REDMOND, OR -- Like much of Central Oregon, residential construction is booming in Redmond, with projects popping up in all parts of the city. Builders were able to work through much of the mild winter, and Mayor George Endicott says things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, "We have, on the books, approved or under construction, 1200 homes. I mean, that’s a lot for a community our size. I found out last week, I was – I'll just say ‘shocked,’ but – surprised, to find out that of that Urban Growth Boundary expansion we did back in ’07 – 2,200 acres – we’ve used half of it."

Endicott says that inventory will gradually become available within the next couple of years, and he says it may be time to expand again, "I talked to staff about, ‘is it time to actually visit the Urban Growth Boundary expansion and get into the Urban Reserve and bring some more land in for development. We haven’t approached the Department of Conservation and Land Development yet, but I told staff to start exploring that and see if it’s time." He tells KBND News, "There’s been a pent up demand that we’ve known about. I mean, for two or three years we’ve talked about these vacancy rates down in the 1% range or less; what’s that tell you? People want and need housing. Fortunately, some of it is more affordable than others."

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