Local News

New Affordable Housing Development Underway

BEND, OR -- Kor Community Land Trust broke ground Friday on its first affordable housing project in Central Oregon. Executive Director Amy Warren says they’re subdividing a half-acre lot into five parcels, near SE 27th and Reed Market. Each will have a two bedroom, two-bath sustainable cottage built to use as much energy as it produces, thanks to some special features, "Upgraded windows, upgraded insulation, different wall framing methods; and then, topped off with active solar."


The 1,100-square foot cottages will share a common area, to promote community, "That’s one of Kor’s values is that we are not creating stand-alone homes," Warren tells KBND News, "We’re creating communities."  She says crews have quite a bit of work ahead, to prepare the site for construction. "It’ll take them, I believe, about 10-12 weeks to subdivide the single parcel in to five parcels, plus the common space. And then, we have a few more hoops to jump through with the city, inspecting all that and approving it. So, we anticipate breaking ground on the actual homes, building the homes, sometime in July." She expects they’ll be ready for residents in early 2020.


The project on Hurita Place is a partnership between the land trust and Housing Works. Warren says homes will be sold to qualified low-income families, determined by a lottery process; the trust maintains ownership of the land. Warren says that keeps the cost down for the resident and ensures the property remains deed restricted for low-income families even as the home is bought and sold. Because of the unique model, they require potential residents to attend a pre-application orientation, "It’s really important that folks understand that they’re only going to own their home and they’re going to have a long-term ground lease on the property it sits on. Some people might not be interested in that. So, before asking them to go through the whole application process for the lottery, we want to make sure they understand the program, first." The lottery will take place later this year. 

On Air Now

America in the Morning
5:00am - 6:00am
America in the Morning

FlashAlert

KBND ON FACEBOOK

News Disclaimers