 Governor Kate Brown Announces Housing Pilot
Projects to Support Oregon Families, Communities, and Employers
Future Ready Oregon
initiative brings focus to making homes more attainable for Oregonians
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today announced five housing
pilot projects across the state as part of her Future Ready Oregon
initiative. The Workforce Housing Initiative, led by the Governor’s Regional
Solutions Cabinet, was designed to form partnerships between local communities,
the business sector, and private developers to address the housing shortage for
working families in Oregon. The Regional Solutions Cabinet includes the
directors of six statewide agencies, including Oregon Housing and Community
Services, one of the principal agencies involved in the pilot program.
“Our state has grown at a rapid pace over the past eight years, which brings
more vibrancy to our communities and to our economy. But with growth comes
growing pains, which we feel most acutely as working families try to find a
home that is right for them. In all of our communities, even if someone is
qualified for a job, they may not be able to live near it,” said Governor
Brown. “These pilot projects will provide over 115 Oregon families with safe,
stable homes near their work places and inform our plans for accelerating the
growth of Oregon’s housing market to match that of the state’s economy.”
“This initiative illustrates the potential of public-private partnerships to
address business retention and expansion challenges due to the lack of
attainable housing,” said Oregon Housing and Community Services Director
Margaret Salazar. “These pilots will help us learn how best to bring together
businesses ready to expand, cities and counties ready to invest in
infrastructure, developers ready to build homes, and, most critically, current
and future employees ready to better their careers.”
The Governor’s Regional Solutions Cabinet selected the five pilots with a focus
on employer engagement, as well as the potential for scaling up and replication
across the state. There was high demand for financial and technical assistance
across the 31 applications received.
- In Donald, the local
agricultural equipment manufacturer GK Machine and the City of Donald have
partnered to propose expanding the community. The first phase of the pilot
will include upgrading the city’s wastewater and water treatment
plants to support 95 new homes, with an eventual planned total of 465
new homes.
-
In Pacific City, Nestucca Ridge
Development, the locally-owned parent company of Pelican Brewing Company,
will construct 12 homes on several acres they currently own.
They will pre-lease six of those to their local employees,
over half of whom currently commute from outside of Tillamook County.
- In Warm Springs, the Jefferson
County School District currently owns 8 small homes built in the 1950s
that surround the former elementary school. The pilot project will
rehabilitate these existing properties and build one new home, making
all of them available for local elementary and middle school teachers
at the Warm Springs K-8 Academy.
- In Harney County, local
officials will run a study to assess local workforce housing needs. The
study will inventory existing housing, identify gaps, and create a
strategic implementation and business plan to leverage investments, engage
employers and create job opportunities.
-
In Lincoln County, new
income-qualified homebuyers will have opportunities to purchase a home
through Proud Ground. Proud Ground uses a land trust model to
combine a subsidy to lower the purchase price of homes on the open market
with land lease and affordability covenants. Lincoln County, Newport, and
Lincoln City will invest matching funds as well as partner with the local
school district and other employers.
The pilot projects are still subject to successful negotiations
and compliance with state and local processes. After compliance with the program
requirements, the pilots will begin launching in the coming months.
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