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Brooks Resources' Kirk Schueler, from left, Mike Hollern and Randy Jones stand on the Phase 5 area of the IronHorse development in Prineville on Tuesday afternoon.
Melissa Jansson / The Bulletin
Work commences on Prineville's IronHorse
By Jeff McDonald / The Bulletin
Published: June 28. 2006 4:00AM PSTPRINEVILLE - When Randy Jones arrived in Prineville to serve as project manager for Brooks Resources' new development in 2004, he sensed fear in the community.
"The fear was eye-level deep," he said. "There was a palpable sense of concern about how this would affect the town."
Two years later, after numerous community meetings, citizens are optimistic about the Bend company's massive IronHorse development, he said.
Before 50 to 75 invited guests, Brooks Resources officially broke ground Tuesday on the first phase of the 900 acres approved for master-planning on the 1,105-acre development.
The former Hudspeth ranch, now marked by wide-open space, rolling hills and grassland, is slated for 318 acres of parks and open space, roads and 2,771 dwelling units built over 15 to 20 years.
IronHorse is the latest of several big projects transforming small Central Oregon communities.
A host of developers also have a number of destination resorts on the drawing board or under way - from the base of Cline Butte to the Powell Butte area, Sunriver and west Bend - that could add several thousand more homes to Central Oregon.
In addition to IronHorse, Brooks is involved in an 800-acre subdivision in Madras that eventually will nearly double the town's size. The development, called Yarrow, is planned to have 1,350 to 1,700 homes at build-out. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
"Four or five years ago, we developed a strategy to become a Central Oregon developer instead of just a Bend developer and now we're starting to execute that strategy in Madras and Prineville," said Kirk Schueler, president of Brooks Resources.
Jones shared Prineville's concerns about IronHorse when he looked at a map of the proposed development.
"Relative to the current downtown, this development will be bigger," he said.
Residents were concerned about how the development would impact views from downtown as well as the density of homes proposed. They also were concerned about how it would impact the town's traditional and small-town feel.
In response to these concerns, Jones said, Brooks Resources designed a plan that is more generous in its typical lot size.
"Through a variety of ways, listening to the community, we've been able to craft a plan that substantially reduces the level of fear," he said. "Lot sizes are much more reflective of what's been built in Prineville going back decades and we've tried to keep the gridded, classic neighborhoods that reflect Prineville's small-town feel."
"We wanted these streets to be safe enough for kids to throw a Frisbee," he said. "The master plan responded to the character of Prineville, which made it unique for Brooks Resources."
What resulted is "the most significant traditional neighborhood development in the entire rural west," Jones said, citing comments from Robert Kuhlken, a geography professor at Central Washington University.
Jones did not give prices for as many as 205 lots that will be sold this fall in the first phase.
Brooks Resources has selected three local builders - Sun Forest Construction, SunWest Builders and Viking Construction - to bid for construction of neighborhoods in the new development.
The first few phases will be geared toward creating the neighborhoods. Later phases will allow more individuals to purchase larger lots, he said.
"We won't be reserving lots or mandating sales prices of homes," Jones said. "The free market will dictate price, but we have a large volume of supply and a long time frame set out before us to release the lots."
Bruce Daucsavage, president of Ochoco Lumber Co., owns 70 acres just to the south of IronHorse and is anxiously awaiting the development. He plans to develop retail and light industrial space on his property.
Charley Miller, of Miller Lumber, said IronHorse will breed commercial development in the area, helping his company and others.
And lifelong Prineville resident Lance Romine, owner of Line Shack Log Structures, sees opportunity, too, for his company's custom log homes at IronHorse.
Jeff McDonald can be reached at 383-0323 or at jmcdonald@bendbulletin.com.
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