Deschutes County could have a new city on the map, possibly the first one in Oregon in 17 years. This week, county officials scheduled a public hearing on the matter for next month.
A local resident submitted an application in February to incorporate a new city called Mountain View, located between Bend’s eastern border and the rural community of Brothers.
Andrew Aasen, who submitted the petition, said the proposed city would have around 165 residents. Aasen said 80% of registered voters in the area signed the petition.
The new city, if approved, would cover a large area. Aasen has proposed a total footprint of 265 square miles, larger than the city of Portland.
Forming a new city is exceedingly rare in Oregon, and even attempts to do so aren’t something Deschutes County planners see often. The last city in the state to incorporate was La Pine in Deschutes County in 2006. It had a population of 900 residents at the time and has grown to about 2,600 residents today.
Damascus in Clackamas County became incorporated in 2004 but eventually disincorporated in 2020 after an eight-year legal fight.
Aasen hopes incorporating a new city will solve two problems: a lack of emergency services and impractical zoning for residential areas. The area is not served by a fire district, he said, and he would like the city to create a new fire district for faster, reliable response to emergencies.
Aasen also said much of the area is zoned for Exclusive Farm Use, making it difficult for people to build homes on land they purchased.
“That has led most of the residents to living in sheds or other structures that the county deems unsafe or unsustainable,” Aasen said.
He has personal experience with the issue. Deschutes County sued Aasen in March for living in a house without proper permits and county approval. The county claimed Aasen’s home was “unsafe for human occupancy,” according to a lawsuit the county voluntarily dropped in June.
Apart from farming, the area of the proposed city is also home to large swaths of federal land. Aasen himself estimates that the vast majority of the area is federally owned.
Aasen is also running as an independent for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, a seat currently occupied by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Happy Valley Republican.
Deschutes County expects to hold a public hearing on the proposed city on Sept. 20 at 9 a.m.