A state-funded project to bring back affordable housing in the Rogue Valley broke ground this week. The communities of Phoenix and Talent were both hit hard by the 2020 Almeda Fire, and manufactured home communities suffered significant damages.
The state purchased 140 modular home units in June of last year to help with reconstruction, but didn鈥檛 have a place to put them.
Modular homes are different than manufactured or mobile homes. Instead of following building codes set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, modular homes must follow the same local building codes that a traditional stick-built home would. The homes are partially built in a factory and are permanently assembled on site.
鈥淔rankly it was harder than we thought it might be to even identify land," says Oregon Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland). "Everything needed to be cleaned. Nobody was willing to sell property until it had been cleaned.鈥�
Using state funding, the Housing Authority of Jackson County was finally able to purchase the former site of the Royal Oaks Mobile Manor in Phoenix.
The rebuilding of the park will provide housing opportunities for 118 families. The new development will prioritize families who lost their homes during the fire.
鈥淏ecause of the work that ACCESS is doing with wildfire survivors, we [already] partner together to help navigate the fire survivors," says Joe Vollmar from the local nonprofit ACCESS. "We may already be working with them so we can just navigate them into these units as they come available.鈥�
The housing authority will manage the park, and will focus on keeping it affordable. New residents who move into Royal Oaks will be given titles to their homes at no cost, but they will need to pay rent for the space and utilities. Residents are free to sell those homes in the future when they move, but Marsh says there may be limitations to keep the park affordable.
Marsh says she鈥檇 like to see more projects like this one implemented, to provide more affordable housing and an easy path to home ownership.
Vollmar says they're still working on an application process for the park. Construction is expected to finish in the second half of next year.
