NW Bend affordable housing project breaks ground

A new affordable housing development broke ground Thursday afternoon in northwest Bend.

The development in Northwest Crossing, Azimuth 315, is being done by Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, in partnership with the city of Bend.

Lynne McConnell, the city’s affordable housing coordinator, said Bend’s economy is largely based on tourism and the food industry, and many of those jobs don’t pay enough for someone to buy a home.

That is where she sees the biggest gap in housing here in the Bend: the working class.

“More and more, the working folks in this community are feeling the pinch,” McConnell said. “They’re trying to find a safe place to live. They’re commuting long distances, which adds additional costs. We’re losing good folks from our employment sector because they can’t find good places to live.”

McConnell said she hopes this project off Northwest Crossing Drive will provide something the city’s housing market is lacking.

She said the partnership they’ve created with the developer, Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, is one that will benefit the city for years to come.

Rob Roy, co-operating partner with Pacific Crest Affordable Housing, said Thursday the funding for the project comes from many different sources, including federal, state and city governments and non-profit organizations.

According to the city of Bend, the housing market is lacking an affordable option for the working class to live in.

The Azimuth 315 project is centered around giving the working class an opportunity to have nice housing that doesn’t break the bank.

“We made a concerted effort to make sure we could deliver, what’s sort of known as workforce housing,” Roy said “So that people here in the workforce within the local area can actually find a place to live where the rents will be adjusted to their incomes.”

Roy added that he has been creating affordable housing for 14 years now and is getting started on his sixth project. The rent will be based on someone’s income

He added that he’s wanted to give back to the community and help those that may be going through a tough time.

Pacific Crest Affordable Housing hopes this project will help to close the housing gap in Bend.

To read more about this and the company’s other projects, visit: http://pacificcrestaffordablehousing.org/