Oregon Public Broadcasting

Nine new destination resorts are in the planning stages in central Oregon. But critics of the developments are organizing new efforts to stop them.

Tuesday, opponents  told county officials that one proposed resort will deplete regional water. Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

Master plan hearings are usually perfunctory events. Developers get up in front of a county hearings officer. A few unhappy neighbors may speak out.

But the growth of destination resort proposals has turned these hearings into key battlefields.

Bend resident Sandy Lonsdale says these meetings focus on specific criticisms.

In this case, that the proposed Thornburgh resort north of Bend, with three golf courses, could drain water.

Sandy Lonsdale: “And the hearings officer is really only concerned with compliance with the law.”

Lonsdale says the more general opposition to these resorts is left for a different venue.

Sandy Lonsdale: “And when we get to the planning commission and county commission level, that is another opportunity for the public to comment on broader issues.”

In May, a majority of voters in Crook County said they didn't want any additional destination resorts approved.