Comment on the Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan by May 21
Submit a comment or sign up to testify at the public hearing on May 21 to demand a plan that responsibly stewards our natural resources
Photo: Bob Pool
The Background
Over the course of 2022-2024, Deschutes County developed a new Comprehensive Plan to guide goals, policies, and actions that affect all of Deschutes County outside of city limits through 2040.
LandWatch and a coalition of local, regional, and statewide organizations advocated for policy improvements throughout the Comprehensive Plan update process to better protect our land, water, and wildlife.
In October 2024, Deschutes County adopted a new Plan, and LandWatch appealed that plan to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) because it offered a less-than-satisfactory framework for our future.
LandWatch’s appeal raised concerns that the Plan violates state land use planning goals and allows unmitigated rezoning of farm and forest resource lands — degrading wildlife habitat, stressing water resources, increasing wildfire risk, and negatively impacting agricultural livelihoods.
In February 2025, after reading our legal arguments, Deschutes County “withdrew for reconsideration” its new Comprehensive Plan. This itself is a nice win for our community’s efforts to rein in irresponsible stewardship of our natural resources! Now, we have another chance to urge the County to adopt a Plan that better safeguards our rural lands and natural resources.
Another Chance to Improve the Comprehensive Plan
The Board of County Commissioners held a public reconsideration hearing on the new Comprehensive Plan on Wednesday, April 23—and LandWatch's community showed up. In-person testimony was unanimously aligned with LandWatch’s concerns, as was the written record. If you submitted a comment leading up to the hearing or testified in-person, thank you.
Following testimony, the Board chose to continue the hearing to May 21, including both written and oral testimony. This means we have additional time to organize and advocate for key improvements to Deschutes County’s new Comprehensive Plan.
County residents are once again invited to submit written comments or attend the May 21 hearing and provide additional testimony related to the issues LandWatch raised before LUBA.
Note: This hearing will be limited de novo, meaning testimony should be related to the concerns raised by LandWatch before the LUBA.