The city has almost no ability to stop growth. And I can assure you that no one I know, from all sides of the political spectrum, believes we can. People in the United States can live wherever they want. Bend has been named by numerous national publications as a great place to live, work and even die. State laws require an urban growth boundary.
State policy encourages growth within the urban growth boundary.
State laws require counties to do a 20 year population forecast. Bend s official forecast is 58,000 for 2010, and 69,000 for 2020. We re clearly exceeding the official forecasts and new forecast numbers will be released soon. State law requires a local comprehensive plan containing enough land to accommodate housing, industrial and commercial needs for 20 years. State law requires cities to approve any permit application for development that is consistent with its ordinances.