With new housing developments in early stages, Pahlisch Homes to meet with community members

(Update: Adding video, comments from Dan Pahlisch, River's Edge homeowner)

Resident isn't sold: 'I don't think we have to put a house on every piece of green grass'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- New housing developments in a growing city can be a complicated, and sometimes heated issue. 

Or as Dan Pahlisch, Pahlisch Homes' chairman of the board puts it: sensitive. 

"Every project is sensitive,” Pahlisch said Friday. “Everyone cares about the surrounding lands outside of their property."

Last week NewsChannel 21 reported that Wayne Purcell is retiring and selling River's Edge Golf Course to Pahlisch Homes.

Dan Pahlisch said the project is in its early stages, and before they make any final plans, they want to hear from the surrounding community. That discussion began with a website, The Future of River's Edge, launched along with the announcement of the project and process.

"We realize there's more neighbors that have been here a long time, and so part of that community involvement is reaching out to them and being able to have those meetings,” Pahlisch said. 

One River's Edge resident, Ledlie Szaraniec, is not sold on the changes to come.

"I don't think we have to put a house on every piece of green grass,” Szaraniec said. 

Szaraniec lives at River's Edge and said her opinion is shared by other homeowners in the area. 

"I don't believe it's what the majority of people who are already living here want,” Szaraniec said.

Pahlisch said Pahlisch Homes wants to create more middle housing, improve the river trail, and add additional trails to the current space.

When asked about a possible increase of traffic, Pahlisch said he will work with the city and his traffic engineers, but ultimately isn't worried.

"I don't see it as big of an impact as we may tell ourselves initially,” Pahlisch said. “We may have a ton of traffic that may be not happening because of some of the activity that currently exists with the golf course."

Pahlisch Homes also has plans to develop hundreds of homes on a parcel owned by the Central Oregon Irrigation District in Southwest Bend, between Brookswood Boulevard and the Deschutes River.

Pahlisch said that project is in even earlier stages than River's Edge, but their mentality is the same.

"My job as a developer is not just to cram in homes and not be considerate to the community, because that's just not how we operate,” Pahlisch said. 

Pahlisch also said he knows not everyone will be satisfied with the final product, but that with enough open discussion, they should be able to find a middle ground.

"If enough people come together and talk about what they hope to see, none of us get exactly what we want, but we all get more than maybe we initially thought we would,” Pahlisch said. 

Pahlisch Homes plans to participate in a virtual meeting with the city, community members and other construction companies to discuss development on the west side.

The city is organizing the meeting to address concerns people have about increased traffic and the impact construction may have in their neighborhoods.