Deschutes County holds de novo hearing on request to rezone 240 acres east of Bend; written record left open under 7-7-7 schedule

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 20 held a de novo public hearing on an application to amend the comprehensive plan and rezone 240 acres east of Bend from Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) to Multiple Use Agricultural (MUA-10). The board left the written record open under a standard 7-7-7 schedule: new evidence due Aug. 27 at 4 p.m., rebuttal due Sept. 3 at 4 p.m., and the applicant’s final legal argument due Sept. 10 at 4 p.m.

Audrey Stewart, associate planner with Deschutes County Community Development, summarized the application and process. She said the property consists of four tax lots totaling 240 acres, contains a lot-of-record dwelling and a photovoltaic solar array covering about 62 acres, and lies east of Bend north of Highway 20 between Ward Road and Erickson Road. The applicant seeks a comprehensive plan amendment from agriculture to rural residential exception area and a zone change from EFU to MUA-10. Stewart explained the county must hold a de novo hearing because the request affects resource land and outlined four procedural options the board could take following the hearing.

Christopher Koback, the applicant’s attorney, said the record compiled by staff and the hearings officer supports approval. He described past rezones east of Bend, explained that the applicant’s soil consultant relied on NRCS mapping and a memo interpreting complex soil units, and said the hearings officer recommended approval. Koback noted the solar array on the property would be a nonconforming use under MUA-10 and…