Bend urban renewal staff outline targets for core area, Juniper Ridge and new loan/grant programs

Jonathan Taylor, the city’s urban renewal program manager, gave BDAB a detailed overview of urban renewal tools, the mechanics of tax‑increment financing (TIF), and proposed programs to accelerate commercial and industrial development.

Taylor explained how urban renewal captures incremental assessed value to finance public investments and why expanding commercial and industrial assessed value reduces reliance on residential property for public services. He described three priority areas: the newly established core area, Murphy Crossing and Juniper Ridge.

For the core area, staff proposed an $8.9 million five‑year investment package intended to spur roughly $100 million in private investment, produce about 100 housing units and deliver visible beautification and park improvements. Murphy Crossing proposals included acquisition, grants and loans to revitalize underperforming retail centers and create a 3‑acre park. Juniper Ridge priorities focused on extending plan duration and increasing maximum indebtedness to invest in infrastructure that would make approximately 10 acres shovel‑ready and support long‑term industrial job targets.

Taylor also presented programmatic tools designed to lower financial barriers for developers and small businesses: a tenant‑improvement grant tier (roughly $10,000–$50,000 per project), a microloan program (~$25,000) with a six‑month deferral, a small business loan up to $250,000, and a predevelopment loan program up to $750,000 to fund feasibility and entitlement work.

Staff emphasized these tools are intended as targeted, short‑term investments to catalyze private reinvestment; each has eligibility rules and would be vetted through legal and bond counsel. Taylor asked the advisory board to review program parameters as staff finalizes the Burra investment plan and noted more public engagement and detailed cost estimates will follow.