Cedar River Partners, a developer planning a new 212-unit housing project in North Bend, will host an open house on the project, from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 22, at the Mt. Si Senior Center, 411 Main Avenue S., North Bend. A brief presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Guests are invited to learn about the history of the project site, known as the Dahlgren Property, and the proposed project, at the meeting. Technical experts, representatives of Cedar River Partners and the Dahlgren family will be on hand to listen and share information about the proposal.
The 21-acre property, running along SE North Bend Way between 452nd Avenue SE and SE 141st Street (about half way between Tanner Road and the TravelAmerica truck stop) had been zoned for industrial uses for years, but in 2010, the city adopted the Tanner Landing Master Plan Overlay to allow residential development on the site. The planned units — 132 townhomes and 80 apartments — may be offered for sale or rental, according to Cedar River Partners.
“Because we are early in the process, we do not yet know if these new residences will be offered for sale or held by us as rentals,” a company spokesperson said.
The development, which has completed the application process, has met opposition from community members, including Jean Buckner, who has raised more than $1,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to hire a land-use attorney to review the property and the project.
“Though we fully understand and respect landowner rights in this situation, many of us would like time to determine if we can come up with a land use option that would meet the land owner’s needs; fit within the city’s vision and better meet the needs of current North Bend residents,” the fundraising website stated.
The Cedar River Partners spokesperson responded to a question about alternative uses by saying the company respected alternative opinions, but “we intend to move forward with our plans, which are consistent with the city of North Bend zoning.”
The original project proposed for the site could have been for significantly more housing, said City Administrator Londi Lindell, but the city council recently passed emergency code changes to reduce the density on the property by half and to limit some of the building heights to only two stories. “It is a significant property in the city,” Lindell said of the site, with “significant view corridors” to the landmark Mount Si that the council also wanted to preserve.
The city’s code changes also increased setback requirements, required additional denser landscaping, and required design elements typical of alpine buildings.
In addition to meeting all of the city’s code changes, the developer has agreed to donate four acres for a Tanner Landing park, Cedar River Partners noted.
Initial ground work could start as soon as 2018 on the project, once the application is approved and a permit is granted.
