Bend urban renewal manager outlines strategy to use tax increment financing for housing, jobs and infrastructure

Jonathan Taylor, urban renewal manager for the City of Bend, briefed the Environmental and Climate Committee on a draft Urban Renewal investment strategy that would guide how the Bend Urban Renewal Agency uses tax increment financing (TIF) to support housing, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and beautification projects in existing TIF areas.

Taylor said the draft strategy identifies five focus areas — housing development, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, business and land development, and beautification — and describes short-, medium- and long-term investment types, from research to capacity-building infrastructure. He described program goals and several numeric targets that are part of the current draft.

Taylor identified housing targets in the draft: a short-term agency goal of 1,000 multi-family units, and a…