Bend panel picks 4 affordable housing projects to help

Affordable housing is a key issue for many residents living in Bend.

The Bend City Council recently agreed to exempt up to $1 million in development fees to help make more lower-cost housing projects happen, and a citizen advisory panel has recommended four proposals in the first round.

The city’s Affordable Housing Committee chose four such projects on Wednesday to recommend to the council.

City staff says this is one step in addressing the housing crisis here in Central Oregon.

More homes and apartment complexes being built all around the city. But the supply is still tight, and that has sent home prices and rents zooming to what are unaffordable levels for many.

Councilor Barb Campbell said the city is using the incentives of reduced system development charges (SDCs) in hopes of attracting more development of affordable housing.

“So we’re trying to get projects that are we say ‘shovel-ready’ and can get affordable units as soon as possible,”Campbell said.

The four projects include single-family homes by Bend Area Habitat for Humanity and a 53-unit complex overseen by Housing Works. The projects will be located all around the city.

The city was expecting and hoping that the Bend Parks and Recreation District would take a similar step, but its board voted otherwise and decided this week not to revisit the issue, despite new board members who favored reconsideration.

Park board Chair Craig Chenoweth said the city’s SDC exemption plan didn’t meet the district’s standards on how to address the affordable housing crisis.

“They just thought the proposal really wasn’t in line with what the mission was for the district to deliver to the community,” Chenoweth said.

According to city staff, half of the rental tenants living in Bend spend a majority of their income on housing costs.

Officials say it’s because there are not enough rental properties, making rent more expensive for an average family.

The city council will need to approve the fee exemptions for the four housing projects before they can move forward. The item will come before them at a November meeting.