I received a great call from a concerned citizen regarding the mall update at Sunriver – what many of us have known as the Village Mall will most likely undergo some major changes. The Mall sold last year to a group of home owners and Sunriver visitors which formed an LLC called SilverStar, LLC this group of investors either own Sunriver property or are frequent visitors of Sunriver.
So, some of you may ask why the concern over the changes – we all know that the mall has seen better days and could use a face lift. The concerns of many seem to be the addition of 100’s (yes 100’s) of residential properties. The plans include townhouses, flats and a 75 foot tall lodge. The mall will almost become a resort within a resort. Parking – are you thinking what about parking – I know I did – according to what I have read there will be on street parking and underground parking.
The Village at Sunriver is expected to enhance the Sunriver experience. With many of the new resorts coming to the area the competition is fierce for buyers and visitors. Change is one of the most difficult things we experience in life and I am sure with this change there will be things that some love and some do not like.
The bottom line in my personal opinion is, what does this do for the community as a whole. If Sunriver does not continue to offer the best of the best for a vacation many of the amenities of the community will continue to show age and wear. Like the mall has. The Village at Sunriver will bring a new type of guest, the crowd that may be into a more urban environment much like you find at Whistler or Aspen. Although we all love Sunriver just the way it is if we do not keep up with the demands of the visitors we take the risk of loosing them to another resort or facility.
Trust me, I too wonder how crowded things may become, will the bike path’s become an I-5 as one reader commented to me or will the pools be even more crowded than before? All of these are questions that have been asked and although I can not give you solid answers I do believe that the investors at SilverStar enjoy Sunriver as much as those that are concerned. SilverStar seems to be trying very hard to keep the public informed with public meetings and articles, this is an approach that is refreshing to some and cause suspicion to others.
Remember the concerns some had over Fremont Crossing – many thought the condo project would be intrusive to the mall, they have turned out to be a great addition and will most likely continue to be the success they have been.
I am excited to see another project by people that know and love Sunriver and want to enhance it rather than just another big developer stepping in to let things continue to go down hill. I am sure there will be things I wonder about, things I would like to see done differently but in the long run I do think it will be an improvement for generations ahead of us to enjoy.
Cascade Business News has published a great section about this project, Sunriver and Caldera Springs to read what they have to say CLICK HERE>>>>
My memories of the mall will always be there and I am sure the new Village at Sunriver will create new memories for myself and others.
Other Articles that may be of interest to you are
Changes To Sunriver Mall err… Village
Executive Summary and Overview by Sunriver Owners Association
The Future Of Sunriver Village Mall
Bend Bulletin Article
Reed Construction Data
Thesa, I have seen similar change here in Summit County, Colorado. It is not always welcomed, but if planned properly, it usually is a benefit. It is always hard to see growth when we would rather shut the door behind us, but sometimes it just has to be!
Thesa,
I believe they want a successful project too. It’s just that we differ on the definition. If you look at their other town center projects I do believe you will see one major difference. Most of those projects are adjacent to ski resorts. Sunriver is not one of those. Look at it this way, if you and your family like Sunriver as a destination, it probably also means you like the outdoors, you are physically active, you want to get away from the hustle, you like to hike,bike,fish,play golf,tennis etc. You want a more rural atmosphere. You are not going to get any of those things by staying in some condo where there are 99 other condos in the center of some Alpish looking town square.
As to your statement about Silverstar being the great communicators, I think you will find the opposite to be true if you really look at it. Go to the Sunriver scene website and you will see that the editor’s have posted an article saying otherwise. Also if you go to Silverstar’s own website on the subject you will see that they have never updated it. i.e no new information on their “generous proposal” Ask yourself why. Look at the date they chose to have the big meeting with SROA. It was December. Ask any developer what the best month is to slide some questionable project passed homeowners and they will answer December. No one is around.
Something else I don’t understand. This idea that we need this project to stay competitive in the Central Oregon resort market. Hogwash I say. When people come to Sunriver they don’t come to wonder a village mall. They come to do all those things I mentioned in the prvious paragraph. We do not need a t-shirt shop and 100 more condominiums to keep our edge. We need a beautiful river in a gorgeous setting that you can visit and enjoy in the sun soaked summer or our wonderful winters. You need bike paths and pools golf courses and tennis courts. Throw in a lovely lodge an airport and Voila! you have heaven.
I love Sunriver. I have been coming here for 33 years. I know the mall is blighted. They built out too much retail. The owners of the mall didn’t care I hear. I am just sad to think that this only way we think we can improve. I’ll probably keep my home here if this comes to pass. I couldn’t imagine any place I’d like better. I’ll just go out Cottonwood and head into Bend to do my shopping. Goody’s is there too now.
Hi Thesa,
Sounds like Sun River is like so many others who suffer from growing pains. It’s alway a delicate balance for sensible growth, while maintaining the character of a community.
My best to you and the folks of Sunriver, I hope to see it some day.
Thesa – We have a similar problem with the uptown area in Albuquerque. Things have come to a grinding halt with one mall and it’s just not good for the area to have a dying mall. Growing pains are rough for all but in the end hopefully things will work out well in Sunriver and Albuquerque. – Ashley
Thesa,
I can see there are some strong feelings on this subject in Sunriver. Hopefully the new developer gets input from the community along the way.