Editors Note: This article was originally published July, 2021
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Waking up on a lakeside property, with mountain views out the window and hiking trails out the back door, is the stuff of vacation dreams for many. Throw in morning fly-fishing on the creek, afternoon water-ski laps on a private lake and a six-mile drive to downtown Bend for dining, culture and shopping, and it starts to sound impossible.
Believe it or not, a one-of-a-kind new development, just west of Bend proper, promises all these amenities and more. The 182-acre Tanager community offers twenty-one spacious waterfront homesites along one of two private lakes or Tumalo Creek, all situated out Shevlin Park Road just northwest of Bend city limits. “There will never be another place like this,” said broker Tab Howard, of LUXE Christie’s International Real Estate, who is the listing agent for the development.
Tanager’s first lots hit the market in May, with four two-acre waterfront homesites available for $1.4 million apiece. Three miles of asphalt-paved roads connect the homesites, common areas, trails and lakes on the property and seventy acres of irrigation rights offer pressurized water and irrigation capabilities to every lot. While there are just twenty-one homesites total, residents can expect to share the area with a wide variety of wildlife, with deer, elk, bald eagles and raptors calling Tanager home. Each homesite borders either the rushing Tumalo Creek, which runs through the property, or one of two private lakes.
Tumalo Creek flows year-round on the eastern border of the Tanager property for nearly three-quarters of a mile of private frontage, with waterfalls cascading down rimrock cliffs and some identified spots perfect for fishing for rainbow and brown trout. A tributary to the Deschutes River, the creek is a natural beauty with waterfalls, rapids and picturesque vistas. Tanager residents will enjoy Tumalo Creek’s changing landscape all year long.
The water-ski lake is a purposefully-designed waterway 2,100 feet in length, ready for endless glass-smooth water for water-skiing, wakeboarding and wake surfing. Kids and adults alike can play on the 120-yard long swimming beach with Oregon Coast beach sand. The lake’s size, depth and configuration were all designed to offer Tanager residents and their guests a competition-level experience on the water for both smooth water sports and wake sports. Turn islands on each end eliminate wakes from traveling down the length of the course, and the lake features a 10-foot deep trench down the middle for wake sports and a sinkable slalom course with one-touch control. There’s also a picnic area near the lake with a shelter, restroom and shower.
The second recreation lake on the property is for non-motorized activities—a serene setting perfect for swimming, kayaking, standup paddleboarding or canoeing. A community dock offers the perfect place for fishing in this stocked lake or for launching small watercraft. Careful design, planning and engineering went into creating this private lake that residents will enjoy for decades to come.
Eleven homesites surround Tanager’s water-ski lake, seven homesites perch on the rimrock along Tumalo Creek and three border the property’s recreational lake. The owners of the homesites are all afforded access to the 117 acres of common open space (nearly eighty percent of the development), including recreation facilities and ample lakefront green space to offer a balance of access and privacy.
Central Oregon Paradise
The homesites offered at Tanager are poised to become enduring, legacy properties for the buyers that choose to build homes in the new Central Oregon community. The new homes could serve as primary residences for couples or young families, a breathtaking paradise for empty-nesters or retirees or a second-home ready for memory-making vacation visits.
The property is likely to welcome not only water-ski enthusiasts, but outdoor recreation lovers of all varieties, according to Howard, who himself is a Central Oregon transplant along with his wife, Lindsey, and two young children. Howard was enjoying success as a top-performing luxury real estate broker in southern California when the pandemic hit, offering new perspective to he and his family and the idea of truly loving where you live. “Professionally and personally, we realized that space was a commodity, and family was a priority,” said Howard, who settled into a home in the Broken Top neighborhood last year. “Bend offers all that and then some.”
Howard is originally from Norfolk, a small town outside Boston, while his wife is from Tigard. Moving to Bend meant having more family support and endless outdoor recreation opportunities without feeling like they’re in the middle of nowhere. “Bend still has that desirable small-town feel, but it’s among the fastest growing cities in the country,” Howard said.
Sharing the passion
The Tanager development is decades in the making, originally envisioned by Harris Kimble, who along with his wife Nancy, lives on the property. In 2013, the Kimbles partnered with another couple and began purchasing adjacent parcels of land, which today make up the 182-acre Tanager property. They’re now excited to offer a limited number of spacious homesites and look forward to sharing this paradise with others looking to enjoy the legacy of bringing families together for generations to come. “It’s truly been their passion project for the last nine years,” Howard said. These developers and residents of Tanager are eager to share their slice of heaven with other water and outdoor enthusiasts, who dream of vacationing where they live.
