BEND, OR -- A master plan is expected later this month for Parkside Place, a housing development on the east side of Bend made possible by a 2016 state bill allowing a quick Urban Growth Boundary expansion for affordable housing.

Bend’s Director of Housing Lynn McConnell says Hayden Homes took over the project, and will build 40-percent of the units as deed-restricted, “They recognized that they could not provide 50% affordable housing and make that work without taking on public subsidy and slowing the whole thing down. So, this is very much an experiment in how to get this done. This is a new thing that has not been done in Bend before; trying to develop affordable housing at scale without public subsidy.” Because of the rules set by the state, McConnell says the only qualifying location for the project was on the east side of Bend. It will be between Highway 20 and Bear Creek Road.

Mayor Melanie Kebler tells KBND News Parkside Place has been a long time coming, “It is part of a pilot project that started from a bill way back in 2016, that the Legislature passed in an attempt to get some land into the city in a quick way that would provide a lot of housing. It’s unfortunately taken a few years to get to this point.”

City Council expects to vote on the master plan later this month. “And then, once that gets approved, they can start moving forward. And what they’ve planned for the first phase of development is the actual affordable housing,” says Kebler who explained the types of housing to be built, “It’s mixed density, so it has everything from apartment buildings, townhomes, cottages, single family homes. And I’m really excited to see it get to the end stage and start moving forward, to actually come back in front of Council at a next meeting for the real plans and talk to Hayden Homes about getting the master plan done.”