(Prineville is partnering with ODOT on improvements in the U.S. 26/Third Street corridor | Photo courtesy of the Central Oregonian)
Catch Josh Smith during the work week, and you’ll find that there is no such thing as a “typical” day. As Planning Director for Prineville, which has grown 11.34 percent since the 2010 census (from a population of 10,880 to 12,114 in 2024), he is — among other priorities — currently updating the Prineville Master Plan for Water, Wastewater, and Transportation. These master plans, he explained, comprise part of the City’s Urban Area Comprehensive Plan, described as “a guide for directing and managing growth in the community.”
In his words, it covers “the whole gamut of primary concerns such as water, sewer, and transportation (air, rail, bike, ped, and automobile), and formalizes “how we see the city developing.” However, Smith warned, “you need to be selective, and can’t throw in a lot of wish lists. I’m constantly asking — when considering a new road or intersection, for example — ‘do we need it or not?’”
(Smith cited one example of a future infrastructure investment: an upgrade to the Main Street and Peters Road intersection with a roundabout — which can reduce the number and severity of crashes. Right of way has been solidified, and the design created — even though construction is still several years away, based on community growth and associated traffic increases, he said.)
Going from the macro to the micro, Smith has also been systematically correcting discrepancies between the zoning map and the comprehensive plan map that were made in the 90s, but which were not incorporated into the previous comprehensive plan. (A zoning code is a short combination of letters and numbers that determines what can be built on a particular plot of land.) “Lenders were having a hard time,” he said. “The maps didn’t align, so the zones did not match. It took me a chunk of time to fix the problem, but it’s almost done.” And during the process, he admitted, as the subject is not readily understood, “I had to reassure people that the intent is to correct the zoning to current uses.”
Now, with knowledge gained from 19 years of experience on the job, Smith detailed the activities that he considers top priority.
Combs Flat Road Extension
This $13.5 million project — which will provide an alternate route North-South through town to alleviate core congestion on Main Street and Hwy. 26 (3rd Street) — went out to bid and has been awarded, according to Smith. “We expect the project — which extends Combs Flat Road north to NE Peters Road — to start this fall, with completion slated for Fall 2025.”
Downtown Prineville Improvement Project
Prineville is partnering with ODOT on improvements in the U.S. 26/3rd Street corridor to replace aging infrastructure and enhance safety and mobility. Functional and aesthetic project elements — extending from Meadow Lakes Drive on the west side of Prineville to Combs Flat Road/OR 380 — include new timed traffic signals, pedestrian lights, new sidewalks and ADA curb ramps at the corners, a storm water drainage system, and installation of medians to enhance pedestrian crossing safety. As crews proceed along 3rd Street, Smith admitted that there is “havoc on every corner, although at the end of the day, it’s going to be a nice facelift for downtown Prineville.”
Creation of Urban Renewal District
“We’re the only city in Central Oregon without an Urban Renewal District,” said Smith, who defined it as a financing mechanism — called tax increment financing — used by local governments to improve specific areas of a city that are underdeveloped, and restore their economic viability. “No new taxes are involved,” he emphasized.
Working with the Prineville Downtown Association, which spearheaded the effort, “we’ll initially push for streetscaping, lights, and all sorts of niceties to enhance curb appeal, followed by façade renovations. “This is something our local businesses want,” Smith said.
Aquifer Storage and Recovery System (ASR)
Reflecting Prineville’s interest in innovation and trying new approaches, “the city had the foresight — after ten years of study — to build our ASR system that is currently holding, and gaining on, 400 million gallons,” said Smith. “To my knowledge, we have the state’s only rising aquifer, and are leading our counterparts with the number of water rights in Central Oregon.”
As he explained, “the ASR is based on pumping water into the aquifer beneath the Prineville airport during the winter, when demand is low, and retrieving it during the heat of the summer in July and August, when demand is high — thereby reducing the need to build expensive storage facilities. It has proved so effective that Prineville is now drilling a second ASR for redundancy, and in anticipation of future needs.”
“An added benefit is that the ASR system also serves all of Prineville, not just our industrial customers — that’s the beauty of it,” Smith said, “We can guarantee that demand for water will be met for years to come.”
Tom McCall Business Park
The 136-acre Tom McCall Business Park, which forms part of Prineville’s Enterprise Zone, “continues to build out,” noted Smith, “and has filled up so much that we’re looking at building a second one — one proposal being south of the Meta data center campus.”
Data Center Development
With the completion of its 11th data center, Meta’s campus totals nearly 4.6 million square feet, and an investment of more than $2 billion. (The company’s latest expansion, in 2023, added two buildings totaling 900,000 square feet)
Construction of Apple’s third data center is “pretty much complete,” Smith said, “while three more were approved and are now in the building phase.
According to Smith, the decision of Meta and Apple to choose Prineville for their data centers goes back to 2009, during the recession, with the city having five critical advantages to offer: large pieces of land available; an ideal climate; the ability to obtain power; tax exemptions within Prineville’s Enterprise Zone; and water.
Housing Supply
The largest housing development on the horizon is Reserve at Ochoco Creek Apartments — a 328-unit apartment complex providing a total of 188,600 square feet of total living space. Once completed, it will be the largest multi-family development ever built in Prineville, according to Smith. “Reserve at Ochoco Creek has not broken ground, and is still in the planning phase, with the building plans being reviewed right now.”
A second large project, Ochoco Mill apartments, “is on the razor’s edge of penciling,” a term Smith defined as a position in which two different things — in this case, cost and profitability — are being measured. He credited high interest rates as a key factor.
Helping to balance the scale, Smith said that Prineville (competing for funding with cities throughout Oregon) received $2 million earmarked for water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure for four multi-family projects — two big (Reserve at Ochoco Creek and Ochoco Mill) and two small (20-unit building, and one with 20-30 units). “We’re now trying to make that work, with the goal of breaking ground this year.”
Central Oregon Becoming a Megapolis
Looking beyond Prineville’s boundaries. Smith expressed the opinion that “you now have to look at Central Oregon as a region or metro area — not as separate cities. People can go anywhere any time they want, without traveling long distances, which helps them live, work, and play within the same region. This phenomenon, partially triggered by the rise in telecommuting that began during the pandemic, opens up a different world.”
Economic Strides Not About One Person
When complimented about the economic strides made by Prineville in recent years, Smith is adamant that they are “not about one person. It starts with a stable city council, and goes all the way down the list to the employee at the front desk. We have the ability to work together as a team with both the City and County,” he said, “and are all pulling the chain in the same direction.”
