Thoughtfully planning the location of structures, parking, service areas, walkways and amenities has a marked impact on the overall appearance of an area. Well-planned sites that are carefully integrated with neighboring areas have a powerful impact upon the function and attractiveness of their entire neighborhood.

To recapture some of the human-scale, small town ambiance that for many years was Bend, much of the recent pattern and trends in site planning will need to be reversed. The pattern of buildings surrounded by acres of parking and set back away from the public street should be modified so that additional buildings on development “pads” or buildings on new sites are placed closer to the front property line and have a main entrance oriented to the street and sidewalk.

Interrelated to building siting, pedestrian walkways from both sidewalks and parking lots should be provided for safety and to help reestablish the desirability of pedestrian travel. These walkways should be pleasant to use and incorporate landscaping, drop-off bays, bicycle facilities and other non-automobile related amenities. They should be designed in such a manner that they are logical extensions of walkways on adjoining sites, and complement established urban and bicycle trails.

Community amenities such as patio/seating areas, water features, artwork or sculpture, clock towers, pedestrian-oriented plazas with park benches or other features should be located adjacent to the primary entrances of buildings to help facilitate pedestrian meeting spaces and to provide places of refuge from parking areas. These amenities should be scaled to the size of their development and should be required for larger developments. The inclusion of community amenities helps to create attractive public spaces and reinforces the importance of a human-scaled environment.

Site grading should be held to a minimum, and new developments should work within the parameters of existing topography in order to create a natural looking setting. Natural features and areas of special interest must be protected during construction and incorporated into the overall project design.