Oregon’s schools will get a $22 million boost due to a 382-acre land deal in SE Bend. The sale, set to close by the end of the year, is slated to bring hundreds of new jobs and more places to live in the city.
Elected officials from Central Oregon encouraged the State of Oregon to sell the parcel last year to make way for the development of more housing in Bend.
Not everyone in Bend agreed with that assessment, however. Many locals testified against the development, which has become a popular spot for hiking, jogging and dog walking.
The State Land Board voted to put it up for sale in December with Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate firm, brokering the deal.
Here’s the marketing video Cushman & Wakefield created to sell the land.
Owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands, it stretches south of Stevens Road and east of SE 27th Street in Bend near the Larkspur and the Old Farm District neighborhoods.
The land was part of the City’s 2016 urban growth boundary expansion.
As a result, the new development is required to include a mix of housing, industrial buildings, commercial spaces and parks and trails. At least some of the new housing construction must include multi-family homes.
A press release from the Oregon Department of State Lands cited a report on Bend’s urban growth boundary expansion, which estimated the buildout will bring more than $450 million into the city, along with 800 jobs once complete, in eight years. The release also touted the development’s potential to bring “a full range of housing types needed by Bend’s rapidly growing community…”
The build out of the development will bring more than $450 million into the city, along with 800 jobs once it is complete in eight years.
The principal developers Gary Miller and Harry Crowell have worked together on other projects in Bend, including the Stone Creek Community in the Old Farm District.
“We are really looking forward to working with the state, city officials, and community in the design and development of a masterplan that benefits and contributes to the future of the City of Bend,” Miller said in the release. “We really enjoy working in Bend, it is a fantastic community.”
The remaining 261 acres of the Stevens Road property remain outside Bend’s urban growth boundary and are still owned by the State of Oregon.
Money from the sale goes into the Common School Fund, which sends twice-yearly distributions to public schools throughout the state. It sent out a total of $60.86 million in 2019, including $1.92 million to Bend-La Pine Schools.
Sen. Tim Knopp, Rep. Cheri Helt and Mayor Sally Russell were part of the local team that testified at the State Land Board last fall to encourage the State to sell. Their goal was to move this project forward because they believed it will provide needed housing in the city.
This article appears in Mar 25 – May 20, 2020.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
The Stone Creek development in the Old Farm District has been beset by several delays. They are currently in the process of renewing their master plan… because it took so long that it expired! And, as part of that renewal, they want to remove affordable housing from the main residential areas and drop it into a small commercial zone instead.
There could be a good story looking into how this company does business.
One has to wonder if the expiration was planned 🙄
One of the few areas left in this part of town to get fresh air and explore. My family and I enjoy our weekly adventures here and this is devastating.