Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where is Discovery West?
A. Discovery West is within the city limits ofBend Oregon, located just west of NorthWest Crossing and north of Summit High School. This 245-acre property is located north of Skyliners Road and convenient to parks, schools, shopping, dining and businesses in nearby NorthWest Crossing.  View a location map here…   

Q. What is the vision for Discovery West?
A. When the Discovery West property was brought into the UGB, the City of Bend set parameters on how it could be developed. Based on those parameters, we developed a plan that envisions a neighborhood with diverse housing types, 40 acres of parkland and open space (an extension of Discovery Park from within NorthWest Crossing) and lots of connectivity, for vehicles, pedestrians, bikers and wheelchair users. The neighborhood is being developed based upon a transect concept, meaning housing will become less dense toward the west, where county and forest service land meets the city limits. Read more about our vision

Q. How many homes will be in Discovery West upon completion?
A. Per the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Code requirements, Discovery West will have approximately 700 total dwelling units. As currently planned, Discovery West will have approximately 450 single-family homesites, 60 attached single-family (i.e. townhomes, cottages) and 201 multi-family units (i.e. apartments, condos, tri-plex, 6-plex, etc.). 

Q. Does Discovery West have an HOA?
A. Yes, Discovery West has a Homeowners Association (HOA). The HOA is responsible for maintaining common areas and amenities, as well as managing/enforcing wildfire mitigation measures. 2023 HOA dues for all owners are $250 per year. Homesites that back onto alleys are assessed an additional $60 per year for snow removal in the alleys. Dues are subject to change annually.   

Q. Are there any other HOAs in Discovery West?
A. Yes, both Terrane and the Trove townhome projects will have HOAs to maintain the townhomes once completed.

Q. Are there CC&Rs for the neighborhood?
A. Yes, protective Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCRs) as well as Design Guidelines have been created and are enforced for all property in Discovery West. There is an Architectural & Landscape Review Committee (ALRC) that works with owners and builders to ensure that certain standards will be met in order to maintain quality throughout the neighborhood. 

Q. What steps are being taken to reduce the future threat of wildfire in the Discovery West neighborhood?
A. We are incorporating many wildfire mitigation measures into the development of Discovery West, including developing in the transect concept (where density decreases and there is more separation between homes as you proceed west toward the wildland urban interface), requiring greater side setbacks than City code, requirements for fire-resistant construction materials, and landscape requirements that reduce the risk of damage from wildfires. Compliance with mitigation measures are managed by the Discovery West Homeowners’ Association (HOA). Discovery West is currently seeking interested owner residents to join the Firewise committee. Committee members will assist in pursuing  Firewise Community status in 2023.  

Q. Will Discovery West have commercial buildings? Where will they be?
A. Yes. Based on requirements set by the City of Bend, Discovery West will have 6 acres zoned limited commercial (CL) and 13 acres zoned mixed-employment (ME). We have chosen to locate the majority of this CL and ME along Skyliners Road, for easy transportation access. It also follows the development established in NorthWest Crossing with commercial buildings along Skyliners, such as Snap Fitness, Ruff Wear and Embark. 

Q. How tall can commercial buildings be?
A. City of Bend code allows commercial limited (CL) zoned buildings to be up to 55’ and mixed-employment (ME) to be up to 45’. We currently plan to plat 1-2 acre commercial lots, limiting the scale of the buildings, which will be subject ALRC standards. Additionally, a 35′ height limitation for CL and ME lots fronting on Skyliners Road will reduce the visual impact from Skyliners Road. 

Q. Will there be any affordable housing in Discovery West?
A. The City’s Comprehensive Plan and Development Code require a minimum of 12 units of affordable housing. As we’ve done in NorthWest Crossing, it’s quite possible we will work with local non-profits and affordable housing developers to offer affordable housing in Discovery West. While it’s too soon to speculate on the details, our intention is to have a diversity of housing types that will offer a spectrum of options on the affordability scale for Central Oregon families.  

Q. What planned amenities/services will be in the neighborhood?
A. The most notable amenities will be parks and trails, owned and operated by Bend Park & Recreation District. We are building a community gathering space, Discovery Corner, in the core of the mixed-housing neighborhood along the Skyline Ranch Road, which will be owned and managed by the HOA.  This area will house live/work units with ground-level small retail spaces and short-term overnight rentals in the 2nd and 3rd story residential spaces. And lastly, nearby shops, restaurants and businesses that call NorthWest Crossing home are valuable amenities just down the road for the residents of Discovery West.  

Q. Can I purchase a homesite?
A. We have a team of builders, formally called our Guild Builders, that purchase homesites and build custom and spec homes. Any homesites that are not purchased by builders will be available through Harcourts the Garner Group via the Central Oregon MLS. You can learn more about how to buy a home in Discovery West here, Or contact Harcourts the Garner Group for details on available homes and homesites. A portion of Phase 5 custom homesites may be available to the public in late spring 2023. 

Q. Who are the developers of Discovery West?
A. NWX 2 LLC is an Oregon Limited Liability Company that was formed to develop the property. Partners in NWX2 are the same as those who developed NorthWest Crossing.  Read more in about the Developer.  

Q. What is the history of the land?
A. We acknowledge that the land on which Discovery West is built upon has been stewarded by Indigenous peoples since the beginning of time. While we are grateful for our ability to reside here, we recognize that the occupation of this land by non-native peoples is a blight on our country’s history.  

When the big pine mills moved to town in the early 1900s, this property was one of the first to be logged. In 1955, Bill Miller (Miller Lumber) purchased the property from a sheep rancher who had owned it since the 1920s. NWX2 LLC, the developer of Discovery West, purchased the land in 2016.