Oregon State University - Cascades submitted a completed site application to the City of Bend on Friday, April 25, for the first phase of its development of a new four-year branch university campus on a 10-acre property in west Bend.
Over the next 120 days, OSU-Cascades will engage with the City of Bend and the community in the land-use process to fully support code requirements for the 10-acre property, which already meets city zoning as a university campus.
City of Bend officials anticipate a public hearing on OSU-Cascades' application in May or June.
At the same time, OSU-Cascades is also planning for contingencies should the land use process be extended by providing for temporary classrooms and housing within West Bend for undergraduate students in fall 2015.
While the 10-acre property is zoned for use as a university, we understand that the City of Bend has elevated the application review to a hearings officer in anticipation of an appeal, said OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson. The elevated process and any appeals will extend the campus development timeline beyond the initial estimate.
On the academic planning side, faculty hiring and academic course planning is underway to provide in fall 2015 for the launch of a full slate of required undergraduate baccalaureate core courses.
The academic planning is fully on track and we will be prepared in fall 2015 with new faculty to teach the freshman and sophomore courses that will expand OSU-Cascades to a four-year university, said Johnson.