Deal to let development west of Bend proceed
The Tree Farm LLC announced Tuesday that an agreement has been reached with Central Oregon LandWatch, resulting in the withdrawal of an appeal due to be heard by the state Land Use Board of Appeals.
In September, Deschutes County commissioners granted a favorable land use decision, which was then appealed to LUBA by LandWatch.
In recent weeks, several Westside land owners and developers, including Brooks Resources and Miller Tree Farm LLC, and COLW “have had collaborative discussions and made agreements on a plan for future development on the western lands within the proposed Bend Urban Growth Boundary expansion,” the Tree Farm LLC said in a news release announcing the agreement.
“Building on momentum from these UGB discussions, additional agreements were reached which resulted in the settlement for the Tree Farm LUBA appeal,” they said.
As part of the settlement, the developers said commit to develop the Miller Tree Farm property in a manner consistent and in compliance with the “transect planning concept.”
The transect concept calls for density to taper as a city boundary nears permanent natural areas, like exist on the west side of Bend, in order to protect homes from wildfire and to preserve wildlife habitat.
Additionally, Brooks Resources, managing partner of The Tree Farm LLC, agreed to support the city’s Central Area Plan, which calls for increased urbanization and revitalization of the Third Street corridor.
“The Central Area Plan is important to us,” said Paul Dewey, founder of COLW. “It responds to LandWatch’s goal of limiting sprawl around the city and will provide a vital, vibrant, mixed-use and pedestrian-friendly extension of downtown Bend.”
The Tree Farm community is located on 533 acres west of Bend’s city limits. The property is located off Skyliners Road, bordered mostly by U.S. Forest Service land and on the west by the beloved Shevlin Park.
Developers said the community will consist of 50, 2-acre homesites, with the remaining 80 percent of the property as permanently dedicated open space.
The developers said the open space will be open to the public and have trails connecting into Shevlin Park. They said the goal is to have the Bend Park and Rec District own that portion of the property after the project is developed.
“We’re excited to be able to move forward with the project,” said Charley Miller, a partner in The Tree Farm LLC and a member of the family who has owned the property for over six decades. “This development pattern has been a vision of our family for many years, and the roughly 400 acres of open space that it creates will be enjoyed by the entire community for[K1] perpetuity.”
Romy Mortensen, project manager for the Tree Farm, said she anticipates the majority of construction to take place over the summer, with homesites available for sale this fall.
Project information and development updates can be found online at www.treefarmbend.com .
About The Tree Farm
The Tree Farm is an exciting new community located just west of the Bend city limits and features 50 2-acre homesites and over 400 acres of dedicated open space. The community will feature a trail system that conveniently connects with existing trails from Bend, and in U.S. Forest Service land. Neighboring Shevlin Park and Tumalo Creek are unique amenities easily accessible by Tree Farm residents. Partners in The Tree Farm LLC include the Miller family which has owned and managed the land since 1955, and West Bend Property Company 2, which include the developers of NorthWest Crossing: Brooks Resources and Tennant Developments.
