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Deschutes Co. Commissioners Mull New Housing Fund

BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners appear supportive of a proposal to create more workforce housing.

Former Bend State Representative and local restaurant owner Cheri Helt presented her idea to Commissioners at their Wednesday meeting, "Deschutes County needs 55,887 homes by 2040; and Deschutes County needs 11,412 homes for the 80-12% of Area Median Income (AMI) in the next 20 years." She wants the county to use $2 million in unallocated Transient Room Tax dollars to create a Housing Trust Fund. Helt believes the fund could provide financial incentives that would lead to the development of 66 homes in a year, "A $30,000 developer credit per workforce home, upon completion, to offset the high cost that the market-prohibitive conditions have set and incentivize free market development. Because right now, the free market cannot develop homes at the prices that are before us."

Under Helt's proposal, the homes would be sold to households earning 80 - 120% of AMI, properties would be deed restricted for 30 years, with the guarantee the homeowner works in Deschutes County, "Because if we’re going to build workforce housing, we’re going to have to have some sort of restriction that says you work in Deschutes County. We don’t want to build homes for other folks, at this point, with this program."

Commissioner Phil Chang acknowledged the current real estate climate means workforce housing developments don't pencil for builders, "With land costs what they are, with construction costs what they are and with infrastructure costs what they are, it takes public investment to put housing within reach of people making local salaries and wages." He also said approving a local program could make it easier to leverage state and federal funds to supplement the fund.

All three Commissioners also noted there are different funds for "affordable housing," for people making under 80% of the AMI, and there is already housing being built for households earning more than 120%. Commissioner Tony DeBone told Helt, "This may not be the long-term housing, but it’s the starter home; it’s the beginning opportunity, it’s a place for somebody to settle in. So, it looks like there’s some buy-in and excitement up here for this."

They said more work is needed to determine who would manage such a program and if the local funding is actually available, given the number of requests for unallocated Transient Room Tax dollars.

 

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