IN REPLY TO "THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND" (7/1)
To call Troy Park "iconic" is just hubris. It's a patch of grass barely the size of a football field (if that). As the article states, public entities had plenty of opportunity to purchase this land. They didn't. Iconic would more aptly describe Drake Park.
As everyone seems to want to turn downtown Bend into an urban oasis, the only way to do that is infill. Well...welcome to infill.
—Tim Sinniger
"Bend is Bend." Bend is "unique." I hear this all the time. I have lived in large and small communities in four states and I have traveled to hundreds of communities across the country. And I guarantee you that Bend is NOT unique. It is, in fact, pretty typical of a tourist destination town. Sure, we may have different things than other destination towns. But that isn't some special uniqueness. Until we get past this silly notion of Bend Exceptionalism we will continue to live up to the unofficial slogan that has been around for decades: Poverty with a View. That's not unique either. But it does accurately reflect what Bend is today.
—Mickey Finn
Troy Field is a featureless patch of grass surrounded by a very tall, unattractive chain link fence that gives the impression the field is private and not to be trespassed upon. It is more a waste of water than it is an icon.
That said, I'd rather see it turned into loft condos for local housing with retail on the bottom floor; a plan that would positively impact many Bend residents. High-end rentals seem like a plan showing no respect for established downtown hotels or homeowners, plus an entire property dedicated to high-end condos is a plan asking for bankruptcy.
Thank you Bend-La Pine School District for proving again that you have no understanding of the community involvement part of the sustainable loop for your own survival. Families-housing-schools. Your decisions impact the viability of this community, yet you continually ignore your responsibility, as a major employer and landholder, to step up, do the right thing, and be benevolent thinkers and community leaders. Your small mindedness is a big loss for Bend.
—OregonMade
Thanks Bend La Pine for thinking of us, the community, first. I'll be sure to think of YOU next time a school bond vote comes up. I've voted for and paid taxes on all the school bonds that have been placed on the ballot for the last 40 years. I hope the offer you got from Condopalooza LLC exceeded the City's offer by such a huge sum that you'll never need to go to the voters again for money. I'm also hoping a kickback is coming my way from this golden egg windfall for all the years I kept you afloat during the lean times, but I'm not holding my breath. Looks like you won't be needing voters' money now that you are wheelin' & dealin' public land with the big dogs.
—Hank Savage
Bend and Eastern Oregon should secede from the State of Oregon. Then they would not need to have an urban growth boundary and high-density condos, both are required under the Oregon Growth Management Act. In this situation, every square inch of Bend will ultimately turn into expensive high rise condos for Californians, just like Boulder, Colorado. This field should be saved for the children to play. Perhaps the City residents could vote to increase sales taxes to purchase open space. That's what Ashland, Truckee, and Scottsdale, Arizona have done. Thirty percent of land within the city limits of Scottsdale is Open Space. Smart growth, as required by the State of Oregon, is not green, since it ultimately leads to the loss of most downtown areas of open space.
—Tom Lane
IN REPLY TO "FREEDOM IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE" (7/1)
This is insane! If it's unacceptable in one part of town why would it be acceptable somewhere else? More poor leadership! Where is the due process? If someone decides to exercise their right for open carry will they be excluded from the zone? I only cite that because it will be some issue like that that will cross the constitutional line. Bend is run like an elite homeowners' association—either something is a law and we enforce it or it's not and we leave it alone. Is the behavior that is not acceptable inside the zone ok outside the zone? Really people, let's let people be free, back off on the social engineering exercise, and enforce the law if it's broken. Seems like our dependency on design guidelines, micro brew beers, and homeowners' associations has leaked into the collective consciousness of our community when we were not looking. I choose freedom and fair representation.
Someone put a collar on those city councilors before they do anymore damage.
Happy Independence Day.
—Fired Up!
This decision reeks of elitism, and I question its constitutionality. If someone commits a crime, whether downtown or in any other part of Bend, arrest them and give them due process. Someone in this thread said it earlier—Bend is becoming like one big homeowners association in an elite gated community. Heaven forbid there should be anything remotely distasteful, heaven forbid we should let "those people" move freely in our picture-perfect town. I don't like it at all.
—Viki Wooster
This law is ridiculous. A "solution" in search of a problem. Very surprising that the normally sharp Jim Clinton and Sally Russell voted in favor of it. What a shock it would be if Bend is increasingly perceived as a "community" of elitist whites. I'm so tired of business and property owners acting as judge and jury and blaming whomever they can, in this case ordinary citizens, for their lousy business plans, failed visions, and self-focus. If justice is served, these xenophobes will in time themselves be excluded from the mainstream.
—Peter G
