Board deliberates remand on Thornburgh destination-resort amendments; staff to return with draft decision July 23

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners held deliberations on a Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remand of an amendment to the Thornburgh destination-resort final master plan and asked staff to prepare a draft written decision by July 23.

Principal planner Jacob Ripper briefed the board on the remand scope: LUBA returned three narrow issues for county reconsideration and reopened the record only for one topic (the economic analysis). The three remand issues the board reviewed were: (1) whether the 2022 Fish and Wildlife Management Plan (FWMP) satisfies the “no net loss” standard for habitat given groundwater impacts; (2) whether economic changes (notably a reduction in golf-course acreage) required a new or supplemental economic analysis under county code (DCC 18.13070(c)(3)–(4)); and (3) whether findings and process…