Troy Field, the sometimes sports field near the downtown Bend library, is officially on the market. Declared surplus property by its current owners, the Bend-La Pine School District, the large rectangular patch of grass is one of the few undeveloped properties in downtown Bend.
The public entities who got first dibs on making a bid on the property have all declined, leaving the property priced at $2.62 million to be snatched up by a private developer.
What do you think the property should become? (Note: The property is zoned Limited Commercial, meaning it can be used for retail, mixed residential/retail, tourism, etc.)
Take our poll to share your perspective and elaborate in the comments.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2014.
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Park and open space that includes a down town bus center- ringing the open space.
Commute Options
Maybe it could be a new parking lot/garage since there is talk of selling the Mirror Pond parking lots to developers for 4 story buildings. I doubt any town has ever regretted keeping open space for future generations rather than selling it for a quick buck. Think Drake Park on a local level, or Central Park in NYC.
How many vacation rentals could fit in there? Uproot a few from the neighborhoods and put them where they belong.
The major problem with Bend (that the ‘quality of life’ people didn’t broach) IS the lack of foresight and the piecemeal approach to so called planning.
Imagine if NYC’s Central Park or SF’s Golden Gate Park were open space today? The developers would be allowed to build expensive high rise buildings! Thank goodness for the foresight of previous generations.
I was born and raised in Bend, in the 1950s, and I remember Troy Field. After returning last week, my husband and I walked downtown Bend and was shocked to see Troy Field in it’s original state, it brought back alot of memories for me. I plead with all city officials to preserve it the way it was Intended to be, making future memories for a lot of kids. Thanks for listening! Kathy Kennon daughter of Bill and Wilma McGahan