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Partners in Construction // The Nugget Newspaper // April 22, 2020
Hayden Homes committed to affordability
By Jim Cornelius editor in chief
Affordability is at the core of
Hayden Homes9 mission.
Hayden Homes9 Regional
Director Chris Davis notes that
the goal of each community is to
build at <the highest quality at the
lowest possible cost= in order to
serve underserved rural markets.
Starting home prices are
based on the area median income
threshold in a community rather
than being driven by market rate
of the homes. In turn, Hayden
Homes9 homes are virtually
always <the most competitively-
priced homes in all of the commu-
nities we build in.=
The commitment to afford-
ability is especially apparent
in Hayden Homes9 McKenzie
Meadows Village project, which
is now underway in Sisters. The
195-plus-unit development com-
bines 116 single-family detached
homes, 18 single-family attached/
townhomes, and 61-65 multi-fam-
ily units plus 3.32 acres of open
space, and recreational amenities
and supporting infrastructure.
Among the homes built in the
three-phase development will be
10 homes dedicated to afford-
able housing for families qualify-
ing at the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD)
threshold of 80 percent or below
of Adjusted Median Income
(AMI). The homes are being made
available through the First Story
program, Hayden Homes9 non-
profit charitable arm.
<What we9re doing in Sisters is
the largest, most impactful project
the nonprofit has done,= said First
Story Executive Director Claire
Duncan.
Three families have been
selected for First Story homes in
the initial phase of the project,
which is expected to take three
years to complete.
<All three families are the first
in their families to own their own
home,= Duncan said.
Two of the three families cur-
rently live and work in Sisters.
The nonprofit First Story
reached out into the Sisters com-
munity to seek applicants and to
photo provided
help prospective homeowners
prepare for the responsibilities
and burdens of home ownership.
<Those families then par-
ticipate in a homeownership
class through NeighborImpact,=
Duncan said. <That9s where we
feel the magic really starts to
happen.=
First Story9s affordable loan
program provides zero-down,
zero-interest, 30-year loans to
qualified individuals purchasing
their first home.
The First Story homes are tri-
plex units 4 but they are only
attached at the garage and do not
share a living-space wall, giving
them the feel of a single-family
detached home.
They are 1,058 square feet
with three bedrooms and two
bathrooms.
<This is a brand-new home
plan designed specifically for
McKenzie Meadows,= Duncan
noted.
They come with appliances, air
conditioning, fencing and land-
scaping in place.
<We sell all of our homes
move-in-ready,= Duncan said.
Since 1989, Hayden Homes
has built over 16,000 homes in
photo provided
underserved, secondary markets
throughout Oregon, Washington,
and Idaho, making them the larg-
est privately owned new home-
builder in the Pacific Northwest.
Economies of scale help to
keep land and materials costs
down so that Hayden Homes can
be affordable to working families
and first-time homebuyers.
Homes in McKenzie Meadows
Phase I will run from 1,058 to
2,042 square feet with prices start
in the upper $200,000 range.
Davis said they9re planning
for a July grand opening for the
development9s model home.
While COVID-19 impacts have
led to the sales and office staff
working from home, it has not
had significant impact on con-
struction. Crews are out on the
site daily, and the supply chain for
materials has not been interrupt-
ed, Davis reported.
While the initial First Story
homes in the development are
spoken for, there are still oppor-
tunities for families to qualify for
the next phases.
<We9ll be accepting applica-
tions for the next homes we will
be building at the end of this
year,= Duncan said.
Those interested may monitor
the application process by visit-
ing FirstStory.org and clicking
on the <own a home= tab. There
is a special section on McKenzie
Meadows, which includes the
floorplan for the units.
The wait to apply can be
beneficial.
<It can take a year for a family
to be ready,= Duncan noted.
A prospective homebuyer can
spend that time working on debt-
to-income ratio and saving mon-
ey to be prepared to become a
homeowner.
Every time a Hayden Homes
home is sold, one-eighth of one
percent of the sale price goes to
First Story. The funds collected
are distributed into the local com-
munity, where First Story makes
chari table grants in support of
community programs.
For the sale of a new home,
Hayden Homes pays the percent-
age. When that first buyer sells
the home, they pay the same per-
centage and so on, each time the
house sells.
<Deschutes County is one of
our largest recipients of this grant
funding, so hundreds of organi-
zations have received this grant
funding,= Duncan noted.
Hayden Homes and First Story
have made considerable contri-
butions to Sisters High School,
the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank,
the veterans outreach programs,
Central Oregon Council on Aging
and many more projects and pro-
grams. Nearly 700 charities pro-
viding shelter, food, emergency
relief and services to families in
crisis, homeless teens and veter-
ans have received a grant from
First Story.
While Sisters may be one of
the smaller communities Hayden
Homes builds in, their footprint
has been large. Their Village at
Cold Springs development is
now complete, and McKenzie
Meadows Village 4 which Davis
notes <is a pretty big project for
us= 4 will add to the inventory of
housing for the community.
Davis notes that the location of
the development 4 right next to
Sisters Middle School and Sisters
High School, and close to the
National Forest 4 make it a per-
fect spot for families.
Through their approach to
building and the First Story pro-
gram, Hayden Homes is offer-
ing an affordable opportunity
to many families to call Sisters
home.