Many Bend residents are voicing concerns about Oregon State University’s decision to build a new four-year campus on Bend’s westside. About 200 people turned out Thursday night for a meeting organized by a group calling itself “Truth In Site.”

Site refers to OSU’s selection of two properties southwest of downtown.

Currently OSU shares a campus with Central Oregon Community College. Many at meeting expressed concerns about the impact thousands of new students would have.

The group’s chairman, Scott Morgan, suggested OSU build its campus on Bend’s east side, away from the mountains and forest.

“We’re already built out on the Westside. We’ve already got grocery stores and dry cleaners and pubs and everything. So why come in and duplicate what we’ve already got? Let’s look for a place where the city can grow around it,” Morgan said.

Listening in the audience was OSU-Cascades vice president Becky Johnson. Later, she said some of the comments offered contained inaccurate information, but she said university officials would welcome a conversation with the group.

This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.