A sign at Cimmaron Terrace in Hermiston advertises new town homes for lease.

The announcements of new housing projects in the greater Hermiston area just keep coming.

Housing and jobs work hand in hand — new jobs added to Hermiston, Stanfield and Umatilla bring more people to the area, increasing demand for housing, while the new housing increases the labor pool in the area and attracts new jobs.

Developer Don Howell is planning a major 350-acre development off of Highway 207 and Feedville Road in Hermiston, called The Hayfields. He said new jobs with companies like Amazon and Lamb Weston are bringing more “wage energy” to the area, making developers feel more comfortable about building.

“It’s encouraging other developments,” he said. “I think things are picking up.”

Howell announced the Hayfields in early 2018, hoping to break ground later that year. He confirmed this week that he is still pressing ahead with the project, but had to go back and commission a redesign after hitting some “cost issues.”

The first phase of homes are getting moved closer to Feedville Road, for example, to save on the expense of extending pavement and utilities as far into the property right off the bat. The density will also increase from Howell’s initial vision of large open spaces and homes with extra acreage.

Additional housing projects that developers hope to launch in Hermiston include a 39-home subdivision off West Elm Avenue and a 53-lot subdivision off of West Theater Lane. Other projects are farther along — a 43-unit apartment complex on Sixth Street is already under construction, and on Monday the city council approved the final plat for the eighth and ninth phase of the Highland Summit subdivision, which includes another 40 lots. The Cimmaron Terrace development continues to add new townhomes northeast of town.

Stanfield

A new housing development in Stanfield, Patriot Heights, recently received federal funding for 40 new homes near the intersection of Locust Street and Highway 395.

The money, awarded by Oregon Housing and Community Services, totals just over $8 million in construction costs, and is part of $45.5 million awarded to 11 different developments in Oregon.

“The Housing Authority had been looking at Stanfield as a local town that didn’t have affordable housing,” said Ryan Stradley, executive director at Umatilla County Housing Authority.

Stradley said Hayden Homes — which builds in Oregon, Washington and Idaho — will break ground on the 12-month construction project next spring, at a predicted cost of $253,000 per unit.

The funding comes from a number of sources, including low income housing tax credits, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program and the National Housing Trust Fund.

The project’s target population is families, and the developments will feature 32 two- to four-bedroom single family homes as well as eight one-bedroom duplexes.

Two of the duplexes will be available to those who make 30% of the area median income. Other housing options will be available for renters who earn less than the area median income in Umatilla County, which is currently $60,700.

A family of four making as much as $36,420 a year — 60% of the AMI — could be eligible for a spot at Patriot Heights, Stradley said.

Funding for Patriot Heights was secured after five years of proposals, according to Stradley.

So what made this year different?

Umatilla Morrow Head Start will be opening an early learning center for Stanfield residents on the site of the development. Patriot Heights will also feature a community center with a computer lab and recreational space for private events.

“It was the addition of the community center with Head Start that put us over the top,” Stradley said.

A resident services manager will provide residents with referrals for child and health care, as well as workforce development.

It can be more difficult, Stradley said, for rural affordable housing to land near services like child care and health care, which makes a funding application more likely to pass.

“Other areas get more points for the availability of services,” he said.

Originally, the development was set to include 53 apartments, rather than the 40 single-family homes. But because most verified contractors who build apartments come from more metropolitan areas, details like lodging for the contractors can make building apartments more costly, Stradley said.

Stradley said the switch shaved $4 million off the application for funding.

City clerk and interim city manager of Stanfield Sandy Endicott said she was unsure how the development will compare to previous developments in Stanfield.

“This will definitely be a much needed addition to our housing,” she said.

According to the Oregon Housing Alliance, one in six renters in Umatilla County pay over half of their income to rent. For every 100 families with “extremely low” incomes, there are only 32 affordable housing units available.