A new citizens’ group has been formed by dozens of Bend residents dedicated to “keeping Bend livable for those who live here.”
Organized by experienced community volunteers, the Bend Neighborhood Coalition, Inc. will use lobbying and political action to influence public policies that protect the quality of life in Bend’s residential neighborhoods.
Members will advise one another on how best to address local concerns and foster an ongoing civic dialog on neighborhood livability.
The Neighborhood Coalition grew out of discussions by people involved in local issues, including vacation rentals, OSU’s new campus, chronic noise and parking problems, liquor license saturation and safe streets. After working separately in advisory groups, task forces, neighborhood associations and ad hoc committees, they saw a need to join together to influence underlying policies.
Priorities for 2016 include: reviewing proposed changes to city code and zoning to assess impacts on existing neighborhoods and how best to mitigate potential conflicts; addressing incompatible land uses that generate noise, traffic and parking problems; promoting effective code enforcement; creating a university district to facilitate a compact and complete campus; and identifying pro-neighborhood livability candidates for the 2016 City Council election.
In addressing the kickoff meeting of the Coalition, steering committee chair Bill Bernardy said, “This effort is not about being anti-growth, anti-business, anti-tourism, anti-university or anti-fun.
It’s about striking a balance. Even business owners and their employees want to live where kids can play, it’s safe to walk and bike, and everyone can get a quiet night’s sleep.”
The group expects that protecting the quality of life in Bend’s residential neighborhoods will sometimes mean challenging policies and practices that have negative impacts on residential areas. “Rather than just complain, though,” said Bernardy, “we’ll be putting constructive solutions on the table, especially ones that have worked in other cities.”
The Coalition’s steering committee includes:
• Bill Bernardy, a small business owner who has served over 20 years on community association boards and chaired the housing task force for OSU-Cascades.
• Bruce Couch, who brought a successful design firm serving Fortune 500 clients to Bend and wants a more diverse economy here because it’s a great place to live;
• Annie Goldner, owner of a local B&B, former chair of the River West Neighborhood Association and a founder of Restore Our Neighborhoods;
• Monte Payne, a retired fire-fighter, experienced political organizer and founder of Bend Livability Coalition;
• Madeleine Simmons, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and an organizer of Galveston Neighbors;
• Ken Schofield, a retired foreign service officer who has tracked land use issues for the Century West Neighborhood Association for eight years.
Residents from throughout Bend are invited to participate in the Neighborhood Coalition’s issues discussions, as well as work groups addressing policy research and lobbying, political action, and outreach and to join the e-mail list to stay up to date.
A web site and blog will launch next month.
bendneighborhoodcoalition@gmail.com
