City of Bend buys closed Hong Kong Restaurant property for 3rd Street-Wilson Ave. intersection project
(Update: Adding video, details from project manager)
Restaurant equipment declared surplus, to be given away Thursday
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The closed Hong Kong Restaurant in southeast Bend will be demolished soon by the property’s new owner, the city of Bend, to make way for a safer intersection at Third Street and Wilson Avenue. But first, the restaurant’s old equipment is being given away this week, declared surplus by the city.
In a recently published legal notice, the city said the property has been declared surplus and is being given away under the terms of city Code 1.55.090, Disposition of Surplus Property. It'll be an on-site giveaway on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"All items will be available as is, on a first-come, first-served basis," the notice said. "Those who come pick up items must remove them immediately; the city will not store or hold them."
As part of the Wilson Avenue Corridor Project, some of the property where the restaurant stood since 1976 will be converted into a public right of way.
When the previous owners put the property up for sale, the city bought it in May to dedicate part of the space to the improvements.
Senior Project Manager Sinclair Burr said Tuesday, “Specifically at Third Street, we’re revamping the signal to create what’s called a protected intersection. What it’s aiming to do is put the pedestrians and bikes kind of in front of the cars, so that they’re more visible when they’re making crossings.”
Bike lanes will be added where they currently end before the intersection. The new design will improve turning movements for larger vehicles that currently drive over the curbs.
Burr said the city also will use the property as staging during project construction, through late summer or early fall of next year. The city then plans to sell the remainder of the parcel it doesn’t need for the project, with those proceeds going back to the general obligation bond fund.
