On its website, Pahlisch’s Deschutes Landing development describes itself “as the next step in authentic Northwest living” with “unparalleled views of the Three Sisters Wilderness, the historic Old Mill District, and the heart of downtown Bend.”
Apparently, one prospective buyer thinks his unparalleled view would be ruined by the sight of – how gross! – a dog park across the river. And thanks to him, and Pahlisch, the fate of the park is in jeopardy.
Pahlisch has complained that the Bend Metro Park & Recreation District didn’t go through the proper paperwork for getting the park approved. As a result, Park & Rec has had to file a formal application that will go before the city planning and zoning commission sometime later this month.
Pahlisch didn’t lodge its complaint about the park until mid-July, even though the Park & Rec board of directors voted to approve it back in January and the park opened in May. What happened in the meantime?
“Anytime you sell a house or a property, people want to know the approved uses of what happens around them,” Dan Pahlisch, sales manager for Pahlisch, told The Bulletin. “So it came as a bit of a surprise to everyone when that park went up. And to be honest, we’re trying to close on one of our properties, and it’s become an issue.”
Ah, there’s the rub.
Pahlisch’s claim that the dog park came as a surprise is dubious, to put it kindly. Park & Rec has been talking about creating new dog parks for about five years. The planned locations of the new parks have been known for many months. There were public hearings, and Park & Rec worked closely with the city on siting the parks. Unless Dan Pahlisch had his head stuck in a hole in the ground for the past year or so, there’s no way he could have been unaware that this park was on the way.
So why the bitch now? Because a prospective buyer doesn’t like the idea of the dog park, and that could threaten a sale – one that Pahlisch probably desperately craves, the real estate market being what it is.
Offhand we can’t understand why anybody would object to having a dog park clear on the other side of the river from his home – is he afraid a crazed Bichon Frisé is going to swim the Deschutes and attack him? And ironically, Deschutes Landing touts its “direct access to riverfront parks and trail systems” in its own sales pitch.
Whatever. The bottom line is that Pahlisch is willing to deprive the community of an amenity that everybody can enjoy – the city’s only off-leash dog park with water access – for the sake of (maybe) closing a sale to some prissy-pants who apparently thinks the river, and both banks of it, should be treated like his personal property.
We hope the city will throw Pahlisch out on its ear. Meanwhile, to drive home a point about good corporate citizenship, here’s THE BOOT to Pahlisch’s posterior.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2009.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I had been wondering the same thing myself. The DP siting has been going on for years, and anyone that was not aware of it must only have been reading the Real Estate Section of The Bulletin. I am a proud dog owner and wonder if Pahlisch and the unknown prospective buyer, would rather have dogs jumping into the river willy-nilly? There goes the Riparian Areas. Thank you Bill Smith and BP&R for developing this grand area that we can walk to with our dogs.
The dogs & dog park are loathsome, yes, but have the prospective owners checked out the wild stretch of water running just down from their balcony? Warning: there are smelly fish in the water that sometimes jump, making annoying splashes to interrupt quiet conversation after dinner. Also, at any given time, 10,15 or even 20 obnoxious geese will fly in and try to land on the water – the honking & splashing is deafening. And the trail running just under their balcony? Notice: Runners, bikers, little parasites called children, & (gulp) dogs are constantly traversing it; talking & laughing (even barking) & being otherwise irritatingly “happy.” Quite bothersome. Perhaps the water could be dammed or diverted? Pahlisch could petition the city. In the meantime, it’s a rather dreadful location and Pahlisch may just want to deed the condos to the homeless. The homeless may be able to overlook the glaring troubles of the place. I live just up the road in an equally abysmal neighborhood – too many dogs & kids, big trees with messy leaves, tons of quail & other wildlife running around; & indulgent neighbors who insist on turning a blind eye to it all. I can hardly stand it.
Ah, Dan P. strikes again. Wendy and Kim, love your comments. Has Dan been crowned King of Bend yet? Such narcissism. I floated an idea for him to build a house for me and am now very pleased he didn’t I didn’t fit his “criteria.” He was an easy read.
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