Excavators began clearing the site on July 30, 2026, on CASCADA, a 68-room Nordic-inspired boutique hotel and thermal wellness facility scheduled to open in late 2028 in Bend, Ore., bendbulletin.com reported.
Seattle-based developer SolTerra is behind the project, with Lease Crutcher Lewis serving as the contractor.
A project cost wasn't announced.
On July 30, crews demolished one of the buildings on the block, then cleared the debris. Along Arizona and Colorado avenues and Bond and Wall streets, roads were partially or fully fenced off, bendbulletin.com reported.
The project will occupy most of a city block that sat vacant for years.
"It's been a long process," SolTerra Chief Operating Officer Marc Coluccio said. "Permitting took significantly longer than we had hoped, but we've done our best to work with the city and their third-party reviewers and expedite getting feedback to them whenever they had comments."
Coluccio said the project's complexity probably contributed to the extended review process, noting the elaborate structural, mechanical and plumbing systems, bendbulletin.com reported.
The project centerpiece will be an adults-only thermal wellness facility that features eight pools and water experiences inspired by Nordic bath traditions, along with Japanese onsens, Korean jjimjilbangs and Roman baths. Guests will follow a self-guided sequence of hot pools, cold plunges, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation spaces.
The facility also is slated to include a fitness center, spa treatment rooms, two restaurants and hotel accommodations. While the hotel and restaurants will welcome guests of all ages, the thermal wellness areas will be limited to those 21 and older.
Although SolTerra is not pursuing LEED certification, sustainability remains a focus, with the building being designed to the same standards as its LEED Platinum projects elsewhere, bendbulletin.com reported.
The facility will use reverse osmosis, regenerative filtration and ultraviolet sanitation systems to continuously purify the water instead of draining the pools.
The building also will incorporate a glass conservatory roof; transparent solar panels will generate electricity while allowing natural light to filter through, bendbulletin.com reported.
Plans call for an internal parking garage with approximately 80 to 85 spaces.
