A new state military readiness center in Redmond is being planned after a $1.66 million sale of 20 acres approved by the State Land Board this week.
The sale is part of a broader collaboration of a 945-acre project that includes expansion of the Deschutes county fairgrounds and creation of new large-lot industrial land that’s expected to attract technology businesses and bring more family-wage jobs to central Oregon.
The new readiness center, which would replace an existing 65-year-old armory, would serve as both a training facility for the Oregon National Guard and an essential facility for supporting the community during emergencies.
“When constructed, this new readiness center will be a resilient facility that is more capable of surviving, and being a local and state asset, during an earthquake or other natural disaster,” Stan Hutchinson, OMD director of installations, told the Land Board.
