Neighborhood coalition urges Bend to adopt Oregon R3-27 to harden new homes against wildfire

Lan Monive, co-chair of the Project Wildfire Neighborhood Coalition, told the Bend Planning Commission on Dec. 8 that the coalition voted overwhelmingly to ask the city to adopt Oregon residential code R3-27, a building-code amendment aimed at reducing structure ignition in wildfires. “This forward thinking code will improve the survivability of the 30,000 homes expected to be built in Bend over the next 20 years,” Monive said, asking the commission and council to expedite review.

Robin Church, speaking for the coalition, said R3-27 requires construction and material standards for new dwellings and accessory structures — addressing roofs, gutters, siding, vents and similar vulnerabilities. Church said the code is “shelf ready” and must be adopted in full by local ordinance rather than selectively. She pointed to Sisters’ recent ordinance and noted Sisters’ mandatory compliance date of April 1, 2026, as an example a municipality can follow.

The presenters emphasized the code applies only to new construction, not retrofits of existing homes. Church acknowledged exemptions in the draft — for example, some low-profile decks — and said decks higher off the ground would generally have screening requirements. She also said the document includes provisions that speak to townhomes.

Project Wildfire argued adoption is cost effective and helps sustain insurance markets. Church cited Headwaters Economics research saying wildfire-resistant construction adds “less than 3% to construction costs” and quoted an economic finding that “for every dollar invested in wildfire resistant development, $2.10 in future losses can be avoided.” Presenters also highlighted a Deschutes County effort to expedite countywide review and said the county planning commission would hold hearings with staff recommending countywide adoption.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions: what geographic area the city would identify under the code adoption (staff and presenters said local adoption must identify the area and that experts recommend a citywide approach), how the code treats townhomes (the presenters said the draft includes townhome-specific provisions), and whether defensible-space rules are being developed separately at the state level (presenters said the Oregon State Fire Marshal is working on a defensible-space code intended for early 2026 adoption). Presenters offered trained wildfire-risk assessments for homeowners and neighborhood outreach resources.

The presentation concluded with the coalition’s formal request that Bend’s council and staff ‘expedite the review and adoption’ of R3-27 and with materials in the commission packet that included Sisters’ ordinance and the county planning department recommendation for countywide adoption.

The commission did not take formal action on R3-27 at the Dec. 8 meeting; commissioners and staff said the subject will appear in future council discussions and work sessions.