Rezoning in southeast Bend recommended

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 29, 2015

The reconstruction of SE Reed Market Road has made one thing clear: SE Wilson Avenue and SE 15th Street are critical arteries for moving east-west traffic in Bend.

And according to neighbors, the intersection at 15th and Wilson is currently near failure and a dangerous place for people crossing the roads to access Ponderosa Park.

But with the potential rezoning of undeveloped land on the southeast corner, the city may leverage money from the developer for a new roundabout at that intersection.

Developer Wilson Heights Partners asked the city to change the zoning to build a 33-acre development of houses, apartments and commercial property, known as Wildflower Hills and Wildflower Glen.

Plans for the property, have been in the works for about 10 years, since a group of partners purchased the land for $12 million in May 2006. A commercial real estate broker at the time said that at more than $416,000 per acre, the price was among the highest ever paid for undeveloped land in Bend, according to The Bulletin archives.

An attempt to rezone and develop the land into an ambitious mixed-use neighborhood fizzled in 2007.

A new development group created new plans, which gained a positive recommendation from the Bend Planning Commission on Monday night — thanks to the developer’s pledge to include higher density housing and areas for a community business district.

It had members of the planning commission wondering aloud whether this type of plan could be the answer for new developments proposed for undeveloped land within Bend’s current urban growth boundary.

Bend Community Services Director Russ Grayson said that state rules are encouraging more intense land uses within Bend’s UGB and that plans such as this can easily roll into the city’s vision as well.

The 33 acres are currently zoned for standard density residential development, which would allow approximately 240 housing units, but if the rezoning proposal is approved, the developer could build a maximum of 550 housing units on the land. That would be in addition to 5 acres of open space and 6.2 acres of commercial development.

And a business district occupied by a coffee shack, restaurants or a small supermarket would hopefully encourage its customers to walk or bike more using surrounding sidewalks and trails — something that also falls within the city’s vision.

The land is currently a stretch of scraggly junipers, rocks and dusty trails used by trespassing dog walkers and BMX riders who have built their own course of jump ramps.

Few details about the locations of buildings are known at the moment because no development plan has been submitted to the city. But the site has a proposed alignment for a connector trail between the Larkspur and Coyner trails, said Deborah McMahon, a local land use consultant and a representative for the developer, Wilson Heights Partners.

Planning commission member Laura Fritz said she was frustrated by a lack of building footprints on the developer’s plan. But the project’s overall potential earned her vote of approval.

“This is where the city is headed,” Fritz said. “We need high-density housing.”

Planning commission member Rockland Dunn, who lives in southeast Bend, said, “Overall, I think it’s a great project.”

The Bend City Council may consider the rezoning for Wildflower Hills and Wildflower Glen at its Aug. 19 meeting.

And as for the roundabout, that is still several years away from construction, Grayson said. The developer isn’t required to begin building it until 100 housing units have been constructed.

And McMahon said that if city officials approve of the proposed plans, the developers are targeting construction to begin in summer 2016.

— Reporter: 541-633-2165,

psmith@bendbulletin.com