City Council Work Session - 7/22/26, 4:00PM

The City of Bend, Oregon City Council held a work session on July 22, 2026, focusing extensively on housing, permitting, and shelter planning amid challenging market and funding conditions. The council received detailed updates on housing permit trends, noting a slowing pipeline and challenges in meeting ambitious housing goals, particularly for affordable and middle-income housing. Staff presented data on permit review times, process complexities, and potential improvements, including enhanced support for smaller builders. The council also discussed a proposed Request for Proposals (RFP) for affordable housing development on city-owned industrial land in Juniper Ridge, outlining criteria for lease or sale with a minimum 30-year affordability covenant. Additionally, the session addressed shelter capacity concerns due to declining federal and state funding, emphasizing the need to maintain and potentially expand shelter beds, including permanent supportive housing, with a focus on funding strategies for the 2027-2029 biennium. The council considered policy and operational aspects of shelter services, community engagement, and regional collaboration to sustain homelessness interventions. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript, but the session included requests for council direction on housing and shelter planning initiatives and adjustments to the council meeting schedule to improve information dissemination and workload management.