Location:
Deschutes, Jefferson, & Crook Counties, Oregon
Client:
Housing Works, Kôr Community Land Trust, Wishcamper Development Partners, & Hive Development
Services Provided:
Geotechnical Engineering
Environmental Consulting
Sitework Monitoring
Special Inspection
Construction Materials Testing
Geohazard Assessment
Project Overview:
Workforce housing availability is a crisis in every corner of Oregon and across the U.S. In Oregon, restrictive land-use laws, an influx of remote workers, skyrocketing home prices, and rental rates have made workforce housing a top priority. To help address this crisis, business advocates including the Bend Chamber of Commerce have launched Workforce Housing Initiatives to promote conversations around housing availability and the disconnect between who works in Bend and who can afford to live there. The goal is to advocate for land- use/building code changes and connect employers and community partners to quickly build more workforce housing.
With over 25 years of local experience, Wallace Group is well aware of our region’s housing affordability trends and is proud to continue our work with community partners who specialize in the development of affordable housing to create sustainable options for Central Oregon’s workforce. A partial list of recent workforce housing projects include:
- Simpson Avenue East & West in Bend
- Barnes Butte Vista in Prineville
- Stillwater Crossing in Bend
- Liberty Lodge in Redmond
- Canyon East II Apartments in Madras
- Village Meadows in Sisters
- LaPine Townhomes in LaPine
- Woodhaven Community Housing in Bend
Scope of Work:
Wallace Group provided environmental consultation to support project grant funding and was a member of the engineering design and construction teams tasked with planning, designing, permitting, and constructing these workforce housing projects across Central Oregon. Wallace Group’s scope of services included environmental due diligence (Phase I & Phase II Environmental Assessments), remedial investigation, site cleanup, geohazard analysis, geotechnical engineering, site monitoring during excavation/grading, and special inspection/testing during construction.
Challenges:
Vacant, undeveloped land is becoming hard to come-by within most cities’ urban growth boundary and as a result many workforce housing projects are located on properties with historical environmental impacts or constructability issues (e.g. building on a former open-pit pumice mine) that require innovative and alternative designs. Rigorous environmental and regulatory permit requirements also represent challenges we are helping our non-profit development clients to overcome.
“The Wallace Group is our go-to consultant for geotechnical work, environmental reviews, and construction special inspections. Their team is very experienced and professional. We would highly recommend their services to anyone looking to build in Central Oregon.”
- Keith Wooden, Real Estate Director-Housing Works
"We always turn to the Wallace Group to evaluate land for our affordable housing communities. Not only are they professional and timely, but they value our work and that shows in their own work."
- Jackie Keogh – Rooted Homes
“Excellent professional service. We highly recommend this firm to others.”
- Dwane Krumme, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of La Pine Sunriver
