See it, feel it, believe it
Our work in the Bend Central District has reached a tipping point!
2040 Bend Central District vision as a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood
A decade ago, in the neighborhood just east of downtown Bend, the crumbling sidewalks and mishmash of industrial lots didn’t give the area “vibrant, walkable community” vibes. Fast-forward to today, and thanks to a shared community vision, strong local leadership, and significant investments, a new story is taking shape.
The revitalization of the Bend Central District — affectionately known as the BCD — into a Complete Community is one of the most promising, broadly supported, and exciting efforts in the entire city.
In 2024, the BCD will really start to look, feel, and function differently and we’re so here for it!
A timeline of community envisioning for the Bend Central District
A Clear Priority: East-to-West connections
In Central Oregon LandWatch’s quest to catalyze equitable redevelopment and the creation of a Complete Community in the BCD, a number of community priorities emerged with strong consensus. A key one was improving connections for people to roll, walk, and bike between the west side and the east side.
Happening Now: Midtown Crossings
Four key projects moving forward this year will help bring our community’s vision for the BCD to life by better connecting Bend’s East and West sides.
The goal: Make travel safer and more convenient for all users on four key streets: Greenwood Avenue, Franklin Avenue, Hawthorne Avenue, and Second Street.
What’s new: Design and construction kick off on Greenwood Avenue and Second Street this year. The community will also help select a preferred bike/pedestrian bridge design for the Hawthorne Overcrossing, and get a first look at possible options (a.k.a “alternative analysis”) for improving the Franklin Avenue corridor and undercrossing.
The City of Bend has a dedicated Midtown Connections and Streetscaping Project web page to help track all the action. With many upcoming opportunities for public input, bookmark this site and watch for alerts from us.
Midtown Crossing Projects Timeline from the City of Bend
First up: Greenwood Avenue
Construction of ‘quick build’ improvements on Greenwood kicks off this summer. While it may seem a bit counterintuitive, the changes proposed for Greenwood aim to improve the safe flow of car traffic - and create more safe space to walk, bike, or roll. A major part of the redesign is buffered or separated spaces for bikes and pedestrians, as well as making left turns safer and more efficient for cars with single lanes of travel and dedicated turn lanes.
Rendering of the “Dogwood at the Pine Shed” (formerly the Catalyst Project)
This Fall: 2nd Street improvements + The Catalyst Project
Slated to open this fall, “Dogwood at The Pine Shed” on Second Street and Hawthorne (formerly the Catalyst Project) will be a lively community hub that helps advance the ongoing redevelopment of the BCD. Beloved local business Dogwood Cocktail Cabin will center art in their reimagining of the historic Pine Shed building as they relocate from downtown. This project dovetails with the streetscape and design improvements taking place on Second Street between Greenwood and Franklin that will make the area more active, welcoming, and safer, especially for those traveling by foot, bike, or human-powered wheels.
‘Single Tower Cable-Stay’: One of four possible design options for the Hawthorne Bike & Pedestrian Bridge
Hawthorne Overcrossing: Which bridge design do you want to see?
Thanks to the work of LandWatch, the City of Bend, local partners like the Bend Chamber of Commerce, and our community, the Hawthorne bike-ped bridge has received incredible, game-changing levels of state and federal funding. That has moved the design and construction timeline up on this iconic project!
Attend the City of Bend’s open house on July 10, or visit their online open house between July 3-17, to learn about bridge design options and related budgets and share which one you’d like to see built in 2026.
And just as important: What will the Hawthorne Overcrossing connect to?
With years of community organizing behind us, LandWatch is working toward the designation of the Bend Central District as a Climate-Friendly Area. This spring, thanks to a new grant awarded to the City of Bend by the State's Department of Land Conservation and Development, our community will benefit from a multimodal gap analysis of the area, a low-car district feasibility study, and the identification of a preferred route and design options for a "Drake Park to Juniper Park" route for folks who walk, bike, and roll, all centered around the Hawthorne Overcrossing. It all adds up to a more safe, complete bike network in our city and more climate-friendly, Complete Communities in this place we call home.
After many years of dreaming, advocating, and planning, we’re thrilled to have reached a point where progress in the Bend Central District is work that we can all see and feel. Next time you roll, walk, or bike through this area, award yourself a gold star for supporting a visionary urban renewal project that enhances our livability, tackles climate change, and helps ensure we grow well and with intention.
On July 10, 2024, the City of Bend will host an open house inviting ideas for the Hawthorne Overcrossing. See our Action Center for details or subscribe to our e-news to be alerted when your voice is needed.
For another point of view on the Bend Central District, read The Time For Skepticism Of The Bend Central District Has Passed — The Transformation Is Already Underway.