In the News
Oregon State University–Cascades Wins 2025 Phoenix Award for Brownfield Redevelopment Excellence
Oregon State University–Cascades (OSU–C) has earned national recognition as a 2025 Phoenix Award winner, celebrating its groundbreaking transformation of a former landfill and pumice mine into a thriving university campus and innovation district in Bend, Oregon.
About the Phoenix Awards for Brownfield Redevelopment
The Phoenix Awards are the premier national recognition for brownfield redevelopment projects that demonstrate excellence in sustainability, innovation, and community impact. Presented at the National Brownfields Conference, these awards honor projects that turn contaminated, underutilized, or blighted properties into vibrant community assets.
Unique Aspects of the OSU–Cascades Redevelopment Project
The OSU–Cascades campus expansion stood out for its bold vision, technical innovation, and deep community engagement. The project is transforming a 120-acre site, comprising a 72-acre former demolition landfill and a 48-acre inactive pumice mine, into a cornerstone of higher education and economic development in Central Oregon.
A Site with a Complex Past
Originally used for logging, the site later became a pumice mine and then the Deschutes County Landfill, which operated from 1972 to 1996. The landfill accepted demolition debris and was subject to unauthorized dumping, resulting in contamination from methane and volatile organic compounds. High-temperature waste pockets posed additional challenges.
Innovative Remediation and Reuse
OSU–Cascades, in partnership with Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc., conducted extensive environmental and engineering feasibility studies. These informed a unique remediation strategy: excavating and processing over 532,000 cubic yards of waste to generate 160,000 cubic yards of usable soil. This soil was reused on site, reducing carbon emissions, truck traffic, and landfill burden. This process will be repeated in future phases of campus expansion. Advanced safety protocols—including thermal monitoring and controlled excavation techniques—were developed to manage high-temperature waste.
A Vision for Education and Innovation
The project is operating under a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which outlines the roles and responsibilities for ongoing redevelopment. The redevelopment aligns with OSU–Cascades’ Long Range Development Plan and the City of Bend’s Central Westside Plan. It supports the creation of an Innovation District, a hub for public-private collaboration, research, and workforce development. The project also contributes to regional goals for housing affordability, connectivity, and economic resilience.
Community-Driven Success
Over 200 community volunteers participated in planning efforts, and more than 40 organizations are collaborating on the Innovation Hub. The project’s transparent communication strategy, including public meetings and multimedia storytelling, has engaged and informed stakeholders.
A Model for Sustainable Redevelopment
The OSU–Cascades project exemplifies the triple bottom line of brownfield redevelopment: environmental restoration, economic growth, and social benefit.
"From reclaiming unusable land to creating academic, recreational, and innovation spaces, the campus expansion is a beacon of what’s possible when vision, science, and community come together."
Learn More
- To learn more about the Phoenix Awards and other winning projects, visit gobrownfields.org.
- For updates on the OSU–Cascades campus expansion, visit osucascades.edu/campus-expansion.
- To read more about MFA's work with OSU-Cascades, view the project description.
Contact Us
General Inquires
Thank you for your interest in MFA! Whether you are looking to inquire about a project or are interested in learning more about our services, please reach out to the MFA Team!
