Board of Commissioners Wednesday Meeting, May 20, 2026
Approves Memorandum of Understanding with Lava Bear Solar LLC for solar project outreach, unanimous
What happened
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding (document 2026-0081) with Lava Bear Solar LLC to authorize community outreach for a potential solar project on county-owned land north of Fort Thompson Lane near Bend (unanimous 3-0).
- Jurisdiction
- Deschutes County, OR
- Governing body
- Final authority
- Date
- May 20, 2026
- Decisions
- 3 zoning decisions
- Outcome
- Approved, unanimous
Free sample: decision 1 of 3
Memorandum of Understanding with Lava Bear Solar LLC for solar project outreach
Board approved document number 2026-0081, an MOU with Lava Bear Solar LLC authorizing community outreach (door-to-door for ~20 adjacent property owners, mailing to ~300 owners within a half mile, and an open-house community learning session at the Hanai Center) associated with a potential solar project on county-owned property north of Fort Thompson Lane in Bend. Includes a one-year exclusivity period for solar companies. Represented/led by Limitless Solutions (Joseph Mazzone, Hunter Hall) and North Renewable Energy (Mark Green, project manager for Lava Bear LLC). Vote 3-0.
- one-year exclusivity period for solar companies
- community outreach including door-to-door for ~20 adjacent owners and mailing to ~300 owners
- in-person open-house community learning session at Hanai Center
- return to board with summary report before lease negotiations
The other decisions are listed below by title. The full write-up, verbatim conditions, and the audio at each vote are in Pro.
Meeting Summary
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding (document 2026-0081) with Lava Bear Solar LLC to authorize community outreach for a potential solar project on county-owned land north of Fort Thompson Lane near Bend (unanimous 3-0).
Key Decisions (3)
Memorandum of Understanding with Lava Bear Solar LLC for solar project outreach
Digital server storage procurement from CompuNet for Sheriff's Office
Board decision not to initiate review of hearings officer decision on surface mine to rural industrial zone change
Zoning Changes (1)
Development Activity (2)
Lava Bear Solar project
Infrastructure
Cinder Butte Rock Products surface mine to rural industrial rezone
Industrial
Market Signals (4)
Infrastructure
Pacific Power indicated the city of Bend is requesting growth…
Infrastructure
Lake County was cited as desperately needing more power 'like…
Other
Volatile digital chip/server market drove a Sheriff's Office storage quote…
Commercial Demand
A 3,000-acre BLM-allocated Western solar site between Bend and Redmond…
Who Spoke (14)
On the record: the chair, 2 commissioners, 5 staff members, 3 applicant's representatives, and a witness.
Meeting Intelligence Preview
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