Mayor Ed Fitch said Redmond will see a lot of change as residential, commercial and industrial developments impact the city in 2024.

Fitch gave his State of the City address Feb. 1, touching on a wide variety of issues including homelessness, livability, growth, development, transportation and water conservation in Redmond.

But change was the constant theme.

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Watch the address here: State of the City

“This community is going to change,” said Fitch. “We are not going to be stopping it, we are not going to be saying no one can come here — because legally we can’t do that. So we’ve got to deal with it. We have to be creative, think outside the box a lot and figure out how we are going to keep that livability, that small town feel of Redmond.”

Development projects in the works

With dozens of projects in planning stages, Fitch said he expects billions of dollars in investment into Redmond in the next few years. He said city officials also expect the city’s population to continue to grow by about one family per day. As of Feb. 1, the city was home to 38,208 residents and is expected to balloon to more than 54,000 by 2040.

Much of the development is focused on east Redmond, with residential homes planned for the northeast quadrant of the city and commercial development in the southeast quadrant. On 750 acres near the Redmond Airport, Fitch said developments are likely to create 9,000 new jobs over the next few years. In 2024 alone, 33 projects that will create 3,336 new jobs are expected in Redmond city limits.

“Then you add the development of old Juniper Golf Course happening in northeast Redmond, all of the commercial activity that will come along with that,” said Fitch. “We are looking at a lot of jobs, a lot of private investment and a lot of pressure for growth.”

Jobs outlook

Steve Curley, director of Redmond Economic Development, Inc. said future projections for jobs in Redmond are inexact, but useful for planning for future events.

“Not all will come to fruition because they are in the pipeline,” Curley said. “These are companies that have expressed interest and begun taking steps to move forward, but it doesn’t mean they will go all the way forward.”

Curley said the timeline on those projects is five years or more.

Wild Mike’s Ultimate Pizza still plans to relocate their corporate headquarters in Redmond and bring 114 jobs with it, though that project has already been delayed a few years. Western Bus Sales will add seven jobs next year, Diamond Line Delivery Systems will add 20, and the Nosler gun and ammunition company is likely to expand in both Redmond from Bend and add a significant number of jobs in both locations.

Curley also said the 750 acres near the airport and fairgrounds could indeed support up to 9,000 jobs. That would require getting all the necessary infrastructure in place and the continued ability to attract the right businesses to town, which could take a decade or more.

Redmond Airport keeping up with changes

Fitch said Redmond’s transformation will require collaboration on the state, federal and local levels to keep the city and its sense of community from being overwhelmed by all the change.

“I don’t think we are going to be able to get ahead of (growth), just keep abreast of it so we don’t fall behind,” Fitch said. “And that is why we are looking at a lot of these long-term plans now because we know it is coming down the pike.”

All of the growth in Redmond and in Central Oregon has caused a significant increase in traffic at the Redmond Airport, Fitch said. The $200 million airport terminal expansion that will get underway will help serve the fast-growing community.

“I would not be surprised if Redmond becomes the second busiest airport in the state in the years to come,” Fitch said.

Property taxes support public safety

When it comes to livability in Redmond, Fitch pointed out that most of the property taxes levied on the community go to public safety. He said he believes most people in town feel Redmond remains safe and neighborly.

“On the property taxes that each and every one of you have to pay in this community, you can see where it goes,” Fitch said. “And most of it is towards police services, as it should be.”

Fitch said Redmond police got 29,429 calls in 2023, slightly down from year year prior. He said there were 3,395 calls in 2023 for traffic-related incidents.

Fitch mentioned the two homicides in Redmond last year, one a drug related killing, and the second, a hit-and-run involving a motorcycle that remains under investigation.

City charter changes on ballot

At the end of his address, Fitch mentioned three city charter amendments that will appear on the May ballot. The first would limit city councilors to two consecutive four-year terms. The second would expand a mayoral term from two years to four, and the third would ban spouses, domestic partners, parents or children from serving together on the city council.

Fitch told the Spokesman on Feb. 2 that the three amendments are part of the process of modernizing city government, and that they shouldn’t radically change how the city works.

“I just think these tweaks, which I will call them, just provide for a more independent government,” Fitch said.

Fitch said he plans to run for re-election in November and that proposed changes to a mayor’s term will not effect his time in office. He said implementing the changes, if passed by voters, would not take place until 2026.

“I do think the time is right,” Fitch said about changing the term limits. “But I do think it is important to any mayor to have that amount of time to pursue the goals and objectives they initially ran for.”

After the address, Redmond resident Carol Storm scanned a bulletin board outside of city hall where the address was held. As a volunteer at Bethlehem Inn working with people struggling with homelessness, she said housing was at the top of her list of Redmond issues.

“The transitional housing problem is the most important thing right now in Redmond because rent for an apartment is like $1,200 a month,” Storm said. “Essentially (homeless people) will always be homeless, even though they have jobs.”

Storm said the factors that contribute to the crisis are global factors not unique to Redmond or Central Oregon.

“The homeless issues are going to get worse. And there is no way a small city, or any city, can address it because of income disparity,” Storm said.

Fitch also discussed the city’s homelessness crisis and touted the city’s achievements on that front, specifically in regards to Oasis Village and the Safe Parking program administered by Mountain View Community Development.