(Photo courtesy of OSU Cascades)
Oregon State University – Cascades received word yesterday that the Oregon Court of Appeals has affirmed the land use process related to OSU’s new regional campus in Bend.
“This is great news because it clears the way for us to focus 100 percent on our efforts to expand higher education opportunities in Central Oregon,” said Becky Johnson, OSU-Cascades vice president.
The Appeals Court decision marks the fourth approval of the site development plan for the 10-acre campus on Bend’s west side. An independent hearings officer, the Bend City Council and the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals all previously ruled in favor of the plan.
“We have made solid progress toward creating the ideal environment for learning, research, cultural enrichment and other amenities that come with a local, four-year university,” Johnson said.
OSU-Cascades will welcome its first freshman class this month. A 43,650-square-foot academic center featuring state-of-the art classrooms, laboratories, offices and other spaces for approximately 1,890 students is slated to open by fall 2016. Site work for the 113,000-square-foot residence hall and student dining complex is nearing completion.
“We are grateful for the support from so many who have helped get us to this significant milestone,” Johnson said. “We are also set to launch the next phase of public engagement, that will be as comprehensive as possible, as part of our assessment of the adjacent 46-acre pumice mine and 76-acre demolition landfill for potential campus expansion. We look forward to a public conversation that will help create a campus that is an overwhelming asset to the surrounding community, and to all of Bend and Central Oregon.”
About OSU-Cascades: Located in Bend, Ore., Oregon State University’s branch campus features outstanding faculty in degree programs that reflect Central Oregon’s vibrant economy and abundant natural resources. Eighteen undergraduate majors, 30 minors and options, and three graduate programs include computer science, energy systems engineering, kinesiology, hospitality management, and tourism and outdoor leadership. The branch campus is expanding to a four-year university in fall 2015.
Oregon State University – Cascades
Century Drive Annex, 497 SW Century Dr., Ste. 105, Bend, OR 97702
Mailing Address: OSU-Cascades, Cascades Hall, 2600 College Way, Bend, OR 97703
www.osucascades.edu
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1 Comment
Not good news for anyone who cares about too much traffic and gridlock on the West Side. Combine this with administrative rules being imposed through the UGB, and density increases in an areas of two lane roads and bridges. These existing roads and bridges are shown via computer modeling to fail with less that full buildout at existing density. Add 30% more and the consequences are dramatic. This is an unfunded mandate imposed by the State, that will have to be remedied in the future, all at local cost. This first 10 acre phase is approved, but expect citizens to band together upon the Universities application for expansion. We need to demand a vehicle trip traffic count in the application based on actual uses of vehicles, not some fantasy guess of 25% of students using cars after, voluntary incentives are in place. Any one driving on Reed Market Road through the round about at Bond and Brookswood, can already testify to long back ups at peak hours. So stop growth on the West Side, or put in place a new bridge and East West road. Gridlock on the West Side of Bend, may kill much of the quality of life we all moved here for. Lets not end up like Beaverton, Tigard and Portland. Say no to new higher density without traffic capacity in place. The cost of density is going to be way higher than the cost of expansion of the Growth Boundary. Higher rents, higher cost of homes, dramatic increase in the time it takes to get places around Bend. Ask you State Representative to sponsor a measure to allow the legislature to review and amend run away administrative rules, that are way out of line with the original intent of the Farm and Forest Practices Act, which authorized the UGB.