C8 THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021
Les Schwab
Solve these puzzles on C4
Continued from C1
The development on Frank-
lin includes seven tax lots.
Buildings currently on the
property would need to be de-
molished after the sale of the
property.
Zoning rules state that the
buyer cannot construct any-
thing that has “auto-dependent
uses,” such as a gas station, car
dealership, car wash, or auto
mechanic, said Ramage.
“There are plenty of pos-
sibilities for mixed-use de-
velopment here,” said Moey
Newbold, director of urban
planning for Central Oregon
LandWatch, a non-profit that is
helping to develop the area. “I
would like to see the property
redeveloped creatively with a
strong orientation toward the
needs of the community.”
In addition to housing,
Newbold said the site could
be developed to include a City
Hall, a community gathering
place, or subsidized space to
launch entrepreneurial enter-
prises.
“People want the BCD to
develop with its own authen-
tic, eclectic, and welcoming
feel with more that supports
local businesses and creative
endeavors,” said Newbold.
The potential buyers that
have toured the site are based
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SOLUTION TO TODAY’S
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Les Schwab is selling its property on Franklin Street that is planned to be redeveloped into a mixed-use
property with residential and commercial opportunities.
in the Northwest region, Ra-
mage added, but he declined
to comment on which specific
companies are considering the
property. One is local and two
others are regional.
Currently, the property
is somewhat hemmed in by
Highway 97 on one side and
other large commercial prop-
erties on the other side. One of
the properties is home to Blue
Dog RV — the land on which
that business sits is owned by
Brooks Resources Corp.
Kirk Schueler , President
and CEO of Brooks Resources
Corp., said in three to four
years Blue Dog RV will be
gone and there are plans to
erect a mixed-use building
on the site, with ground floor
commercial and several floors
of residential units above.
“We bought it several years
ago with the intent to rede-
velop this site, being consis-
tent with the city’s new code
for the Bend Central District,”
said Schueler. “We’d love to
get started on it in the next 12
months.”
In addition to selling its
property at 105 NE Franklin,
Les Schwab, which is based in
Bend, is also in the process of
developing a new tire center
on Third Street.
The sale of the property, just
north of the railroad cross-
ing and across the road from
Chevrolet of Bend, was final-
ized in December 2019. The
property has been cleared of
buildings and is currently in
the midst of the permitting
process to build the new tire
center.
That 2.5-acre property
upon which the tire center will
be built includes 10 tax lots,
which were held by two sepa-
rate owners, said Ramage. Les
Schwab spent $3.2 million to
acquire the properties.
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7818,
mkohn@bendbulletin.com
LAT CROSSWORD SOLUTION
Brooks
Continued from C1
This has increased produc-
tivity, flexibility and attraction
from a diversity of candidates
that companies previously did
not reach.
Although the opportunity
to work from home has helped
many keep their jobs during the
pandemic, not everyone was af-
forded the opportunity. Women
have shouldered the bulk of
family obligations of staying
home with their children. Ac-
cording to Forbes, last Septem-
ber when virtual and hybrid
schools began across the coun-
try 865,000 women dropped
out of the labor force in that
month alone — four times the
number of men who left. And
women aren’t returning at the
same pace as men. The lack of
childcare is forcing families to
make the decision of who stays
home, and that’s usually mom,
to the potential detriment of her
career.
To be sure the remote work-
force trend is not benefitting ev-
eryone. Those of us returning to
the office will face adjustments
in this transition. The shift in
how we see ourselves as an em-
ployee, along with the isolating
impact of the pandemic has af-
fected human health. Moe Car-
rick, a Bend-based leadership
and organization coach thinks
employers need to acknowl-
edge the impacts of how the
pandemic has changed how we
work. “With some members of
the team physically present, and
others still interacting through
electrons, we need to take the
time to work on team health
by coming to our work as our
whole selves,” she said. “We are
seeing how working apart not
only affects the job, but it has
real human impacts that re-
quire us to lead with an open
heart and be diligent in creating
an environment where we feel
valued.”
Working remotely includes
a wide variety of industries. It’s
not just a person sitting in their
home office clicking away at
the keyboard. It is also team-
based and interactive. It has
changed old paradigms of tradi-
tional and contracted employ-
ees. The remote workforce will
require Central Oregon to be
ready with housing, commer-
cial and smart city facilities that
are wired and ready for people
to work from anywhere. Our
Legislature will also need to rec-
ognize this change by refrain-
ing from limiting the ability to
attract and employ a changing
workforce by using outdated
laws defining contract limita-
tions.
The world and the workforce
have moved on, and we need to
accept that this trend is already
becoming a norm.
e e
Katy Brooks is the Bend Chamber of
Commerce CEO. Her vision for the
chamber is to catalyze an environment
where businesses, their employees and
the community thrive.