8
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Columbia Gorge News
Lone Pine Motel
damaged in fire
Trisha Walker
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
HOOD RIVER — Fire Chief
Leonard Damian, Hood
River Fire & EMS, reported
firefighters were dispatched
to an active fire at Lone
Pine Motel, located at 2429
Cascade Ave., at 8:57 a.m.
on Wednesday, May 5. The
damage was contained to
one unit.
While the cause of the fire
is still under investigation,
Hood River Police Lt. Don
Cheli said it seems to be
accidental. A lone subject in
Unit 3 appears to have been
burning incense, which ig-
nited a pillow and sheets. No
one was hurt, but the room
was damaged, he said. Capt.
Dave Smith arrived on the
scene first, and he and Cheli
knocked on doors to ensure
no one else was inside the
motel rooms.
West Side Fire, Wy’East
Fire and Hood River City
Police also responded;
Cascade Locks Fire provided
coverage for Hood River Fire
& EMS during the blaze.
Hood River’s Lone Pine Motel was the scene of fire May 5. The
cause is under investigation, but appears to be accidental.
Jody Thompson
codes.
“From the perspective of
an elected official on the mu-
White Salmon to nicipal side of things I think
a greater awareness
reevaluate codes there’s
and realization that regu-
Continued from page 1 lations can complicate and
prohibit housing develop-
Rather than looking to
ment and that does reduce
incentivize development,
supply,” Keethler said. “You
he said, cities should ease
see reports and analysis that
regulations and streamline
supports it that if demand
permitting processes to “grab is rising, housing prices
the low hanging fruit” in de- increase the most in cities
velopment. He said allowing where supply is the most
developers to build smaller
constrained by regulations.
units and homeowners to
“We need to acknowledge
build accessory dwelling
and take ownership of how
units are examples of easy
our codes, over time, have
ways to help.
perhaps helped exacerbate
He said the apartments
this strained market. I think
he’s building on Main Street we can present ourselves and
in White Salmon had to be
engage with developers and
at least 600 square feet and
people on the private side
provide a spot-and-a-half of of this issue to try to express
parking per unit.
our desires or the vision that
“Why not let the market
we hear from our residents
decide?” Berman said. “If
that they want to see in White
people won’t rent a 400
Salmon and try to find ways
square foot apartment at a
for partnership,” she said.
given price, the landlord has
Madsen works specifi-
to knock down walls and
cally in affordable housing,
adjust to the market.”
which is attainable for people
Berman said a friend in
making 60-80% of the area’s
Portland recently finished a
median income or less and is
100-unit development with
guaranteed to remain afford-
six off-street parking spots.
able for a specified period of
His new building will have
time.
more than 40 spots.
“When we acquire capital
Joel Madsen, director of
for these developments,
Mid-Columbia Housing
we’re making a 40-50 year
Authority, said his organi-
commitment,” Madsen said.
zation has tried to locate
Madsen would like to see
their affordable housing
cities work towards afford-
developments on Columbia able developments. He said
Area Transit’s routes. He said his clients face a feedback
parking “drives” the design
loop of negative effects when
and execution of housing
they are “rent-burdened.”
development in the region.
“Affordable housing
“It’s unfortunate, in my
means not having to choose
mind, that we design com-
between prioritizing housing
munities for cars,” Madsen
and other basic needs,”
said. “Across the country, we Madsen said.
have an affordable housing
Madsen said studies have
problem. We don’t have a
found that children have bet-
parking problem.”
ter academic outcomes when
White Salmon Mayor
they have secure housing
Marla Keethler said reeval-
and access to healthy food,
uating housing codes and
one of the basic needs he
ordinances is a top priority
referenced.
of the city in the near future.
The majority of the people
She said the city will revis-
living at Madsen’s Hood
it codes and plans to sift
River Crossing apartments
through the city’s goals and
– developed in partnership
the “good or bad” of current with a private developer – are
working households, he said.
Many work at “anchor insti-
tutions” like Duckwall Fruit
and Tofurky.
“These are people that are
part of the fabric of our com-
munities,” Madsen said.
Keethler said “long-time,
long-term residents” have
made communities in the re-
gion “vibrant and unique in
personality.” She said the city
much of the city’s desire to
address housing affordability
“is to try to prevent what we
see as a kind of economic
segregation.”
She said those who have
been here for generations
and many who have moved
and started small businesses
are feeling “priced out” as
their income doesn’t support
fair market rent.
“If you start pricing out a
lot of your working class and
the people who live and truly
work in the Gorge to farther
outlying communities in
the eastern stretches of our
county, you’re not solving the
problem, you’re continuing
to move it further and further
and at some point there’s a
breaking point,” she said.
Berman said development
at all price levels would help
the market overall. “A rising
tide lifts all ships,” he said,
but “the ship has sailed” on
affordable housing within
White Salmon city limits. He
said discussions about locals
being priced out often ignore
that many locals have done
well as property values and
local contractors’ rates have
risen.
Berman, who lived with his
family in a 200-square-foot,
dirt-floored barn for part of
his childhood, said he has
empathy for those with less
wealth. He said some resi-
dents of the region talk about
affordable action but don’t
act – politically, physically
or financially – to support it,
and in some cases even op-
pose it when development is
proposed near their homes.
“How many people talking
about affordable housing or
opposing development are
actually doing anything?”
HOUSING
Events return to waterfront
Oberst
■ By For Gail
Columbia Gorge News
Despite pandemic chal-
lenges, many of Hood River’s
waterfront activities and
river sports are resuming this
summer, and in some cases,
expanding. For example, the
Port of Hood River Board of
Commissioners last month
approved a use agreement
with a new sailboat charter
company that will begin
operations from the North
Jetty Cruise Ship dock begin-
ning in May and continuing
through October.
Gorge Sail Ventures is
owned by Joe Thomas and
family, current residents of
the marina. The board’s ap-
proval allows clients to board
the Northern Exposure for
day sailing charters.
There’s plenty on tap
for residents and visitors,
according to a recent county
preview. Although most
events begin in June, some
are already underway.
Visitors will find many of
the permanent restrooms
closed due COVID concerns,
but the Port has contract-
ed for port-a potties until
restroom cleaning services
are available.
Following is a list of Hood
Berman said.
Madsen said there is no
“magic bullet” to solve the
affordable housing shortage
in the region, but there is
action that can be taken at all
levels.
“We all have a role in
bringing forward solutions,”
Madsen said.
He said funding from the
federal government is neces-
sary to ensure that afford-
ability can be guaranteed in
developments like his. Local
governments can help with
funding and can provide a
favorable regulatory climate
while setting the rhetorical
tone around the issue, he
said.
Landlords with short-
term rentals are “choosing
not to be part of the solu-
tion,” Madsen said. Even if
the units are offered at fair
market rents, subsidies like
the federal Housing Choice
Voucher (commonly known
as “Section 8”) can render
them affordable.
People concerned about
affordability can make them-
selves aware of challenges
and solutions in the area and
keep the issue on the minds
of their elected represen-
tatives, he said. In the past,
public comment periods
have been most engaged by
people “who are not always
inclusive,” he said. Madsen
said all of his developments
have been met with concern,
and none have generat-
ed complaints after being
completed.
Madsen said a study found
that Hood River will need to
add 100 units of housing a
year to meet demands for the
next 20 years, with half those
units being affordable to peo-
ple making at-or-below 80%
of area median income.
Up to now a busy year has
added 70 units, based on per-
mitting data, Madsen said.
“We’re underproducing.
Unless we’re taking inten-
tional steps, we’re leaving
part of the market behind,”
he said.
Hiring
Hiring
Wilkins,
Kaiser,
Compeve
wages Olsen Inc.
Paid Time Off
Compensaon
and benets include:
Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescripon
Insurance Offered
Compeve wages
Life Insurance
Paid Time Off
401K Tradional/Roth
Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescripon
Up to 4% 401K company
Insurance Offered
contribuon match
Life Insurance
401K Tradional/Roth
Up to 4% 401K company
contribuon match
Wilkins, Kaiser, Olsen Inc. is an
Equal Opportunity Employer
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Youth sailing, above, is one of the activities planned for this sum-
mer at the Hood River Waterfront. Kirby Neumann-Rea photo/file
River waterfront activities to
join or watch during the 2021
season:
■ Through June 1 —
Sailing team, Marina South
Basin dock, gorgesail-
ingteam.org
■ Through June 7 — Hood
River Lacrosse, Marina
Green
■ Sundays through June
13 — Soccer camps for kids,
Marina Green
■ July 1 through Aug. 30
— Junior Sailing Program,
Marina South Basin dock
■ July 12-17 — Downwind
Paddle Champs, Stevenson
and Home Valley, www.
gorgedownwindchamps.
com
■ July 24 — Hood to Coast,
Marina Green, hoodtocoast.
com
■ Aug. 13-15 — Gorge
Paddle Challenge, Waterfront
Park, www.facebook.com/
PaddleChallenge
■ Aug. 28-29 – Kiteboard
for Cancer (KB4C) amateur
event, Event Site, kiteboard-
ing4cancer.org
■ Sept. 7-11 — Wind and
water sports exposition
(AWSI), Event Site, windkite-
sup.org
■ Sundays, TBA
— Columbia Gorge
Windsurfing Association
(CGWA) Swaps, Lot 1, cgw2.
org
■ Oct. 24 — Gorge
Marathon, Event Site, colum-
biagorgemarathon.com
HR task force to
continue affordable
housing work
The same night Hood River
City Council gave its final ap-
proval to new middle-income
housing codes, it revitalized
plans aimed at expanding
affordable housing in the city.
The need for affordable
housing in Hood River re-
mains and needs community
participation, said Jennifer
Kaden, associate planner
for the city, who asked for
feedback on the scope of
future plans. By 2028, trends
indicate that only 10 per-
cent of those in the median
income range will be able to
afford Hood River homes and
rentals. In 2019, the median
family income in Hood River
was $70,700.
The State of Oregon has
recently released strategies
for addressing housing short-
falls, which Kaden brought
for the council’s consider-
ation. In response April 26,
the council made plans to
search for a consultant and
create a task force aimed
at expanding low-income
and affordable housing.
“Affordable” refers to house-
holds that earn 120 percent
or less of the median family
income for Hood River.
The council appointed
Councilor Megan Saunders
to a task force that would
work with a consultant begin-
ning this summer to develop
a plan to increase affordable
housing in Hood River.
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