Deschutes County commissioners approved restrictions on destination resorts in a 2-1 decision Wednesday. The move limits what kind of housing can be built in any new resorts built within 24 air miles of Bend.

Central Oregon LandWatch, a local land use advocacy nonprofit that proposed the changes in the fall, is calling the decision “the end of an era” for destination resorts in Deschutes County.

Commissioners Patti Adair and Phil Chang approved the changes, with Commissioner Tony DeBone as the lone opposing vote.

He called it a shortcut to stopping future development opportunities.

According to state law, destination resorts cannot be built within 24 air miles from an urban growth boundary containing a population of 100,000 or more unless residential uses are restricted to resort staff and management. Portland State University’s 2021 population estimates put Bend over that 100,000 person threshold.

That population estimate report was released in April 2022, and LandWatch applied to the county to change its rules roughly six months later.

“This is a huge win for Central Oregon’s livability,” LandWatch attorney Rory Isbell said in a press release Wednesday. “By voting to approve Central Oregon LandWatch’s proposed amendment, the Deschutes County commissioners have assured residents that the era of new mega-destination resorts is over.”

The issue drew more than 570 public comments detailing concerns ranging from water and wildlife to housing availability and land use. It’s one of the largest turnouts for public comments, according to Tarik Rawlings, a planner with the county’s community development department.

“Ultimately, it’s going to be a very clear indication of how different it’s going to be to try to propose and develop a new resort,” Rawlings said.

Comments came from a wide range of individuals, from Thornburgh Resort owner Kameron DeLashmutt to its longtime opponent Nunzie Gould, planning commissioner and multigenerational Central Oregon farmer Matt Cyrus and Oregon’s Peoples’ Rights leader and former Redmond-area park board candidate BJ Soper. Thornburgh, though it isn’t fully developed yet, won’t be affected by the new rules because its conceptual master plan has already been approved.

The Central Oregon Association of Realtors’ president, Brent Landels, and head of government affairs, Susanna Abrahamson, also weighed in. They said the new rules pose a danger of limiting housing development in Deschutes County while the state has a housing shortage.

A handful of people questioned whether LandWatch was proposing the changes through the appropriate avenues. The nonprofit went through a text amendment process while others said a mapping or planning process would’ve been more suitable because there are only a certain amount of mapped properties in the county allowed to develop destination resorts.

Commissioners, based on advice from legal counsel, deemed LandWatch’s approach to be an appropriate one.

“The nature of those destination resorts moving forward will be different, but we are not changing the map,” Chang said.

The rules won’t go into effect for several months, and opponents do have the opportunity to appeal.