Bend, Oregon councilmembers took no more than five minutes to vote to expand the city's urban growth boundaries, adding nearly 9,000 acres of developable land to the city's map.
"'This is probably a little bigger than they would have wanted, but our thinking was particularly with the rapid rate of growth, not recently, but we've had, we don't want to be in that situation again,' said Bend Mayor Bruce Abernethy.
He says the limited growth boundary has driven up the cost of land, contributing to the rising cost of housing. He knew two weeks ago the city would pass the plan and feels the council heard enough from both sides during work sessions and public hearings.
'We may not have heard from constituent a, but I practically guarantee we've heard constituent A's argument,' Abernethy said.
For him, Monday's meeting was a formality and a huge sigh of relief."
FULL STORY: Bend City Council Approves Urban Growth Boundary
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