By Dalton Roth
Central Oregon Daily
Central Oregon’s growth is unavoidable and many of the local communities we know and love are changing with it.
The city of Redmond held an open house Thursday night to get community input on future growth.
“We need to keep on top of things, don’t let it fall behind,” said Eric Sande, director of the Redmond Chamber of Commerce. “If you fall behind then you’re playing catch up and then things usually cost more.”
Twenty years may seem like a long time, but for the city of Redmond, 2040 is right around the corner. To stay ahead, the city is asking the community for input on what makes Redmond unique, what is important to preserve and what they would like to see changed.
“It really does help guide the leaders of the community,” Sande said. “It gives them a sense of what is needed and what’s wanted.”
The people of Redmond know their voice matters.
“One of the things I love about Redmond is that a person or a group of people can make a difference and can turn the tide and can make things happen,” said Redmond resident Diana Barker. “I think that transportation is one of the things that is starting to become top of mind … Right now we don’t have a traffic problem but we know that with the population that we know is moving here we will have a transportation problem if we’re not ahead of it.”
Keeping Redmond, Redmond, is the most important part for city planners.
“I think people really love what’s happening in Redmond and they want to be a part of it. We want to make sure families can live here; families can have a place to play with their children,” Sande said. “They want to know their neighbors and be a part of their neighborhoods. It’s nice to see that sense of community is strong here. We’re in a unique position because we are a growing community with a lot of forethought in our city council and staff with the city. We’re lucky to have a city that wants to maintain excellent services and afford-ability is something they keep top of mind.”
Change is coming to Central Oregon, but with a little planning, Redmond is ready.
“Why would anyone want to live anywhere else; there’s everything here,” Barker said. “We have a great park system, it’s getting better all the time. The weather is great, so why would you want to live anywhere else.”
If you missed the open house, you can visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/redmond2040vision to contribute your opinions on the future of Redmond.