Bend-La Pine Schools accepts $1.9 million offer on Troy Field

The Bend-La Pine School Board has accepted a $1.9 million offer on its Troy Field property in downtown Bend. The 0.8 acre patch of grass on NW Bond's sale to Portland-based Brownstone Development is contingent on the removal of the public facilities designation, according to Brian Fratzke of Fratzke Commercial, who brokered the sale. 

The school board received a total of five offers, primarily from developers but also including a rejected offer from the City, Fratzke says. The Brownstone offer was initially received in April, he notes, but the board held onto it to give public entities an opportunity to make offers of their own.

"There was no interest at the price we needed to get the deal done," Fratzke explains.

Though the development company is based in Portland, he says they have expressed a desire to use local engineers, architects, and contractors.

School board co-chair Nori Juba says the development project is expected to create about 50 jobs. Both Juba and Fratzke say they believe the development will be residential in nature, but are not sure on the specifics. 

The future of Troy Field has been a point of contention, with some community members (and a majority of Source readers polled) arguing that the field should remain green space. 

"From the school board perspective, one thing we’d loike the community to know is that we heard the community, and we respect everybody's expressed interest in different intended use for the property," Juba says, "but we have a pretty pressing need to raise money for new schools."

The Source will continue to follow this story.