The Tree Farm is a tight-knit community that offers residents privacy and tranquility, quite literally at the doorstep of Mother Nature’s playground, yet conveniently located close to schools, shops, restaurants and the rest that Bend has to offer.
| Year Opened: | 2016 |
| Year Completed: | 2017 |
| Acreage: | 533 |
| Current Status: | Sold out in October 2017 |
Located just west of Bend’s city limits, The Tree Farm is a special property bordered by US Forest Service land and the beloved Shevlin Park. When the big pine mills moved to town in the early 1900s, this property was one of the first to be logged. In 1955, Bill Miller purchased the property from a sheep rancher who had owned it since the 1920s. It’s still a working tree farm, last harvested in the 1990s.
The Miller family has owned The Tree Farm for six decades. When they were ready to develop the land into a residential community, the Millers partnered with Brooks Resources and the partners of West Bend Property Company, developers of NorthWest Crossing. The Tree Farm LLC was formed and land use planning and applications began in 2014.
Opponents to westside development provided The Tree Farm a bit of a challenge during the land use approval process.
Brooks Resources and its partners worked to thoughtfully design a community that will permanently preserve over 400 acres of open space and offer just fifty 2-acre homesites, grouped in a cluster style development. While zoning would have allowed larger homesites to be spread throughout the entire property, the Millers wanted much of the land to remain as pristine as it is now, and provide residents and the larger Bend community enhanced access to Shevlin Park and US Forest Service land.
The variety of the landscape provides a diverse mix of homesites—some with clear mountain vistas; others with a forested feel—each as unique as the trees that grow there.
The Tree Farm LLC was able to work collaboratively with opponents during the appeal process, which resulted in the appeal being withdrawn in February 2016. Working with experts in wildfire mitigation and wildlife habitat during the land use process resulted in a plan that is unique and quite resilient, setting a new precedent for development within the county. The Tree Farm was built as a Firewise Community from the ground up, which is rare for a property of this size. In May 2016, The Tree Farm partnered with Deschutes Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Bend Park and Recreation District (BPRD) in a prescribed burn of 82 acres of open space. This private-public partnership was the last step in reducing fire fuels and preparing the land for development and ultimately for sale. And, as a result of these efforts, it makes Bend’s west side even safer.
Development was completed in six months. Homesites sales were available starting October 1, 2016, to a database of over 1,100 potential buyers. After a single round of bidding, 32 homesites were spoken for. Within 75 days of the initial release, only seven homesites remained for sale by the end of 2016. The last homesite was sold in October 2017.
In August of 2017, 328 acres of permanent open space on the western portion of the property were transferred from The Tree Farm to Trust for Public Land then to Bend Park and Recreation District (BPRD) as an addition to and expansion of Shevlin Park. Through a federal Community Forest Grant, BPRD was able to acquire funding for 50% of the appraised value of the land. The remaining 50% of the value was donated by Tree Farm LLC, owners and developers of the project. Shevlin Park, a jewel and favorite of Bend’s parks, is now larger and has improved access for visitors and residents of Bend as a result of this collaboration.
Visit The Tree Farm HOA website for current Design Guidelines, CC&Rs and other documents.
