Bend subcommittee reviews 'People Streets' low‑car study as downtown businesses warn of parking impacts

City of Bend staff on April 23 presented a draft People Streets (low‑car district) study to the Community Building Subcommittee, saying the document is a policy and design study rather than a construction plan, while downtown business and arts representatives urged careful steps before any change to parking or car access.

The study, led by the city’s growth management team, examines concepts and design guidance for “people‑centered” streets and includes a Juniper‑to‑Drake Park case study intended to test implementation constraints in an already built downtown. Susanna Jubler of the city’s Growth Management Department told the subcommittee, “This is just a study... nothing is changing to the built environment that we have out there now.” Jubler said the report will inform the city’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) update and the next comprehensive planning cycle.

Why it matters: Jubler said the work responds to new state Climate Friendly Equitable Communities rules that require jurisdictions to plan for low‑car/no‑car street types in appropriate residential or mixed‑use areas. Subcommittee discussion centered on how to balance the state’s direction on land use and mode shift with the concerns of downtown businesses and institutions that depend on vehicle access and short‑term parking.

What staff described

Jubler summarized the study’s scope: a review of national best practices, a draft set of street types for “people streets,”…