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