Bend Seeks Sequential Review Pathway for 20-Year Growth Plan; County Asked to Join UGB Amendment Process

BEND, Ore. — City of Bend planning staff asked the Deschutes County Board and Bend City Council Sept. 29 to approve a sequential-review approach under state rules for the city’s next 20-year growth-plan update, telling the joint session the process could reduce the risk of remands by getting core land-need analyses approved before proceeding to zoning and UGB expansions.

Brian Raek, Long Range Planning manager for the City of Bend, and Damien Sernick, senior planner, described a multi-package work plan that would address housing and employment land needs first (package 1, 2026–27), then move into capacity, efficiency measures, climate-friendly areas and the UGB amendment (package 2, 2028–29). Raek said sequential review is a method other Oregon cities have used and that new statewide rules (including the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis and climate-focused planning rules) increase the value of staging the review.

Why it matters

Sequential review allows the city to seek state acknowledgement on core technical products—buildable lands inventory, initial housing capacity analysis and economic opportunity analysis—before pursuing the UGB amendment and the zoning changes that depend on those technical determinations. City staff said the approach reduces the risk of having to redo dependent work if the state or an appeal challenges an earlier technical conclusion.

Next steps and schedule

- The city planned to ask City Council to adopt a resolution on Nov. 19 directing staff to pursue sequential review; staff said they would then ask the county to adopt a corresponding order so the city can submit written notice to the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) in December.

- DLCD officials were listed as available on the meeting’s Zoom call; staff said DLCD would have up to 120 days to review a sequential-review work plan after receiving notice.

Scope and constraints

City staff noted that some deliverables (for example, the housing production strategy) would be adopted separately and not submitted as part of the sequential-review package; other new state rules (Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities; the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis) are scheduled for adoption at the state level this fall and may affect the city’s technical work.

Speakers

- Brian Raek, Long Range Planning Manager, City of Bend - Damien Sernick, Senior Planner, City of Bend

Actions and requests

1) Action (planned): City to request City Council resolution (Nov. 19) and county order to proceed with sequential review - kind: referral - motion: "City will request council resolution to initiate sequential review and county partnership to submit notice to DLCD." - mover/second: not specified - vote_record: [] - outcome: planned - notes: Staff requested county participation in the sequential-review notice and outlined a work plan for 2026–29.

Clarifying details

- Planning period proposed for sequential review: 2029–2049 (20-year horizon) - Key packages: Package 1 (land need: buildable lands inventory, housing phase 1, economic opportunities analysis), Package 2 (housing capacity phase 2, climate-friendly area designation, efficiency measures, UGB amendment) - DLCD rule timeline: new ONA rules released Oct. 1, public comment through Nov. 7, anticipated adoption in December; staff expects to be among the early adopters using the new rules.

Proper names

- Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) - Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (ONA) rules - Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules

Meeting context

- Engagement level: planning presentation with both bodies; the county’s formal action would be limited to UGB amendment adoption in later packages. - Implementation risk: medium — new state rules introduce technical uncertainty and sequencing adds administrative steps but reduces remand risk.

Searchable tags:["UGB","sequential review","DLCD","housing needs analysis","Bend planning"]

Provenance: [{"block_id":"s-6444.31","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"Damien Sernick, he's a senior planner in the growth management division, and we're here to talk to you about 2 things really, give you an update, a briefing, pretty short and sweet on the upcoming growth plan.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s-7439.51","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"With respect to what McMinnville and Yamhill County did, they had each governing body designate someone to sign on their behalf...so as Brian mentioned in the beginning, 1 of the key advantages we're trying to to gain with using this sequential process is getting products approved as we go.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

Salience: {"overall":0.55,"overall_justification":"Significant for local planning and future housing/employment capacity; staged review affects timeline and state interactions.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Directly shapes Bend's long-range land-use and housing planning."}