NE Redmond project to include 250 affordable homes

And 250 more at market rates

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A new northeast Redmond housing project plans to create about 500 homes, about half of them in the affordable housing category.

Half the homes on the property located between 13th Street and Kingwood Avenue would be sold at market rates, while the rest would be affordable housing units.

Affordable housing is desperately needed in Redmond (and elsewhere in the region) as home prices have in the city increased 52% In the last few years. In that same time span, average wages in the city have only increased about 3%.

"We as a city feel that the success of this project could serve as a model to both the region and state as a way to develop successful projects that address the ever growing need and demand for affordable housing," Deputy City Manager John Roberts said Thursday.

The average cost of a home in Redmond is now around $330,000. About 42% of Redmond households are considered low- to middle-income, ranging between $35,000 and $83,000.

Last spring, state Rep. Jack Zika, R-Redmond, got House Bill 2336 passed, which provided the city of Redmond with the ability to develop the pilot housing project.

Skyline Village would help the city with an expansion, called the Eastside Framework Plan. Residents will benefit from neighborhood services, access to transit, open spaces, parks and trails, officials say.

Skyline Village is relying on the county to donate 40 acres of land before construction can begin. The city council and Deschutes County commissioners will discuss the project and potential land donation at a joint meeting Tuesday evening in Redmond.

According to a staff report for that meeting, the new neighborhood "will include a broad spectrum of housing types and cost ranges."