1. Mirror Pond This year, the Mirror Pond debate continued to ebb and flow. In March, Bend City Council narrowly voted to support the ad hoc committee’s “preferred alternative”—a hybrid plan that would have maintained the pond while removing the failing Newport Dam. By July, that committee was reportedly preparing to make an offer to […]
Troy Field
Posted inOpinion
Letters 12/9-12/16
TROY FIELD FANS DESERVE AN APOLOGY Wow…I think someone owes the crowd of Bend residents that took time from their day, their families and their jobs a big apology for the no-show that happened Thursday at City Hall. Everyone was shocked to hear—after waiting almost 20 minutes for proceedings to start—that another seemingly concerned party got […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters 1/11-11/18
ADIOS BEND After more than 40 years in Bend, I have pulled the plug and moved to the rain forest of western Oregon, Portland to be exact. And lo and behold, guess what I find? All the problems of Bend have followed me here: overcrowding, overpricing, too much traffic, overstressing, lack of affordable housing, abundance […]
Posted inNews
Side Notes 11/11-11/18
A public hearing will be held regarding the request for a zoning change for Troy Field at 690 NW Bond St. owned by the Bend La-Pine School District. The district is requesting to change the 0.08 acre-lot from a designated public facilities zone to commercial limited zone. People are invited to testify about the issue […]
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Missed Opportunity
Troy Field
To be fair, the City tried to “save” the not-quite-an-acre of grass enclosed in chain link across from City Hall. It made an offer on the parcel but Bend-La Pine Schools wanted more. While no one would disclosed what the City offered, it was clearly less than the $1.9 million price tag on the property’s […]
Posted inNews
“Save Troy Field” petition asks City to keep public facilities designation
A petition is making the rounds online and in town asking the City of Bend to maintain Troy Field’s public facilities designation.
Posted inNews
Side Notes 8/5-8/12
A new brew playing off a soon-to-be iconic Central Oregon attraction is heading to the market. Crux Fermentation Project and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company are collaborating on the Paddle Trail Ale, a 35 IBU / 4.5% ABV session IPA. The beer will be distributed across the state by Columbia Distributing and will be available starting […]
Posted inOpinion
Letters 7/29-8/4
A PLAN FOR TROY FIELD Yes, there was a reason for the City to buy Troy Field. I was on the school steering committee, which recommended to the school board that they save Troy Field for part of a civic center, which was already in the planning stage. It was precluded by the recession but […]
Posted inNews
Bend-La Pine Schools to hold public meeting about future of Troy Field
In order to move forward with its sale of Troy Field to a developer, Bend-La Pine Schools will first have to apply for a zoning change. The 0.8-acre property currently has a Public Facilities designation. The district is hoping to have that changed to Commercial Limited. The next step in that process is a public […]
Posted inOpinion
The Fight for Troy Field Shouldn’t Be Over
The Death and Life of Great American Cities should be required reading for every city councilor and city planner in the Community Development Department. Written in 1961 by Jane Jacobs, it is a touchstone for planners who believe in preserving public space. An architecture writer, Jacob had no formal training—and did not hold a college […]
