STANFIELD — Permits are in, dirt is turning and houses are going vertical, setting the stage for roughly 450 new homes around Stanfield over the next few years, with more on the horizon.

According to City Manager Benjamin Burgener, that represents a roughly 50% population gain to the city of 2,400, which has already increased a little more than 10% since the 2020 U.S. census.

Surrounding communities across west Umatilla County have likewise experienced explosive growth in the recent wake of major industrial developments, like Amazon, and low inventory giving way to soaring home prices in Tri-Cities, driving would-be Washington residents south.

Three sites under development contribute to this number: Silver Ridge Homes Inc.’s Panoramic Ridge to the north, SGS Contracting Services Inc.’s Buena Vista and Sunrise Meadows near the intersection of Highway 395 and Canal Road, and Home Run Land LLC’s Bumble B Estates off East Ball Avenue to the south.

Panoramic Ridge is the first of the three to break ground, with five homes going up and a total of 34 to 40 lots available, Burgener said. Silver Ridge Homes Inc. is owned by Tim Hophan of Umatilla.

Bumble B Estates is the next poised to see construction. According to Home Run owner Lloyd Piercy of Hermiston, the infrastructure’s all in, including utilities, roads, sidewalks and streetlights.

“Now all it needs is houses,” he said.

The 98-home townhouse village offers affordability, Piercy added, citing a similar development in Hermiston with three-bedroom townhomes selling for under $300,000. The builder is not yet confirmed.

SGS’ development is slated to be the largest. The Bend-based firm is in the process of engineering just under 50 acres for 107 single-family dwellings and about 180 manufactured homes.

Burgener said the company’s still working on infrastructure approvals and designs, engineering plans around the natural gas pipeline that runs through the city and part of the acreage.

“There’s a lot of permitting that’s held them up from starting to break dirt,” he said.

This off-the-charts growth trend started in 2020 with the development of the 41-home Patriot Heights neighborhood off Highway 395 to the north of town.

“The area is in desperate need of housing from Milton-Freewater to Boardman,” Piercy said, adding that some 7,500 people were reportedly living in RVs and other alternative housing around the region due to the increase in demand.

Home Run is planning another development, Stanfield Station, between Stanfield and Hermiston within Stanfield’s urban growth boundary on the west side of Highway 395.

The firm is working with the city to co-opt a new sewer pump station to make their and other future developments in the area possible.

“We’re looking at high-density housing for the workforce there that’s really about walking villages, a pleasant place to live and good spaces that also connects to the regional bike and walking path that goes from Umatilla to Echo,” Piercy said. “That would allow for safe e-biking between towns as an alternative form of transportation.”

He said the 40-acre development will consist of just under 1,000 housing units built in stages.

In contrast to the hundreds of housing units in store for the area, Burgener said that Stanfield has seen 86 new housing permits in the last three years. There were about 20 collectively in the previous 10.

He felt Stanfield was ready to embrace new residents while maintaining its small-town feel.

The city has been updating its comprehensive plans and development code to support the shift. No new community development positions have been added yet, but the city has called on a planning consultant for help.

Burgener said city infrastructure can accommodate the developments now on the table, but another on SGS’ scale will force the city to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility. The Stanfield School District is also considering another bond measure as it anticipates surges in new enrollment.

“Growth really helps a small city,” Piercy said. “When it comes to aging infrastructure, sewer, water, sidewalks and old roads, the tax base barely keeps up with that kind of repair. New construction builds brand new roads, water, curbs and more that don’t need anything done on them for a long time. Meanwhile, the increased tax base helps fund updating older infrastructure.”

Burgener also reported increased interest in commercial space.

“I’m very optimistic for the future of Stanfield,” he said. “These developments are only going to add to the strength we have as a community.

There are a lot of people involved — the planning commission, city council, other residents being very much involved in this growth and being very active in the community — a lot of people working toward making this growth work best for Stanfield, not just the developers.”