Affordable Housing at 780 Rand Road Receives Final Pieces of Funding
From the City of Hood River:
Rendering of possible solar powered Community Center and open space that would support the residents of the planned 130 units of affordable housing to be built off Rand Road. Image: Holst Architecture
Hood River, Ore., June 20, 2024 — The affordable housing development at 780 Rand Road has secured the final pieces of funding needed to move forward. Community Development Partners (CDP) and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation (CCHC), the City of Hood River’s chosen developers for the project, have been awarded $36.4 million in private activity bonds and a 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocation of $3.2 million by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS).
This funding completes the project’s financing and follows a $15.1 million award by OHCS as part of the 2023 Local Innovation Fast Track (LIFT) program and a $3 million award in the 2023 federal omnibus spending bill. The City of Hood River will donate the land, and the County will contribute Construction Excise Tax funds to the project. The project has also secured 39 Project-Based Vouchers from the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025, with the first units available for move-in in Fall 2026.
In 2021, CDP and CCHC were selected as the City of Hood River’s preferred development team for the site—a 7.15-acre parcel the City purchased in January 2020 to develop affordable housing.
“We’ve reached another significant milestone and we’re thrilled to be advancing this important community development in partnership with the City of Hood River, CDP and our financing partner,” said Joel Madsen, Executive Director of CCHC. “We’re one step closer toward addressing the dire need of our lower income neighbors to find an affordable place to call home in Hood River.”
The project will provide 130 units of affordable, intergenerational housing for households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income. The project design emphasizes community building, the natural environment, and sustainability. It incorporates a community center, walking trails, and outdoor green space. The entire development is designed to achieve a National Green Building Standard (NGBS) certification. The community center specifically will include a rooftop solar array and aims to achieve Energy Trust of Oregon’s Net Zero certification. 780 Rand Road will also be a “Community For All Ages”—a place that puts people first by creating spaces and programming that connects residents across generations.
“This project has truly been a collaboration in every sense of the word,” said Mayor Paul Blackburn. “After years of effort, we are excited to receive this critical piece of funding. Now, we may begin the next chapter of work to help fill the affordable housing gap, so that people of all incomes can call Hood River home.”
Currently, there is no sign-up or waitlist for housing at 780 Rand Road, however, those in need of affordable housing can learn more about their options on Columbia-Cascade Housing Corporation’s website: columbiacascadehousingcorp.org.
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