The development team invited neighbors to learn more about the plans for Discovery West at a public meeting held at on November 12, 2018 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. Approximately 100 were in attendance. A formal presentation about the Discovery West master plan was made by Brooks Resources CEO & President, Kirk Schueler, and the evening included an opportunity for questions from the public (please see a recap below). A big thank you to all who made time to attend and ask questions.
The questions below were asked at the Public Meeting by audience members following the presentation. Answers were provided by the developer, NWX2 LLC.
Q. What are the approximate size of the larger lots on the eastern “Plateau” of the project and will they allow for single story homes?
A. The lot sizes have not been decided yet, but they will be large. There are only rough layouts currently, but they should allow for single story homes.
Q. When will the 2 roundabouts be built?
A. The traffic study done as part of the Development Agreement concluded that those intersections will not fail until roughly 75% of homes are built. The Development Agreement requires the roundabout at Skyliners Rd to be built prior to Discovery West platting lots representing 50% of the residences.
Q. Why would there be high density sites next to the schools, increasing that traffic?
A. The City’s Comprehensive Plan specifies that up to 142 multifamily units (and not less than 128 units) are to be built within Discovery West. Our proposed plan locates roughly 40 of those units north of the schools, and the remainder along Crosby, west of the elementary school. The multifamily units near the school are intended to provide easy walking access for children living in the multifamily units. Discussions with representatives from the school district confirmed the value of this strategy. The intersection of Crosby and Skyliners Rd. was studied in our transportation analysis and was found to function at acceptable levels at build-out of Discovery West.
Q. What is the minimum requirement for land donated to the park district and how much will be, per the master plan?
A. The City requires 10%, roughly 24.5 acres, to be parks or open space. We are proposing approximately 40 acres of parks and open space. Approximately 3 of these acres will be developed as a neighborhood park. We are still working on an agreement with the Bend Parks and Recreation District. The draft agreement contemplates donating all of that land except for the 3-acre neighborhood park, which would be sold based on appraised value at the time it is platted.
Q. Will there be a lot of manufactured slope banks like those around Shields Drive (in NorthWest Crossing)?
A. There are no plans to reshape/reconstruct anything that’s not already there.
Q. Will Parks & Rec improve the area around Shields Drive?
A. Our draft agreement only addresses land within Discovery Park. We understand that the District intends to connect trails near the end of Shields Drive to our trail network.
Q. Will there be storm water controls put in place off the hillsides?
A. City standards will be met for all streets. Any hillside slopes will be kept in their natural state.
Q. Is the 410 acres what Miller Lumber gave the City for Tree Farm?
A. Tree Farm, LLC sold roughly 350 acres west and south of The Tree Farm development to the Park District when that project was developed. Discovery West was not part of that transaction.
Q. What studies have been done regarding fire evacuations?
A. No formal studies have been done regarding evacuations for wildfires. We met with the Bend Fire department to review our development and street plans. They were satisfied with the connectivity to the 3 collector streets which will serve as primary evacuation routes.
Q. Would the newer roads built be used more for construction traffic, taking pressure and traffic off roads like Mt. Washington?
A. There is no way of knowing, or limiting, what roads contractors will use but when lots are sold to builders, there is a timing requirement placed on them to build quickly to avoid as much long-term damage from large trucks to streets as possible.
Q. Are there any concerns with the designated park area being on the old gravel pit?
A. The improvements being contemplated for the open space areas where the old pumice mine was located will be limited to pedestrian and bicycle type uses (other than some park district maintenance vehicles). Our draft agreement with the park district recognizes this and does not require any geotechnical restoration for those uses.
Q. What is the timing of the extension and completion of Skyline Ranch Road?
A. The Development Agreement with the City prohibits the completion of Skyline Ranch Road until the 2 roundabouts have been built. Other land owners are responsible for the Shevlin Park Road roundabout, so the timing is also very dependent on them. There will be parts of Skyline Ranch Road that will be completed as phases of Discovery West are completed, however the completion of the road within Discovery West won’t be done until the final phase of the project.
Q. What is being done to address safety issues on NW Crossing Drive in front of the 3 schools with the additional traffic and building?
A. Crosby will be improved to be a full-scale collector, so there will be bike lanes, crosswalks and likely areas for on-street parking. There will also be stop signs and crosswalks on NW Crossing and Crosby at Skyline Ranch Road. The detailed design of the roads will not be addressed until we submit tentative plan applications for the phases by the school.
Q. Is the corner of Shevlin Park and Mt. Washington on the SW corner part of this project?
A. No, as that property is owned by COCC.
Q. Will there be one HOA for the whole project?
A. Yes. The only thing that has not been decided is whether or not the commercial properties will be included in the owners’ association.
Q. Are we encouraging net-zero homes?
A. We intend to continue to provide incentive programs similar to those in NorthWest Crossing to builders to encourage this type of building. Discovery West will also require homes to be built according to Earth Advantage standards.
Q. What fire prevention standards will have to be met?
A. The City has a goal to address aggregated defensible space on UGB lands. The three mitigation measures include addressing development pattern, vegetation management and construction techniques as they relate to reducing wildfire hazards.
Examples of some of the mitigation measures we plan to require in Discovery West include: non-combustible material within 5 feet of the home’s foundation, non-combustible material must be used where a fence connects to a home, crowns of conifer trees must be spaced appropriately to reduce the spread of fire, fire-resistant plants will be required in the landscape areas closest to homes, attic and foundation vents must use 1/8″ non-combustible screening to prevent embers from entering a home.
Q. Will fireworks be allowed or is this a City issue?
A. This is a City issue. But could also be an Owner Association’s issue. There have been no decisions made yet as to whether or not fireworks will be allowed in Discovery West.
Q. Was or will there be any collaboration with the DRC (Deschutes River Conservancy)?
A. Not on this project, as it is not near any major water sources and the landscaping of the park will be native for the most part.
Q. Are decks & stairs standards addressed in the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards?
A. We are not adopting NFPA standards in their entirety, but there will be construction requirements based on NFPA standards relative to fire prevention for both, as well as fences. Such requirements will include closing in construction underneath decks so debris cannot accumulate as fire fuel, use of non-combustible materials for decks, fire retardant applications for fencing and/or decking materials.