Real Property Planning

The State Land Board oversees the real property assets of the Common School Fund for long-term, multi-generational support of K-12 public schools in Oregon.

The Department of State Lands’ Real Estate Asset Management Plan guides the direction of the agency’s planning efforts, which include land sales, exchanges, acquisitions, planning and development. All proposed sales and other land transactions of the planning unit must be approved by the State Land Board. Specific steps include evaluating opportunities, conducting due diligence, and making recommendations to the Board.

Information on properties currently under review is in the list below.

Link to submit comment on proposed DSL land transactions

Helvetia

The State Land Board on Oct. 17, 2017, approved the initiation of due-diligence review and determination for the potential sale of the Helvetia commercial property in Washington County. The Department of State Lands purchased the property in 2012 as part of an effort to generate greater returns for the Common School Fund, consistent with the 2012 Real Estate Asset Management Plan.

Since 2012 the Department has made improvements to the property to improve its desirability for lease and its value to the Common School Fund. It is currently leased at full capacity with three tenants for a variety of light-industrial uses. In September 2017, the Department received a request to purchase the property, which initiated the request to the Land Board to proceed with due diligence.

Oct. 17, 2017 Land Board agenda item

Map of Helvetia property

Millican Road

The State Land Board on Oct. 17, 2017, approved the initiation of due-diligence review and determination of the potential sale of the Millican Road property in Crook County. The site was slated for conversion to industrial use in the Central Oregon Area Management Plan adopted by the Land Board in October 2011.

On June 12, 2012, the Land Board authorized an equal exchange of land with Premier Bank, the adjacent property owner. The due diligence conducted for that exchange included altering the boundaries of both properties from long narrow parcels to square parcels. The reconfiguration provided road access to the Millican Road parcel, and improved the marketability of both parcels for future development and use.

The City of Prineville annexed the Department of State Lands parcel as an industrial parcel, and later it was certified as a “shovel ready” site under Business Oregon’s Certified Industrial Site identification process. The property was actively marketed in 2012 and 2013 but received no offers. Recently, DSL received an application to purchase the property by one of the neighbors, Legacy Ranches, which initiated the request to the Land Board to proceed with due diligence.

Oct. 17, 2017 Land Board agenda item

Map of Millican Road property

South Redmond

In 2006, the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) undertook a planning process to identify land use and management strategies for 945 acres of Common School Fund lands southeast of Redmond. Located directly south of the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center and south and east of the City of Redmond’s Juniper Golf Course, the South Redmond tract was acquired in 2007 from the Bureau of Land Management. At its October 14, 2008, meeting, the State Land Board approved the South Redmond Tract Land Use and Management Plan.

To implement the master plan, DSL is working to bring the property into Redmond’s urban growth boundary, partnering with Deschutes County and the Oregon Military Department to exchange or sell parts of the tract.

Deschutes County is proposing an equal-value exchange of property adjacent to the City of Redmond for approximately 140 acres of the South Redmond tract to expand the county fairgrounds. The county has proposed an exchange for industrial property it owns on the City of Redmond’s eastern boundary.

The Military Department is proposing to acquire 20 acres of the property for a new readiness facility immediately south of the fairgrounds expansion area (the proposed exchange with Deschutes County portion). The Military Department would purchase the property directly from DSL.

Since October 2015, DSL has retained a consulting team to prepare the necessary application materials for UGB expansion, annexation into the city and rezoning the properties. It is anticipated the entire process will be completed in spring 2018.

Map

South Redmond Tract Land Use and Management Plan

Stevens Road

The Stevens Road Tract, 640 acres located in southeast Bend at the intersection of Stevens Road and 27th Avenue, is currently under consideration for sale. DSL anticipates making a recommendation regarding the sale to the State Land Board at the Board’s December 10, 2019 meeting.

In 2016, the western 382 acres of the parcel were brought into the city of Bend’s urban growth boundary and are now eligible for annexation. Bend’s comprehensive plan for the UGB acres calls for a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The eastern 261 acres remain outside the UGB and are zoned multi-use agricultural.

The overall planning concept for the property, defined in the city’s comprehensive plan, is a complete community that accommodates a diverse mix of housing and employment uses.

DSL is exploring multiple options for a sale, including sale of some or all of the acres within the tract.

Property Background

The tract is Common School Fund land. School lands were granted to Oregon by the federal government to fund public education and are managed to obtain the greatest benefit for schools. The Department acquired the tract from the federal government in 1997.

Since gaining ownership, DSL has taken multiple steps to ready the land for development and fulfill its responsibilities as stewards of school lands. Stevens Road key events timeline

In October 2017, the State Land Board directed DSL to begin due diligence work to prepare for a potential sale. That work included rezoning the 261 acres outside the UGB, a survey and property line adjustment to separate the land inside and outside the UGB, evaluation of the property’s value, and discussions with the community and stakeholders to gather input on potential sale and development.

Public Comment Period Open Now
A public comment period on the potential sale will be open until Saturday, November 16 at 5 p.m.

Link to submit comment on proposed DSL land transactions

Property documents and materials

Oct. 17 Land Board agenda item

Stevens Road Conceptual Master Plan (Note: the conceptual master plan was created in 2007 to demonstrate the land's suitability for a mixed-use urban neighborhood. The plan does not align with the city's current comprehensive plan. A new master plan would be created for any future property development.)

Site map-photo

Stevens Road bat study

Stevens Road BECON survey

Stevens Road cleanup feasibility

Stevens Road ESA report