Stone Creek Commons Groundbreaking Set for September 24

Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity and Bend-La Pine Schools will break ground Thursday on Stone Creek Commons, an 18-home mixed-income homeownership community next to Silver Rail Elementary School.

The project turns surplus school district land into permanently affordable homes, with an initial preference for Bend-La Pine Schools employees. It is one example of how land, public investment, and community support can be combined to create homeownership opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach for many neighbors in Central Oregon.

According to a 2025 City of Bend report, a household needed to earn more than $200,000 a year to afford the average home sold in Bend in 2024. The report estimated that just 16% of Bend households could afford a home at that price.

Stone Creek Commons will create a more attainable path to homeownership for school district employees and other working households.

Habitat’s homeownership model fills the gap between the cost to build and what a household can reasonably afford. Buyers purchase their home with an affordable mortgage based on their income, with no down payment required. Habitat retains ownership of the land through its community land trust, keeping the homes affordable for future buyers as well.

Stone Creek Commons will include 18 new homes. Ten homes will serve households earning at or below 80% of Area Median Income, and eight will serve households earning at or below 120% AMI.

The homes will also be built to high energy-efficiency standards, with solar, heat pumps and other features intended to keep monthly utility costs low.

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