A multistory, 315-unit residential and retail development is being proposed next to the Box Factory in Bend.

The project would be five to six stories tall and include a mix of townhomes and apartments, as well as grass courtyards and a major change to NW Lava Road to prioritize the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians, according to documents submitted to the city of Bend by the developer. There would also be about 12,000 square feet worth of retail included in the development.

The 4.7-acre site would be bordered by Industrial Way and NW Lava Road, which is currently home to a large parking lot, a food cart pod and the coffee shop Spoken Moto.

The development is proposed by Killian Pacific — the same developers who built and own the Box Factory. The company also plans to add eco-friendly design elements, like wood siding that sequesters carbon and pollinator-friendly landscaping, according to a presentation from the developers.

In a virtual meeting with the Southern Crossing and Old Bend neighborhood associations, some neighbors expressed excitement for the general idea of the development, but some raised concerns about traffic congestion and parking.

Richard Ross, of the Old Bend Neighborhood Association, said while he was pleased with the housing the development would provide, he wanted to know more about the cumulative traffic impacts that would come from this development and another development in the works at the 21-acre Korpine site next door.

“Old Bend is already stressed out from growing, unmanaged, cut-through traffic through our streets,” Ross said in the meeting.

While there will definitely be an increase in traffic in the area from the project, one element of the project is designed to address some of that concern.

If approved, NW Lava Road — which is the road that separates the Box Factory from the adjacent parking lot and connects to Industrial Way — would become something called a “woonerf,” which in Dutch loosely translates to “living street.”

“It’s a street that values the quality of life over the speed of cars,” said Kurt Schultz, a principal architect with Sera Architects.

This kind of street, which is popular in Europe, is designed in a way to allow cars and people to share the roadway together, but encourages cars to move slower than they would on a regular road, Schultz said.

Developers also plan to incorporate roughly 470 parking spots on the property by creating a two-level parking structure, as well as some surface parking spots to replace the parking lot that currently exists, Schultz said. Developers also hope to create bike storage that would accommodate one bike per residential unit.

Other aspects of the project, like whether any of the units will be affordable, remain to be seen, though it is the company’s intent to include at least some in the project, according to Michi Slick, Killian Pacific’s director of development. The intent is also to gear some of the townhomes toward providing child care services, Slick said.

She also said the company will ensure the townhomes in the project will not become vacation rentals by banning that use in the lease they would offer tenants.

Currently, the developers are in a pre-application stage with the city. The goal is to submit official land use applications by March, according to Schultz.