Developer aims to construct 78 units of housing in TD, addresses housing shortage
Developers are aiming to construct 78 units of housing on this 3.36 acre lot on Lone Pine Blvd. Plans call for 60 apartments and 18 townhouses.
By Tom Peterson
As housing stock in The Dalles remains in short supply, a Yakima real estate development company is pushing ahead with 60 apartments and 18 townhouses near The Dalles Bridge in the Lone Pine Subdivision.
“We’re still super excited about the development,” Justin Younker, a partner in the development, said on Wednesday, Nov. 15. “We think it is the right time and right location and there are a lot of amenities surrounding it - health care, lodging, a winery, and soon, a Starbucks. And it’s right off the interstate.”
With the total houses for sale in The Dalles at 53 this week and coming off record lows where housing stock fell to 20 for sale in a town of 16,000, additional housing could well bring some relief for those seeking to purchase or rent in The Dalles.
If not on price, at least in availability.
CCCNews first reported on the development in Lone Pine in March of this year.
Cascadia Development, which owns and operates multiple senior living facilities in Washington, closed the deal to buy the property for the development from Lone Pine Land & Cattle LLC, which is managed by Chris Schanno on March 15, 2023.
Doug Ellison and Justin Younker of Cascadia Development of Yakima. The two have created The Dalles MUD, LLC to purchase property and construct housing and commercial buildings in Lone Pine subdivision in The Dalles.
Property Values Going UP
The total of 5 properties totaling 5.44 acres sold for $2.55 million, according to Wasco County property records.
The combined property had a prior Wasco County real market assessment of $771,000 and was last purchased for nearly $1 million in 2018.
The numbers are important as they show how the value of land in The Dalles has increased significantly during the past 5 years - about 150 percent in this case.
Those costs contribute to the cost of building and provide substantive proof, though anecdotal, of why housing as a whole has increased in value and cost in our area.
Locator map - The map above shows how the development lays out in the Lone Pine subdivision near The Dalles Bridge. The three properties titled “future commercial” could change to additional housing, depending on market demand.
Justin Younker and Doug Ellison of Cascadia Development have formed a new LLC called The Dalles MUD - an acronym for Mixed Use Development - to develop the property in Lone Pine.
They have submitted plans to the City of The Dalles Planning Department for the housing on the 3.3-acre lot at 335 NE Lone Pine Drive.
The city will take comments on the project through Nov. 27 at 5 p.m.
The development as planned would put six different buildings on the property. Three would be dedicated to rental apartments with 20 units in each. The other three buildings would contain 6 townhomes each.
All buildings would be three stories.
The project would be phased noting that units could become available a year after construction starts, which is anticipated for spring 2024, Younker said. He expected the entire project to finish in 14 to 16 months, and they are considering selling the townhomes outright.
“For a first home buyer it is in a great location,” Younker said pointing out the nearby Columbia River, Tierra De Lobos tasting room and health care services.
The complex will also have a clubhouse, with a meeting room, mail and package delivery and possibly a fitness room.
Superintendent Denis Shea and Project Manager Gunnar Melstrand stand in front of the forms and footprint of a 5,500 square-foot commercial building that will soon house a Starbucks and up to two other businesses next to McDonald’s in the Lone Pine Subdivision next to The Dalles Bridge. Both men work for CD Smith Construction Services which is the general contractor on the project. The company base out of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin has worked on multiple projects for Cascadia Development.
Coffee Klatch
And there is also going to be a Starbucks Coffee down the street. Construction on a 5,500-square-foot commercial building by The Dalles Mud, across the street from Mcdonald's, began earlier this month.
Forms were already in place for the stem wall on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Starbucks will take up the front portion of the building with a wrap-around drive-through. The building also has space for up to two more businesses, Younker said.
The building is expected to be completed in spring 2024.
In addition, The Dalles MUD is also anticipating another commercial building or possibly more housing across the street. Younker said they were going to see how the market responds to the development, and if the demand swings toward housing, they may scrap plans for another commercial building and put in additional townhouses.
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