The Innovation District is the next step in the expansion of OSU-Cascades, bringing people and ideas together to advance research, technology commercialization, incubation and economic development. Partners in the district will collaborate with university faculty, researchers and students from a variety of fields, with access to many campus facilities and amenities. At full capacity, the district will encompass 24 acres, with 500,000 square feet of tech, light-industrial, office, commercial, experiential retail, and multipurpose event and performing arts space, as well as workforce housing.
Seeking Industry and Real Estate Partners
With a completed master plan for the Innovation District, OSU-Cascades held initial market soundings to seek companies, real estate developers and community leaders interested in working with the university to develop a successful Innovation District.
An Innovation District is a geographic area where anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with smaller companies, startups, business incubators and accelerators. Innovation Districts are known for being physically compact, transit accessible and technically wired. They offer mixed-use housing, office, retail and light industrial space.
Interested businesses and developers are invited to meet with a campus planner to share partnering ideas.
Property Details
Anticipated Sq. Ft. of Buildings: 500,000 sq. ft.
Zoning: Mixed Urban, Special Planned District
Development Status: Master plan completed
and hosting sessions to determine space use
Research Advantages
The Innovation District will be at the intersection of OSU-Cascades research and business development in a variety of fields, such as: bioscience, biotech, sports performance, health, outdoor products, energy engineering, applied engineering, software engineering, hospitality, arts & media tech and natural resources.
Economic Advantages
Located in fast-growing Bend, Oregon, the Innovation District will build upon the economic and geographic advantages of the region. Bend is a rapidly expanding remote work hotspot and is home to a number of tech, biotech, outdoor product, software and numerous other traded-sector companies.
Shared Amenities
The district will feature food and beverage locations, access to miles of walking paths, affordable workforce housing and public transportation in addition to being housed next to a university campus full of amenities.
Shared Operational Opportunities
OSU-Cascades is exploring various amenities and services that may be available in the Innovation District. Through shared operations agreements, lessees may be able to take advantage of shared energy services, printing, mailing, makerspaces, fab labs, machine shops, lab space, shared conference services, shared custodial services, parking, fitness and childcare.
Regional Amenities
Central Oregon is known for its quality of life due to the access to Mt. Bachelor ski resort, Deschutes River, and numerous federal, state and local parks. Additionally, the Redmond Municipal Airport is a short drive from Bend and has direct flights to Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Portland, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Phoenix. Known for excellent schools, quality of life and a diverse economy, Bend will continue to grow.
Award-Winning Campus Design
The campus long range development plan earned an award for innovative design from the national Society for College and University Planning.
It outlines the transformation of underutilized land into a campus that meets the needs of future generations.