Information on Prineville's New Mixed-Use Development

Born in 1868, Prineville started when Barney Prine settled on the banks of the Crooked River and built a blacksmith shop and saloon.  The oldest community in Central Oregon, Prineville served as a primary place of trade until 1911, when the Union Pacific and Oregon Trunk Railways extended south from the Columbia River to Bend.

Crook County eclipsed Deschutes County as Oregon's fastest-growing county in 2005, according to population estimates from Portland State University's Population Research Center.

When it comes to growth, Prineville Oregon sees the handwriting on the wall. “I guess it’s inevitable,” said Mike Cerbone, planning director for the city. “We realize the amount of growth that is coming our way and we’re doing our darnedest to plan for it and not get bowled over by a tidal wave.”

In fact, signs of growth are all around. In addition to the numerous developments in the northern part of the city and in rural areas south of town, there are two large subdivisions pending approval inside Prineville, one for a 247-home development by Bend-based Pahlisch Homes and another that contains about 100 homesites

Planning to accommodate this and future expansion includes a proposal recently submitted to the state to increase the size of Prineville’s urban growth boundary (UGB), which will add both residential and industrial sites. The sewer system is also due to expand and the waste treatment system poised to increase capacity.

Cerbone said the industrial sites, mainly near the Prineville airport, are a way of attracting investors who will provide more jobs in the area for local homeowners.

There is another major issue that Prineville (population 8,500) faces due to growth: traffic patterns. To begin with, said Bill Zelenka, planning director for Crook County, the largest population center outside the city, Juniper Canyon, has only one access road.

With 3,000 to 4,000 residents living in this area just southeast of Prineville, the lack of egress could become a crisis in an emergency.

“There is only one road crossing the Crooked River (into and out of town). We need to try to alleviate the situation, which some call the longest cul-de-sac in Oregon,” said Zelenka. “We are looking at another road and bridge as part of our updated plan.”  

Then there’s Highway 126, which runs from Redmond to Prineville and funnels all vehicles, both local and commuter traffic, onto the east-west arterial of Third Street. Zelenka said the state is flow working on two projects on the highway west of Prineville but it may require a lot of lobbying to get the funds for future road expansion. “It’ll probably be like Highway 97 between Bend and Redmond. It will be done in pieces until the whole thing is four-lane,” he said.  

The reason more home buyers are looking to Prineville is value for their money. “I looked in Bend and Redmond for a house to buy and you are hard pressed to find anything in the $90,000 to $100,000 range,” said Cerbone. “You can still find many homes in that category here (in Prineville)”

People don’t necessarily head first for Prineville but are quickly finding the cost differential attractive.

How much longer the affordability issue will belong to Prineville is a question no one can answer, but Cerbone said there is a likelihood the planning department will ask for higher systems development charges (SDCS) in the near future,

 “We have a fee structure that is lower than many other cities in Oregon,” he said. “We may need to do some adjustment to get fees closer to actual costs.”

However, the biggest cost in home building -land- has stayed fairly low in much of Crook County with the possible exception of Powell Butte, where upscale houses are encroaching on what used to be ranch land.

Cerbone said Prineville is also trying to make sure it preserves its base of farming and ranching, as well as open space in general. “There is plenty of land that is not suitable for agriculture, but that doesn’t mean it should all be built up,” he said.

And the addition of more land to the UGB may keep supply up and costs down, at least in the near term.

Although this western town settled by Barney Prine in the 1870s has preserved its image as an authentic cowboy outpost the 21st century is sure to bring it unprecedented growth and some strain on its infrastructure. And Prineville is determined to e ready for it.

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