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Deschutes County hearing on Lava Terrace winery modification spotlights wastewater, traffic and zoning disputes
Summary
At a Feb. 25 public hearing, the Board of County Commissioners heard hours of testimony for and against the Lava Terrace Sellers' modification to operate a tasting room and winery on a 5.43‑acre MUA‑10 parcel near Bend. Applicant counsel cited an ODEQ determination and reduced production; neighbors raised statutory and groundwater concerns. The record was closed and deliberations scheduled for a later date.
A public hearing in Deschutes County on Feb. 25 drew a packed room and hours of testimony over a modification of application from Dina and Duane Barker to operate Lava Terrace as a winery and tasting room in the multiple‑use agricultural (MUA‑10) zone.
Nathaniel Miller, an associate planner with the county, told the Board of County Commissioners the proposal seeks a conditional use permit modification to allow winery production, tastings and limited events at 20520 Bowery Lane. Miller summarized the procedural history, including an earlier hearings officer approval (Jan. 2, 2024) and the applicant’s December 2025 modification filing. He said the modification reduces annual production and changes parking and site layout requirements, and that ODEQ issued a determination letter addressing wastewater management.
Why it matters: supporters say the project advances agritourism and local farm businesses; opponents say it would improperly commercialize a small, groundwater‑reliant neighborhood and might conflict with state land‑use rules.
Representing the applicants, attorney Caroline Selick of Davis Wright Tremaine said the modified application reduces annual production from 2,000 to 1,500 cases, limits tastings to…
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