An eternal optimist. With a shade of cynicism. You might not know it, but Jim Long, the City of Bend’s Affordable Housing Manager of 12 years, looks at the housing crisis with an infinite supply of hopefulness, passion and […]
affordable housing bend oregon
Posted inNews
Hikes in System Development Charges
BPRD raises rates two-fold compared to City of Bend increases
System Development Charges collected from new development projects to build new streets, sewers, parks and water utilities will soon increase, effectively making housing projects more expensive even amid an affordable housing crunch. Bend Parks and Recreation District voted unanimously on June 6 for the sharpest increase, effective July 1, at a rate of 6.8 percent. […]
Posted inNews
Out of Reach
Affordable housing isn’t a niche market anymore
Out of touch: Federal market rental rates Have you seen a one-bedroom apartment in Bend going for $733? What about a two-bedroom apartment for $857? “Show me where you can find me one of those,” says Jeanine Soelek, “because they don’t exist.” Soelek has been searching for a permanent place to live for over a […]
Posted inOpinion
Funding for Affordable Housing: A Step in the Right Direction
One sunny summer morning not long ago, I marched across a dusty front yard in midtown Bend with a $45 rental application fee in hand. This wasn’t exactly the house I’d dreamed of living in when I knew I was moving to Bend, but it was adequate—and available, and I was going to lay down […]
Posted inNews
Senate Bill 1533 and Inclusionary Zoning
A reader named Krista recently wrote to the Source Weekly about Senate Bill 1533. She wondered whether the bill really accomplishes anything in terms of helping create affordable housing, and expressed concerns about the bill’s definition of affordable housing: “Affordable housing” means housing that is affordable to households with incomes equal to or higher than […]