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Crook County planning staff report steady permitting and several large projects in pipeline
Summary
County community development staff told commissioners that permit activity has settled to typical levels, described several large projects in preliminary stages (apartments, a data center, solar projects) and said a Department of Defense grant will fund work on a military overlay zone and zoning updates for renewable energy.
John Neister, Crook County community development director, gave the work session a monthly update on planning and building activity on Jan. 29, saying overall permit counts have stabilized after a prior period of large projects and outlining several major projects that are active or expected to return to the board.
Neister said inspection counts are lower for the winter season and cited current project volumes: roughly 88 houses in active construction, about 800 associated residential permits and approximately 221 commercial permits in various stages of review or inspection. He described December permit activity as consistent with recent non‑data‑center years.
Among larger projects, staff said an apartment project on Madras Highway has begun deep sewer work requiring multiple pumps and 28‑foot excavations to manage groundwater and that coordination with contractors is ongoing so underground utilities can be completed before building construction begins. The county is also reviewing work that will finish a second phase of an Apple facility and said multiple apartment and accessory parking projects are advancing through design review.
Staff reported work with a new data center applicant that is still revising plans and said they expect additional plan submissions. Neister said the developer New Sun is preparing to return to the county on a smaller previously approved conditional use permit and for a comp‑plan exception and that New Sun also plans Moffett Solar work and a substation investment to accommodate grid connections.
Neister said the county will pursue a Department of Defense (DOD) planning grant to develop a military overlay zone and to update the county’s commercial renewable energy facility code and possibly make comp‑plan amendments to reflect energy needs and siting considerations. He warned that state land‑use policy limits make siting large‑scale solar on prime farm land legally complex and said the county is drafting language to reduce litigation risk for future projects.
Invenergy and other developers have proposed battery storage projects near existing industrial sites, staff said. Neister also noted the City of Prineville plans an urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion to bring additional land, including Stafford area parcels, into city limits.
On code enforcement, Neister said the city has hired two sworn code compliance officers to handle municipal nuisance and animal complaints while the county continues to handle land‑use, septic and building‑code issues outside city limits.
Commissioners asked staff to bring planning items back when applications are complete; staff said several items will come before the planning commission and the board in the coming months.
