A 22-home affordable housing development will soon rise out of a horse pasture a few blocks north of Redmond High School.

The project is led by RootedHomes, formerly known as Kor. The nonprofit has previously developed affordable housing complexes in Bend and for the first time is taking on a development outside of Deschutes County’s largest city.

“Building in Bend is just not good enough anymore,” said Jackie Keogh, RootedHomes executive director. “This is part of a multi-pronged expansion for us throughout Central Oregon.”

That expansion is expected to start with a new housing project at 345 NW 19th Street in Redmond. Current plans calls for preserving and renovating a century-old farmhouse currently at the site and building 22 new homes. Those new residences will range in size from duplexes to quadplexes, and from two to three bedrooms. Additional green space, supported by The Environmental Center in Bend, is part of the initial design as is outdoor classroom space for nearby Redmond students.

Janel Maurer has owned the property since 2015. She bought it as a place where her kids could keep some animals and stretch out on a small plot of land in fast-growing Redmond. The family kept horses, goats and chickens there for years.

But after her horse-loving daughter went off to college, Maurer thought it should be developed. But she hoped the home wouldn’t be demolished, and that whatever was built there would be affordable. She sold it to RootedHomes for the appraisal price, though she suspects she could have received more from a private developer.

“I feel like I’m getting everything I wanted to see from the development,” said Maurer, a longtime special education teacher in local schools and now the owner of Eqwine Wine Bar.

The ranch house, right up against NW 19th Street, was built in the 1920s. A small barn and another outbuilding on the property likely date to around 1910. For decades, the farmhouse was past the western edge of Redmond and a residence surrounded by irrigated farm and pastureland. Now, it is an unirrigated pasture of dry grass surrounded by new housing.

“It’s the right time for this property to undergo some major change,” said Maurer.

Keogh said RootedHomes expects to receive additional funding for the project from the state in spring 2024 and vertical building could begin soon after. A homebuyer lottery is expected to open in late 2024 and homes may be ready for residents in 2025.

The homes will vary in size and types. Keogh said some will appeal to seniors looking to downsize their homes, while other units will be more preferable to younger families. She said the average price will be about $250,000 for a 2-3 bedroom home that is part of a duplex. RootedHomes will also work with homebuyers to find lending options that lead to an affordable mortgage.

Each resident will also receive a free e-bike with the purchase, as each home as only one designated parking space. Keogh said the e-bike will help people who commute in-town to work to be able to do so and not need a second vehicle. They also work to make sure the homes are energy efficient to help keep down costs and provide environmental benefit as well.

Most of the homes will be sold to first-time homebuyers that make less 80 percent of the area median income, while workforce housing will be sold to prospective buyers making up to 120 percent of area income levels. All those who qualify can enter a lottery and preference is given not just to first-time home buyers, but to first-generation homebuyers. Once homeowners are ready to move on, they sell the home back to RootedHomes, who can get the property to a new homeowner and help keep it to an affordable price. Keogh said RootedHomes average about 30 resales a year, so people are able to move in and out of affordable housing easily.

The project will be designed by Open Concept with support from Lord Consulting, S+F Surveyors, Blackmore Planning, Wallace Group, Evergreen Consulting Group and GreenSavers.

Keogh said that RootedHomes’ goal is to build 15-40 affordable homes in the region each year, and they have more projects on the horizon in Redmond and others in La Paine and Prineville.