No paperwork has been filed yet, but North Bend residents along Park Street and Bendigo Boulevard are speculating about what big-name retailer, Bartell’s or Walgreen’s, might be coming to their block by the end of this year.

Several lots along Bendigo and Park, in the 100 block of West Park Street may be included in a commercial redevelopment that attorney Tom Sroufe, partnering with land-owner James C. Borgen, has proposed.

Sroufe said he hoped to make an announcement on the project within the month.

Sroufe could not comment on possible tenants, however

“It may happen, it may not happen,” he explained. Sroufe was reluctant to discuss the project until he had a committed tenant.

Initial discussions about the project with the North Bend Planning Department last August indicated that the development would likely be a 14,000 square-foot retail space, which is an allowed use of the properties, zoned downtown commercial. Senior Planner Jamie Burrell noted that the project could require a traffic study, a SEPA environmental review, and several public hearings, but could still be completed within the calendar year.

“Construction is pretty quick,” she said. “My understanding is that they should be ready pretty soon.”

The size of the proposed store is slightly larger than city code allows, but the project could apply for a conditional use permit to allow the larger size in exchange for meeting additional requirements of the city, such as nicer materials or more landscaping, Burrell added.

As of March 7, the city’s planning department had not received any additional information on the proposed project, although they’d heard from at least one resident of the block, who was concerned about how the building, which she expected to be a Bartell’s, would fit with the city’s look.