The Bend City Council discussed the state of Juniper Ridge at a meeting Wednesday night, signaling council support for city staff to begin looking into a new sewer line that would increase capacity for development not only at the site but also across the entire city.

The largely vacant, city-owned Juniper Ridge is located in Bend’s northeast corner, near NE 18th Street and Cooley Road. The city earlier financed a conceptual plan for the 1,500-acre site containing a business park, shopping areas, hundreds of homes, parks, trails and a university. That plan was derailed during the recession, and only two businesses, Les Schwab and Suterra, and Pacific Power have properties in the 500 acres within the city. Much of the available land is intended for high-end industrial uses.

Carolyn Eagan, the city’s economic development director, said the city has seven lots across 23 acres for sale at $7 a square foot. The reason much of that land hasn’t sold, Eagan said, is in part because of the city’s limited sewer capacity. Additionally, there are a number of similar, cheaper properties across not only the region but also the nation, a key factor as many industrial firms look far and wide for properties.

To get land selling and to attract what Mayor Jim Clinton called “a critical mass” of businesses, city staff recommended moving ahead on design work for a new major sewer line on the city’s north end. Such a sewer line is part of a massive citywide $140 million sewer overhaul, but this may move up construction on the north side.

“I definitely want to get started on planning for the sewer interceptor,” said Councilor Victor Chudowsky. “I think that’s extremely important.”

Eagan said she’s also considering new ways to market the site, which she thinks could help match the seven properties with appropriate developers.

Councilor Casey Roats noted “beggars can’t be choosers,” suggesting the city should loosen up the kinds of businesses it is looking to sell to.

Clinton disagreed, saying the city “has to have a vision,” adding that land at Juniper Ridge will never be as cheap as other properties for big industrial buildings because of how rocky the soil is. As a result, higher-end firms looking for smaller sites make the most sense, he suggested.

Juniper Ridge is an urban improvement district, meaning the city can borrow money to build infrastructure based on the prospect of future tax revenue being generated from whatever buildings may eventually occupy the site.

As part of a separate topic, the council discussed the possibility of creating three new urban renewal districts. The criteria for creating such a district is vague, Eagan noted, with the requirement that an area contain “blight.”

Blight can simply mean an area is isolated or not fully developed. The City Council signaled its support for studies evaluating the potential of three large areas to serve as urban renewal districts.

One of the areas covers the city’s core commercial areas, stretching from downtown east to Third Street and the area along U.S. Highway 97 west of Pilot Butte. Another study area covers much of southwest Bend west of the Deschutes River, while the final area is centered around the Mill District, extending to a big chunk of the city to the south.

The areas are intentionally large, Eagan said, so the evaluation may determine what areas could feasibly work as urban renewal districts.

The history of urban renewal, Eagan added, is divided between two traditions. One emphasizes building up neighborhoods to increase density and a city’s tax base, getting the most intense development possible. The other leverages money to help struggling neighborhoods, for example by creating new access to an area that was previously isolated.

Councilor Nathan Boddie said development can be great but that he doesn’t want “vibrancy to hurt affordability,” suggesting the city intentionally protect affordable housing in any new urban renewal districts.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160, tleeds@bendbulletin.com