The Bend City-owned vacant former site of The Bulletin at the intersection of Portland and Wall close to downtown is being explored as potentially housing a multi-story hotel with ground floor retail suites flanked by two commercial pad sites.
City officials said they are open to an approach by a group named Cascade Empire Lodging, at a touted acquisition price of close to $2.3 million, subject to discussions on timelines and other specifics regarding due diligence, including potential design components which could include a public plaza and some element of workforce housing.
The City purchased the 3.1 acre property from local developers Todd Taylor and Jeff Pickhardt for $4.78 million around the peak of the last real estate boom and had contemplated it for new civic headquarters as part of an envisaged mixed-use concept, but the idea never came to fruition and the site was subsequently offered for sale.
Recently, the City entered into a contract with a local developer for $1.9 million but that entity decided to not pursue the deal after due diligence conditions were not able to be met, opening the door for other interested parties to explore the commercially-zoned site’s development potential.
