Central Oregon Magazine Readers Choice as Best Neighborhood
Story By Kim Cooper Findling

When planning began for the Westside Bend neighborhood NorthWest Crossing a dozen years ago, developer West Bend Property Company LLC had high hopes. What they attempted was completely revolutionary, at least in Central Oregon. The neighborhood would be mixed-use, green-built and dense. Plenty of open space would be included and as many trees as possible would be left in place; shops and schools and cafés would be integrated into the neighborhood. It was an exciting concept—but would it work?

Ten years later, the answer is an unequivocal yes. NorthWest Crossing exploded during Bend’s boom years during the last decade, but even more notable is the fact that the neighborhood continues to boom now, during a recession. Developer Brooks Resources released Phase 15—33 lots in the east section of the neighborhood—in December of 2010. "They are already all spoken for," Brooks Resources VP of Marketing Romy Mortensen said in late January. "That’s just unheard of right now."

Growth is buoyed by several factors. The neighborhood has won many awards. Most recently, it was voted Best Neighborhood by this magazine in our annual Best of Bend Awards. Cottage Living Magazine has named NorthWest Crossing in its Top Ten Cottage Neighborhoods. BUILDERnews Magazine once named NorthWest Crossing the Most Successful Development in Oregon. And the year-old NorthWest Crossing community garden—one of many amenities that support a commitment to green, community and sustainability—was voted Best New Green Enhancement by the Central Oregon Association of Realtors last year.

Awards are enticing, but what mostly draws new residents to NorthWest Crossing is the simple matter of aesthetics. Builder Nate Connolly, of Ridgeline Custom Homes, has built a dozen homes in NorthWest Crossing and can list as many of the neighborhood’s charms, including overall planning but extending to the very floorboards of the homes. "The architectural quality is very high," he says. "NorthWest Crossing emulates historically correct, really expensive, exclusive neighborhoods from all over the country, without the impossible price tags."

"We continue to get inquiries from all over the United States," says Mortensen. Just over a third of NorthWest Crossing’s home sales have come from within Bend. Another 23 percent come from other locations in Oregon, and 44 percent from other states (most from California and Washington). Well over half of homes sold last year were brand new construction.

One factor—impossible to predict—that has sustained the neighborhood through the recession is actually related to the recession: the national trend towards smaller rather than larger homes. "Nationally and locally, people are scaling down," says Mortensen. "We’ve been very successful recently with our cottages, smaller lots and smaller homes."

Connolly has witnessed the same trend. "There’s a big shift taking place towards not so massive and overpriced," he says. "The overall planning and philosophy of high-density living with lots of open space is really attractive to a wide range of people. I’ve had clients who were young families looking for starter homes to those who have relocated and are looking to retire, and who could have chosen a large home in a golf course community but have chosen NorthWest Crossing instead."

Access to amenities, he says, is a driving desire shared by all NorthWest Crossing residents. The neighborhood’s business district is thriving. Mortensen mentions the recent relocation/new location of three local businesses—Tate and Tate Catering, SaraBella Upcycled and BendFilm—as evidence of the neighborhood’s appeal as well as the developer’s desire to bring culture, great food and green retailers into the fold. "It’s all really good news," she says.

In addition, the neighborhood continues to add events to its calendar. A Spring Festival kicks off the season, the Hullaballoo launches summer, a Farmer’s Market runs until September and a Munch and Movies series ends the season. Events bring people together. "There is a real feeling of pride in the neighborhood," says Connolly. "The social energy is really loud—the community has a way of magnetizing people."

The success of the release of Phase 15 has motivated Brooks Resources to pick up the pace on Phase 16. "We’re expediting plans for development," says Mortensen. Plans for more open space and an amphitheater are included, as well as more classic, family-friendly homes in a variety of sizes. "NorthWest Crossing feels really fresh, and yet rooted in the past," says Connolly. "It’s a cool balance."