If you spend time browsing for homes in Hermiston on real estate websites, you will probably see that many decent and comfortable-looking houses, especially those with more than one bathroom, are priced in the $300,000 range and go up from there.

That’s fine if you can afford it. If you have a good-paying job, such as one with a big technology company, it may not a big deal. But for many people, finding a good, affordable place to live in Hermiston might prove difficult.

That’s why we are heartened to see 20 three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes go on the market for $190,000 in the new Santiago Columbia Village, 845 Diagonal Road.

Tandra Grace, Santiago Communities vice president of sales, said the gated community is for people such as those who work in the area’s farming industry or who aren’t with big tech companies. She said such workers need affordable housing, too, and we agree with her.

Grace said the plan is to start with the first 20 homes, two of which are in escrow, and build more when those 20 are sold. “Going forward,” she told the Hermiston Herald, “if we’re able to sell the remaining 18 houses, we’ll put up the next 17 houses, then sell those and do another 17 houses, something to that effect.”

The plan is to eventually have nearly 200 homes in the Santiago Columbia Village. Although the homeowners won’t own the land, she said, the structures’ large square footage and the community’s clubhouse, swimming pool, dog park and privacy gate should make up for it. With the village amenities and the homes’ asking price, the houses should prove attractive to first-time homebuyers.

Clayton Homebuilding Group sales manager Jim Johanson, who worked on construction for the Santiago project, said many of his employees will also have access to homes at the $190,000 price. “The community just really needs more affordable housing than what’s currently in Hermiston,” he said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city’s population on April 1, 2010, was 16,745. Ten years later, census records showed an increase to 19,354. And according to city signs, the population today is 19,973.

With the growth of more than 3,000 people from 2010 to now, many new residents are laborers in the farming and construction professions, people who most likely can’t afford a mortgage on a $300,000 or higher home. So, it just makes sense that someone provides good, affordable housing.

We applaud Santiago Communities and any other business that steps forward to ensure that the average worker in Hermiston can afford a nice place to live.