Bend Oregon Land/House/Studio Location (to buy, income, sales tax)

[flpotter]

Agreed. It won't just be me, but my family. Right now, I have a home studio in a CC & R community. I sell my work online, at fairs, and in local galleries. My husband is an engineer and works remotely. We are from the west originally and are looking to move back closer to family. It sounds like I may want to do what I am doing here. I was hoping to do a community based studio to bring in classes and workshops for people. One of the things that interests me in the Bend are is that it has an emerging arts community.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Thom52

........There is a popular destination lavender farm on the north side of 20 in the Tumalo area that would add to the destination draw.........

Some of the agricultural zones allow for the sales of farm products produced on that farm. Pottery isn't a farm product. The lavender is, so selling lavender off of the farm that grew it might possibly be legal, but producing and selling pottery would not be.

There is an alpaca farm just south of Terrebonne that sells alpaca products in a very nice little shop. That little shop is selling farm products produced on that farm, not a commercially manufactured product (nice place to stop and visit to shop and let the kids feed the alpacas)

I suspect that if you had a place where you were making pottery, you could get away with an open house once a year and have your customers come to see where the pottery is produced.

1-2 acres parcels close to Bend are in Deschutes River Woods, Boonesbourgh, Whispering Pines and I don't think that any of those areas would allow a store to sell pottery. Rancho Sereno has 2 acre parcels but I know for a fact that you can't have a shop there. No to mention that there is never anything for sale in there.

In the commercial area of Crooked River Ranch, you are allowed to place a residence and those are 1-2 acre parcels zoned commercial. You could manufacture pottery there and have an art gallery to sell it. Those lots are cheap, too, and the scenery is truly breathtaking.

Maybe you should look at the zoning laws and the zoning map for Bend. Those are both online. If it still isn't clear, you can call the zoning people and they will have someone call you back. Everyone down in that office is pleasant to work with. City of Bend and Deschutes County each have their own different zoning and building permits, so you'd have to make 2 phone calls.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by flpotter

........ I was hoping to do a community based studio to bring in classes and workshops for people. One of the things that interests me in the Bend are is that it has an emerging arts community.

Bend is a lovely place to be an artist. I suspect that you are going to have to separate the residence from the art gallery and classes/ workshop.

Bend has just expanded the Urban Growth Boundary and there is a small area on the south end of town, next to the highway that is zoned commercial and industrial. That might be a good area to get into early (if you are buying). That's right at the entrance to Deschutes River Woods, which is a good place to raise kids and relatively reasonable cost for real estate. 1-2 acre lots, a bit of extra snow, if you happen to like snow, and pretty trees. Zoning is one of the agricultural zones, RR-10, I think. You'd be allowed to have a kiln, but not a shop or customers.

Going the other direction from the new commercial area is an area with 1-2 acre plots and expensive houses. You might be able to get in there for $600,000, but I don't know what CCR's are. I'm sure you couldn't have a shop or customers coming in.

[flpotter]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Bend is a lovely place to be an artist. I suspect that you are going to have to separate the residence from the art gallery and classes/ workshop.

Bend has just expanded the Urban Growth Boundary and there is a small area on the south end of town, next to the highway that is zoned commercial and industrial. That might be a good area to get into early (if you are buying). That's right at the entrance to Deschutes River Woods, which is a good place to raise kids and relatively reasonable cost for real estate. 1-2 acre lots, a bit of extra snow, if you happen to like snow, and pretty trees. Zoning is one of the agricultural zones, RR-10, I think. You'd be allowed to have a kiln, but not a shop or customers.

Going the other direction from the new commercial area is an area with 1-2 acre plots and expensive houses. You might be able to get in there for $600,000, but I don't know what CCR's are. I'm sure you couldn't have a shop or customers coming in.

This is the conclusion I am coming to. We are going to be in the area in January to take a closer look. I'll take a look at this area. It is sounding like I will have to do something similar to what I have here. If I could find a house with a detached workshop, that would work best.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by flpotter

This is the conclusion I am coming to. We are going to be in the area in January to take a closer look. I'll take a look at this area. It is sounding like I will have to do something similar to what I have here. If I could find a house with a detached workshop, that would work best.

The small acreage properties often have a shop or RV barn.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

Yes, the other locations in the country is important. Oregon has very strict zoning laws. You won't be able to have a commercial gallery/teach classes on acreage, I don't think. In Oregon, our acreage properties are zoned farming use (special acreage, exclusive farm use, farm forest, timber conservation, etc). Then we have residential acreage uses which are 2-5 acreage parcels for residential use like having a horse or two, some goats, etc. You can have a home based business on residential land, but all municipalities have rules regulating home-based businesses use when people start coming to the house. So holding classes, opening the facilities a couple of times a year will likely be problematic.

So before you spend any time thinking about cities and such, I would call Deschutes County and ask them what their home based business codes are. Tell them what you what to do and they will tell you if they have a zoning option that would allow it, or what kind of permit you would have to get to do that if it is possible. You will also want to watch CC&R's as some acreage properties have them that prohibit a home business like that.

Excellent advice. Everything in Oregon is zoned, but the permitted uses in zones varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Commercially zoned property often allows a residence for the business proprietor. The manufacturing portion may be more problematic, but if the kilns are used for educational purposes it may be possible to get conditional use approval in a commercial zone. A town may permit what a county will not, and vice versa.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by flpotter

Agreed. It won't just be me, but my family. Right now, I have a home studio in a CC & R community. I sell my work online, at fairs, and in local galleries. My husband is an engineer and works remotely. We are from the west originally and are looking to move back closer to family. It sounds like I may want to do what I am doing here. I was hoping to do a community based studio to bring in classes and workshops for people. One of the things that interests me in the Bend are is that it has an emerging arts community.

I worked in a planning department for several years. Planners are not there to keep people from doing things, they are there to maintain a coherent community. Your intent to give classes opens up a lot of possibilities. You don't see planning departments forbidding community colleges because they have an auto shop.

It may be helpful if you incorporate as a for-profit educational institution. It has to be for-profit or you wouldn't be able to use the kilns for personal profit. There are some real financial advantages to incorporation. First, it shields you from personal liability. Second, you can rent the space to the corporation and it is not earned income, so you don't have to pay FICA taxes on it. This advice is worth what you are paying for it, so talk to a good tax accountant or attorney for solid advice.

It sounds like you will have three different uses on one property; a residence, a retail business, and an educational institution that will own the kilns. That's where you start talking with the planning department. Residence and retail often go together in a commercial zone. Ask to see the list of permitted uses and conditionally permitted uses, then do some reading. Many jurisdictions will have their LUDO (Land Use and Development Ordinance) online, and may even have their zoning maps online.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by flpotter

Agreed. It won't just be me, but my family. Right now, I have a home studio in a CC & R community. I sell my work online, at fairs, and in local galleries. My husband is an engineer and works remotely. We are from the west originally and are looking to move back closer to family. It sounds like I may want to do what I am doing here. I was hoping to do a community based studio to bring in classes and workshops for people. One of the things that interests me in the Bend are is that it has an emerging arts community.

That type of activity would normally be done in industrial space. Not out of a home or on agricultural land.

[flpotter]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

I worked in a planning department for several years. Planners are not there to keep people from doing things, they are there to maintain a coherent community. Your intent to give classes opens up a lot of possibilities. You don't see planning departments forbidding community colleges because they have an auto shop.

It may be helpful if you incorporate as a for-profit educational institution. It has to be for-profit or you wouldn't be able to use the kilns for personal profit. There are some real financial advantages to incorporation. First, it shields you from personal liability. Second, you can rent the space to the corporation and it is not earned income, so you don't have to pay FICA taxes on it. This advice is worth what you are paying for it, so talk to a good tax accountant or attorney for solid advice.

It sounds like you will have three different uses on one property; a residence, a retail business, and an educational institution that will own the kilns. That's where you start talking with the planning department. Residence and retail often go together in a commercial zone. Ask to see the list of permitted uses and conditionally permitted uses, then do some reading. Many jurisdictions will have their LUDO (Land Use and Development Ordinance) online, and may even have their zoning maps online.

I am already incorporated for my production pottery business; I'm thinking I could use this. I have worked in studios similar to the one that someone else showed that are more of an industrial urban setting. However, my thought is to create more of a rural setting for workshops and learning. I may end up in the city, but I want to explore this angle.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by flpotter

I am already incorporated for my production pottery business; I'm thinking I could use this. I have worked in studios similar to the one that someone else showed that are more of an industrial urban setting. However, my thought is to create more of a rural setting for workshops and learning. I may end up in the city, but I want to explore this angle.

I hope you understand that I'm not trying to be negative or dissuade you from your dream. I'm just trying to give you some advice to help.

But I have to ask you this. If you could set up your pottery studio on a farm in a rural area, where would your customers and students come from? Would you have dormitories, so they can live with you while they learn pottery? Would you expect them to drive long distances from near by cities, for your workshops? Would you expect to get enough students and customers from a handful of nearby farms?

I do think that Oregon would be an excellent location for your project. But I think you are going to have to comply with zoning laws, and you are going to have to be at least near a population center with enough people who have an interest in pottery, for it to work.