Our Letter to Representative Cliff Bentz

April 8, 2021

U.S. Representative Cliff Bentz 2430 SW 4th Avenue
Ontario, OR 97914

Support for City of Bend Request to Fund Midtown Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings

Dear Congressman Bentz,

I am writing on behalf of Central Oregon LandWatch to express our strong support of the City of Bend’s request for funding to construct the Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings. We are a non-profit organization that defends and plans for Central Oregon’s future. Because Bend’s population is growing at an unprecedented pace, it is essential that we build the infrastructure to accommodate growth without sacrificing livability. Bend is working to improve its transportation system, and the Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings project is a key component.

We founded the Bend Central District Initiative to promote the community’s vision for the Bend Central District to become a bustling neighborhood where people live, work, and play within walking distance of local businesses, grocery stores, parks, schools, Hawthorne Transit Station, and Historic Downtown Bend. We collaborate and partner with a wide variety of community organizations and local businesses who support this vision, including Brooks Resources Corporation, KellCon Construction, Central Oregon Community College, the Central Oregon Association of Realtors, Council on Aging of Central Oregon, Orchard District Neighborhood Association, Ashley & Vance Engineering, Oregon Spirit Distillers, and Sunlight Solar.

Extensive community outreach and expert analysis has shown the Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings to be key to unlocking economic opportunity in this underperforming area. For example, Oregon Spirit Distillers, a $2 million value-added traded sector business is only 1⁄4 mile away from the center of Historic Downtown Bend, but since there is no connection to downtown, they had to close their bar and restaurant. The Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings project would create more foot traffic, and they estimate it would double their tasting room sales and create local jobs. Several local landowners and developers are ready to build much-needed mixed-use housing buildings in the area, but they are waiting for it to become more residentially-compatible. This project, along with other projects identified in the 2020 Core Area Report would catalyze private investment at a projected rate of 4:1.

More than a decade of analysis and public outreach has shown the need for safe and convenient multimodal Midtown crossings, but little has been done to meet that need. Our 2017 BCD Initiative Outreach Report found strong community support for safe crossings at Hawthorne Avenue, Franklin Avenue, and Greenwood Avenue from both English and Spanish-speaking survey participants. The census tract where this project would take place is labeled economically distressed and it has the largest concentration of minority populations in the City of Bend. Infrastructure and investment in this area has not kept up with other parts of the City, perpetuating historical inequities. The Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings project would begin to bridge the gap between the amenity-rich west side of Bend and the underinvested core.

The Midtown bicycle and pedestrian crossings project would provide economic, environmental, and social benefits for Central Oregon. It is strongly supported by the community, and local funding has already been allocated to it. It would achieve key goals for the City of Bend’s 2028 Comprehensive Plan, 2040 Transportation Plan, Core Area Plan, Tax Increment Financing Plan, Community Climate Action Plan, and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s US 97 Parkway Plan. We support the City’s request for federal funding to complete this important project.

Thank you for your consideration of this project funding request.

Sincerely,

Moey Newbold
Director of Urban Planning
Central Oregon LandWatch