Sisters breaks ground on affordable housing

Last updated 4/16/2002 at Noon

Cyndy Cook of Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority announced the ground breaking at Tamarack Village.

A group of Sisters area residents and local dignitaries braved a biting wind on Monday, April 15, to dedicate the ground for a 33-unit affordable housing complex in Sisters.

Tamarack Village will offer 17 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom flats and townhouses on Larch Street, for families at or below 60 percent of the median income.

Several speakers at the dedication noted that many of those who work in service economy jobs in Sisters can't afford to live in the community and must commute from Redmond or Bend.

With rents ranging from $219 for some two-bedroom apartments to $601 for the largest units, some of those workers should be able to live in the Sisters community.

The project has been awarded federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits and the units will serve those in the 60 percent income range and below for the 30-year life of the mortgage.

Though Tamarack Village is dedicated low-income housing, local activist Bill Willitts said that the goal is to help families become established in the community and move "through" the low-income housing into the housing market.

"This is not an end point; it's a beginning," Willitts said.

Having a place to start will help those 33 families, Willitts said.

"Let's look at this project not as a piece of ground, but as security for families," he said.

The project is designed to fit in with Sisters' Western theme and will take advantage of the mountain views from the meadow.

The units will have washers and dryers and individual storage space on private patios.

There will be a 1,270-square-foot community room which can be used for resident and community activities.

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Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.