Last year was full of so many highlights and milestones at Discovery West, we hardly know where to begin. From our very first family moving in to the neighborhood (and the first to occupy a home in the most recent UGB expansion), all the way to infrastructure work beginning on our next exciting Phase 4, we’ve come a long way baby!
- New neighbors: While our very first residents paved the way with their January 2021 move-in, many more people quickly followed as houses were completed by our Discovery West Builders Guild. Now, we have a thriving community in Phase 1 with close to 30 homes occupied, and even our first homeowners in Phase 2 moved in before the end of last year. We love finding out more about our neighbors, and you’ll see some of them profiled in “Neighbor Spotlights” on our blog.
- First COBA Tour of Homes: One of our Discovery West builders, Curtis Homes, showcased a home in the neighborhood on the 2021 Tour. It was the building company’s fourth year participating, and its featured Discovery West home is a great example of their commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The judging committee agreed: the home won Best of Show, Best Architectural Design, Best Feature, Best Interior Finish and Best Master Suite in its price category.
- Builder achievements: In addition to Curtis Homes cleaning house at the COBA Tour, a JD Neel Construction home in our community earned an Energy Performance Score (EPSTM) of 7 from the Energy Trust of Oregon. The lower the score, on a scale of zero to 200, the more energy efficient the home. The home in Discovery West received its low score due to features such as solar power, efficient insulation, windows, lighting and appliances, as well as the home’s size and specific design.
- New videos: We love sharing our vision and all the features that make the neighborhood so special – and one of the best ways we’ve found to do this is through our short video series. This past year, we created educational videos about Discovery West covering everything from how to buy a home in the neighborhood, to our architectural diversity and from our commitment to sustainability via the Earth Advantage program to our fire mitigation strategies – and more!
- New trail connectivity: One of the top reasons we hear about why people love living in Bend and Discovery West is the ready access to trails. This past year, we connected the Discovery Trail from Discovery Park, under the footbridge at Skyline Ranch Road. Now, while new Phases (see below) are under construction, it has been re-routed so that outdoor recreation enthusiasts can still use the trail system that’s close by the neighborhood.
- Setting the stage for the future: If you’ve been to the neighborhood recently, you will have seen the infrastructure work going in on one of the most exciting Phases in the neighborhood – Phase 4 – with plans for a wide variety of housing types, small businesses and a community gathering space. Groundwork should be complete on this Phase by fall of this year, with vertical construction happening in 2023. Stay tuned!
Already, the New Year is off to a great start and we look forward to accomplishing many more milestones in the months to come as our neighborhood continues to take shape.