WednesdAy • April 28, 2021 • Serving Central Oregon since 1903 • $1.50
SPORTS PULLOUT, A5-8
Updated COVID-19 risk levels in Oregon
Deschutes, Crook counties
are back to ‘extreme risk’
Restrictions for dining and other indoor activities return Friday
By GARy A. WARneR
Oregon Capital Bureau
Fifteen Oregon coun-
ties were put back under the
extreme risk category for
COVID-19 spread on Tuesday
as Gov. Kate Brown sought to
stem the latest spike in pan-
demic infections.
The affected counties ac-
count for more than half
of the state’s 4.3 million
population: Baker, Clacka-
mas, Columbia, Crook, De-
schutes, Grant, Jackson, Jose-
phine, Klamath, Lane, Linn,
Marion, Multnomah, Polk
and Wasco.
The new limits will go into
effect on Friday.
The extreme risk level shuts
down indoor dining, limits
crowd sizes, caps entertain-
ment and exercise activities
and requires most businesses
to close by 11 p.m.
See Counties / A4
Coming restrictions bring balancing
act to Central Oregon businesses
By sUZAnne ROIG
The Bulletin
After more than a year of
businesses opening and clos-
ing, one more month won’t
make a difference.
That’s the view of Derek
Sitter, Volcanic Theatre Pub
owner.
“May looks shot to me to
book any artists,” Sitter said.
“With all the protocols, it
might cost more to open than
to remain closed.”
With the warmer weather,
the governor’s Tuesday deci-
sion to send Deschutes and
Crook counties back to a
more restrictive COVID-19
risk category might not be
as severe for businesses, but
could have an effect on the re-
gion’s economy, said Damon
Runberg, Oregon Employ-
ment Department regional
economist.
The restrictions take effect
Friday. Jefferson County will
remain in the high-risk cat-
egory.
Fifteen counties are being
moved to the more restrictive
extreme risk category. The
move comes at the same time
when vaccine appointments
go unfilled at the mass vacci-
nation site at the Deschutes
County Fair & Expo Center.
“I don’t anticipate us see-
ing net job losses due to this
shift,” Runberg said.
See Restrictions / A4
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL IN BEND
Village planned as ‘first step out of homelessness’
By KyLe sPURR • The Bulletin
s
t. Vincent de Paul in Bend is transforming an empty lot behind its food bank on Third Street into a 10-unit village for homeless people in
need of a temporary shelter. Each unit will be about 100 square feet with a window, bed, small table and chair, but the structures will offer
homeless people a stable location, said Gary Hewitt, Bend’s St. Vincent de Paul manager.
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
“It’s meant to be a first step out of
homelessness,” Hewitt said. “We sim-
ply want to help somebody who is un-
housed for whatever reason.”
The nonprofit social service agency
was awarded a $150,000 grant from
the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development to start construc-
tion on the homeless village project.
The local agency hopes to raise at least
another $150,000 to fully fund the
project.
Construction is expected to begin in
May, and the 10 units could be com-
pleted by the fall, Hewitt said.
A house next to the empty lot will
be turned into a resource center for
the residents at the village. The center
will offer internet access and a space to
meet with advocates and get referred to
various programs in the region, Hewitt
said.
“If you are living in this tiny sleep-
ing unit, you are going to need a place
to get online and look for jobs or sign
up for Social Security and disability,”
Hewitt said.
Each resident will stay no longer
than 18 to 24 months. The goal is for
them to build a rental history and use
the time at the village to find perma-
nent housing, Hewitt said.
Hewitt is looking for volunteers to
become coaches for the residents and
help them navigate some of the hurdles
of homelessness, such as finding health
care, getting a driver’s license and find-
ing employment.
Gary Hewitt, manager at st. Vincent de Paul in Bend, talks Thursday about the plans to build 10-unit village in this lot behind the current facility (seen behind green fence).
See Village / A4
Bend council considers removing parking requirements
By BRennA VIsseR
The Bulletin
Getting rid of parking re-
quirements is being considered
in Bend, with advocates argu-
ing fewer requirements lead
to a more sustainable and af-
fordable future and opponents
TODAY’S
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arguing no requirements will
cause more parking problems
in the city.
Bend, like several other cit-
ies across the nation, requires
a minimum number of park-
ing spaces when a new house,
apartment or business is built.
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That number can be based
on several factors, including
square footage or the number
of bedrooms in an apartment.
Last week, the Bend City
Council showed support to
look into removing those
parking requirements for new
developments citywide. The
idea, first proposed by Coun-
cilor Melanie Kebler in Feb-
ruary, received unanimous
support.
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The goal of this policy would
be to move Bend toward a less
car-dependent, more environ-
mentally sustainable future in
the long run, Kebler said. It
could also encourage denser
housing and a better transpor-
tation system that can be used
by everyone — not just people
who can afford a car.
“How are we prioritizing dif-
ferent uses of the land to make
space for people? I think that’s
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what this policy is really about,”
Kebler said. “How much space
do we want to require to be
dedicated to cars? And I think
that’s the conversation we’re
having.”
About a half dozen cities
have implemented this policy
in full, and hundreds at least in
part, in recent years, according
to Sightline Institute, a sustain-
ability think tank. The concept
of removing parking require-
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Vol. 117, No. 329, 14 pages, 1 section
ments is based on research,
largely from UCLA professor
Donald Shoup, who argues free
off-street parking spots “in-
crease housing costs, subsidize
cars, worsen traffic congestion,
pollute the air and water, dam-
age the economy, degrade ur-
ban design, encourage sprawl,
reduce walkability, exclude
poor people, and accelerate
global warming.”
See Parking / A13
DAILY
City currently requires a minimum number
of parking spaces with all new developments
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