Bend Business Advocate News

I hope you’ve had a great first week of February! I know the second half of January offered some unique challenges for many businesses due to weather. On Monday the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board received a presentation from Visit Bend showing that daily hotel occupancy over the MLK weekend was 23.7% lower than in 2023 due to winter storms (see slide ten here for the chart). If you were impacted by the winter storm, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management has forwarded data from the survey I shared in my last newsletter to the Governor’s Office requesting an Economic Injury Disaster Loan Declaration. If and when funding opportunities are made available I’ll share them with you via a future newsletter.

Things are busy here at the City of Bend, here are a few things I want to put on your radar quickly.

Transportation Fee Updates

At the February 7 City Council Work Session, the Transportation Fee was discussed and Council provided further direction on the process including a draft Code and Fee Schedule. More information can be found at www.bendoregon.gov/transportation-fee, below are the primary rates for non-residential accounts:

Here are some Non-Residential Phase 1 Examples:

5,000 SQ FT: 5,000/1,000 x $6.25 = $31.25 per month

60,000 SQ FT: 50,000/1,000 x $6.25 = $312.50
10,000/1,000 x $4.50 = $45
$312.50 + $45 = 357.50 per month

120,000 SQ FT: 50,000/1,000 x $6.25 = $312.50
50,000/1,000 x $4.50 = $225
20,000/1,000 x $3.00 = $60
$312.50 + $225 + $60 = $597.50 per month

If you have feedback on the Transportation Fee, please consider providing feedback to the City during our upcoming Listening Sessions-

February 26- Transportation Fee Listening Session at 4:30pm, Bend City Hall
February 29- Transportation Fee Listening Session at 9:30am, Bend City Hall

If you have questions about the Transportation Fee, please reach out by hitting reply to this message.

Core Area Business Assistance Program

We are excited to share that six local businesses in Bend’s Core Area will collectively receive $100,000 after the Bend Urban Renewal Agency voted to approve business assistance grants.

The Bend Urban Renewal Agency, which is made up of Bend City Councilors, approved grant awards on Wednesday, February 7 to support both internal and external building improvements. Examples include signage, exterior lighting, safety upgrades, permit fees, and accessibility improvements. All seven of the applicants were approved for some level of funding. The businesses include:

Colima Market
Dogwood Cocktail Cabin
Growing Tree Children’s Center
Timber Kiddies Preschool
Open Space Event Studios
1631 NE 2nd Street (Building Owner Applied) which houses Ritual Beauty Bar, Puppy Parlor, Broken Halo Salon, and Ajaye Beauty

This was the first round of applications for this program, which is expected to be available on an annual basis.

DEQ Grant Program Application

If you operate a fleet of diesel vehicles or other equipment, you may benefit from a funding opportunity available through the State of Oregon. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is providing approximately $8 million in grant funding for diesel equipment owners to replace older and more polluting diesel engines with new, cleaner technologies and exhaust control retrofits. The Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grants Program is designed to help address health and environmental impacts from diesel emissions in Oregon.

Business, government, and tribal diesel equipment owners across the state are invited to apply for funding for projects that reduce diesel emissions. Visit the DEQ Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grants program web page to: