City outlines Invest Bend strategy; seeks BDAB input on metrics and partnerships

Katie Brooks, Bend’s newly appointed economic development officer, briefed the BDAB committee on Invest Bend, a city economic development strategy and the broader program the city is building to coordinate urban renewal, business relations, partnerships and housing.

Brooks said the Invest Bend strategy is intended to align internal departments, urban renewal decisions and regional partners to strengthen economic prosperity and to produce an actionable investment plan. She said the program will focus on four buckets: informing urban‑renewal investment choices, supporting destination and recruitment activity, strengthening partnerships (workforce, higher education, regional organizations) and enabling internal city programs for business support, permitting navigation and housing.

Brooks outlined near‑term milestones: stakeholder interviews and a final focus group to inform a draft investment plan; a council update in mid‑October (Oct. 15); and a final investment plan scheduled for presentation to the City Council Dec. 3. She said the plan will be a five‑year outlook with immediate emphasis on the current biennium and that it will produce specific metrics and an economic index to track local performance. “Invest Bend it's a 5 year outlook. It's a stretch goal. But, really, it's a focus on this biennium,” she said.

The presentation included partners the city expects to work with: COIC, EDCO, OSU‑Cascades, Central Oregon Community College, East Cascades Works, the Chamber and urban‑renewal staff. Brooks said the city will use urban‑renewal tools and site‑specific investments alongside private funding to leverage projects. BDAB members and staff discussed benchmarking to peer cities, measures of success, and incentives limitations tied to state law; members asked for district‑specific metrics and for clarity about how Invest Bend’s work will interact with the urban renewal boards.

Brooks said staff will return with more detailed indices and recommended metrics and that the draft plan will be refined after feedback from BDAB and stakeholder groups. She also asked BDAB members to review materials from an Aug. 28 stakeholder focus group that included BIPOC business owners and economic partners and to set aside time at a future BDAB meeting to review the focus‑group recommendations.

What happens next: staff will circulate the focus‑group notes, complete interviews and focus groups, and present an update to City Council Oct. 15. Staff expects to bring a draft investment plan to BDAB and then a final plan to council on Dec. 3.