Deschutes County’s development priorities for the next year are diverse in scope and region, from sewer fixes in the La Pine area to airport planning in Bend, defining acceptable events on rural land and streamlining permits for renewable energy projects across the county.

Deschutes County Commissioners this week approved a list outlining dozens of tasks and projects, pieced together throughout the year by the county planning commission and Community Development Department.

They’re outlined in a wide-ranging, 48-page document covering dozens of community development projects for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The projects are prioritized by how important each is and how quickly the county wants to get them done.

Community Development Department Director Nick Lelack outlined some of the major initiatives at the County Commission meeting.

Three projects top the list: finding sites in the county contaminated by industrial waste to bring up to code through federal grants; working with the state to allow sewers on rural land outside of La Pine city limits; and applying for grants to preserve historic sites in the county.

The public also had a chance to provide input at the meeting. While just six people took advantage of the opportunity, two local building and real estate officials spoke out strongly against one of the lower-level proposals: an amendment to the county’s building rules, prohibiting the issuance of any land use and building permits on a property with a pending code violation.

That proposal may not sound controversial, but it had local building and real estate officials questioning if the county was needlessly adding regulations and potentially dampening the real estate market.

“All you’re going to do is penalize homeowners,” Andy High, the Central Oregon Builders Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs, told commissioners. “You already have a way to penalize code violations. You’re just adding another layer of bureaucracy.”

Bill Robie, the Central Oregon Association of Realtors’ government affairs director, called the proposal “a solution in search of a problem.”

At County Commissioner Tammy Baney’s urging, the proposal was tweaked to say the county would “consider” the amendment, rather than “initiate” it, and take the issue up at a later date.

The county also plans to work closely with the city of Bend as it prepares to expand the urban growth boundary, and with Redmond as it tries to develop land on the east side of town into an industrial campus, Lelack said. Other priorities include requirements for new subdivisions to meet fire safety standards and defining the types of recreational events appropriate on rural land.

Some of the proposals are minor and highly technical, relating to stormwater management practices and the need to preserve open, scenic views.

But the 52 county priorities represent a more ambitious project list than any time in recent memory, as the recession cut community development staffing from 48 a few years ago to 30 this year.

“We’re certainly feeling the return of the economy, which certainly has been a bright light for everyone,” Lelack told commissioners. For the Community Development Department, “it’s a significant increase in demand on staff. We’re trying to hold staffing levels constant … while maintaining high levels of customer service.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, eglucklich@bendbulletin.com