportional to project size, lowering costs for smaller projects. The city also prioritizes “complete communities,” aiming to pair new housing with amenities and transportation connections for long-term sustainability.
These efforts are in response to state mandates and local needs. In 2024, a new state law (SB 1537) allowed Bend to expand its urban growth boundary by 100 acres, provided that 30% of new units are affordable. This expansion aims to facilitate projects like Caldera Ranch, which promises homes at a range of affordability levels, including for those earning as little as 30% of the area median income.
However, the push for development has coincided with increasing involvement from real estate and development interests. Local elections have seen significant campaign contributions from real estate PACs, whose preferred candidates often advocate for further boundary expansions and fewer regulations. This has raised concerns among residents about whether city policy is being shaped more by business interests than by the needs of the broader community.
Displacement and the Human Impact
Despite these reforms and new projects, many Bend residents still find themselves priced out of the market. Local workers, such as teachers, often cannot afford to live in the city where they work. Some, like a Caldera High School teacher, have considered leaving Bend after years of being unable to buy a home. Even with new developments in the pipeline, the timeline for affordable units to become available is often too slow for those in immediate need.
Longtime residents in neighborhoods bordering new development sites express regret and frustration, feeling blindsided by the scale and pace of change. Many say they would not have purchased their homes had they known large-scale developments would be built nearby. Meanwhile, newcomers drawn by Bend’s lifestyle continue to move in, driving up demand and costs, and intensifying the affordability crisis.
Community Engagement and Backlash
Public opposition to rapid development is strong and visible. City council meetings and public hearings on projects like Caldera Ranch have been packed with residents voicing concerns about traffic, loss of neighborhood character, and the perception that new developments primarily benefit developers rather than existing residents. Online forums and neighborhood groups echo these sentiments, highlighting a city deeply divided over its future.
Yet, even among critics, there is recognition of the urgent need for more housing, especially for working-class families. The challenge for city leaders is to balance this need with preserving community character and ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared equitably.
The Path Forward
Bend’s ambitious housing agenda—shaped by both public policy and private interests—will determine whether the city can remain a vibrant, inclusive community or becomes another example of unchecked growth and displacement. With final decisions on further code updates and housing reforms expected later this year, the debate over Bend’s future continues to intensify.
