Oregon’s Department of Transportation says its DMV office in Bend will be staying put. The decision a little more than a year after the agency aborted a controversial plan to move the office to a shopping plaza.
Bend’s DMV wound up at its current location after the lease ran out at its previous home a little more than two years ago.
ODOT decided to temporarily move the DMV into a state-owned building off the highway. But the agency reconsidered the site, after a deal to move the offices to a shopping plaza fell apart in the face of broad local opposition.
Dave Thompson is a spokesman for ODOT. He says once the deal fell through, the agency considered several sites this time with an emphasis on public input.
But he says ultimately the decision came down to answering just one question.
“What’s the best deal? And if you don’t go though the real estate vetting process, which takes a great deal of time, you don’t know,” Thompson said.
According to Thompson ODOT plans to spend more than a million dollars to renovate the building. He says the agency expects the DMV will continue stay at this location for the foreseeable future.
