The North Bend Urban Renewal Agency is in escrow to purchase and redevelop the Coos County Annex building. The URA has purchased the courthouse annex and two large building lots for $125-thousand dollars. The sites will be redeveloped into a planned mid-rise housing, retail, and commercial complex. URA Board Chair, who also serves as the city’s mayor, Jessica Engelke says the goal is to demolish the building for necessary housing and other activities that she believes will inspire additional investment in North Bend’s Central downtown business district.
Before becoming the county annex, the 1.33-acre parcel housed the former Keizer Memorial Hospital. It is located next to North Bend City Hall. The State Historic Preservation Office has requested project mitigation because of the significance of the structure in the history of North Bend. It was originally built in 1923 for about $60-thousand dollars and closed in May of 1974 when Bay Area Hospital opened. The URA will participate in Oregon’s Brownsfield Program to recover costs for remediation of environmental hazards located inside the property.