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Public hearing in Deschutes County focuses FY27 work plan on groundwater, rural housing and childcare
Summary
At a June 3 public hearing, county planning staff and residents focused the Community Development Department’s FY27 work plan discussion on long‑range planning priorities: groundwater protection, manufactured‑home park options, childcare code revisions and rural ADUs; the board left the written record open for one week.
Deschutes County held a public hearing on June 3 to review the Community Development Department’s draft fiscal year 2026‑27 work plan. Peter Vichowski, the department director, said the long‑range planning team will concentrate on growth and development in unincorporated areas and highlighted projects in tables one through three of the work plan. The planning commission recommended support for those projects and emphasized prioritizing childcare code amendments.
Testimony focused on several recurring themes. Multiple residents asked the board to prioritize groundwater protection and pursue designation of groundwater areas of concern, which can change how sewer and development options are pursued in rural unincorporated communities. Commissioners and staff discussed pursuing rule‑making with the state Department of Land Conservation and Development to enable manufactured‑home parks or tie park density to underlying zoning as one pathway to increase rural housing options.
Childcare was a frequent topic: staff noted a 2020 code change to reduce conditional‑use permits for childcare but said few applications have resulted, and commissioners observed that regulatory streamlining alone does not resolve the financial obstacles to operating childcare. The board and staff discussed exploring light‑industrial allowances, preapproved building plans or other incentives, while recognizing septic, water and building code constraints that affect rural ADUs and childcare projects.
Several speakers raised concerns about large power users and data centers, especially after a proposed facility in La Pine drew local attention; speakers asked the county to consider regional energy planning, transmission impacts and whether local moratoria or city actions are appropriate. County staff clarified that a land‑use moratorium would apply only in unincorporated areas under county authority and that most new data centers are likely to site within city limits, which have their own authority.
The board left the written record open for one week to allow additional comments, and staff offered to return with a revised work plan memo and suggested changes — including adding specificity on manufactured‑home park rulemaking, a groundwater area‑of‑concern process, and childcare priorities — for a future meeting, tentatively June 17.
