Hood River City Council Holds Jam Packed Meeting: Talks Student Mural, Rand Road Affordable Housing; Uber and Lyft, DUI Increase

Hood River City Council. Photo Credit: City of Hood River

By Cole Goodwin

Hood River, OR, September 26, 2023 – The Hood River City Council met on Sept. 25 to discuss a number of important topics and issues facing the City including public art, the Rand Road affordable housing development, Nature's Way Vista subdivision, and potentially updating City Policy to allow Uber and Lyft as a potential solution to the increase in DUI’s.

Mural Approved at Wilson St. Fire Staton Hood River High School Community Works Program 

The location of the mural.

The City of Hood River City Council has given its approval for a mural to be created on the City owned property of Wilson Street Fire Station located at 1028 Wilson St, which currently houses the Hood River Valley High School Community Works Program. The program offers students, especially disadvantaged students diverse learning experiences ranging from construction, (of their own classroom) manufacturing of skateboard decks, lapidary work (stone cutting and jewelry making), and screen printing. The program aims to give students career exploration, and service learning.

Students working with lapidary tools. Photo Credit: Hood River Valley High School Community Works Program

“We’ve completely maxed that space out,” said Pete Lawson, with a laugh, noting the amount of learning and materials they’ve managed to work into the space. Lawson is a teacher affiliated with the program.

Last spring when Lawson, secured a grant aiming to add a splash of color and artistry to the building. This grant would fund a mural creation, designed and implemented in tandem between   students and a professional artist Toma Villa is a muralist, painter, carver, and sculptor from the Yakama Nation, who in recent years helped to paint the Hub building in The Dalles.

The content of the mural that was decided upon by the artist students is “animals using tools.” 

The artwork would be a collaborative effort between students from the Hood River Valley High School Community Works Program and a professional artist. Residents, students, and visitors can look forward to seeing the completed artwork by next spring, adding a touch of vibrancy to the community's architectural tapestry.

780 Rand Road Affordable Housing Project Update

Developers gave an update on the 780 Rand Road Affordable Housing project to the City Council. The project world build 129 units in three mutli-family building and attached townhouses, community multi purpose building. The facilities would include six studio, seventeen one bedroom, fifty-eight two-bedroom, forty-eight three-bedroom apartments, and twenty-two three-bedroom townhomes. 

A screenshot of the Rand Road update presentation.

Rents of the facility are projected to be made affordable for those making between 30 to 60 percent of the area median income a year. Hood River’s annual median household income (in 2021 dollars) is $69,429. That means that if the facility were in operation currently, it would be affordable to those with incomes ranging from $20,828.70 to $41,657.40 a year.

Partners included in the project include Community Development Partners, Columbia Cascade Housing Corporationm HOLST, PLACE, Center of Public Interest Design at Porltand State University, and the CIty of Hood River. Mid-Columbia Housing Authority is also partnering on the project to provide thirty-nine housing vouchers for the facility. 

The project would begin constrcution in December of 2024 and complete construction in 2026. 

The project's start date will be contingent on being awarded a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) following a competitive Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) process. The LIHTC program provides tax credits to developers who construct, rehabilitate, or acquire and rehabilitate qualified low-income rental housing. Should the project not receive LIHTC funding, it may set back the project until the next LIHTC funding cycle. 

A project open house for the public is scheduled for October 25th from 6-8 p.m. at the Hood River Alliance Church, located at 2650 Montello Ave. To stay informed on the project interested parties can email HRaffordalehousing@communitydevpartners.com.

Those seeking affordable housing in the interim are encouraged to visit Mid-ColumbiaHousing Authority.org.

Nature’s Way Vista Subdivision - Final Plat Approved

The City Council also approved the final plat* for the Nature’s Way Vista Subdivision. This 17-lot subdivision located off 30th & May in Hood River, Oregon would establish 17 new home sites in a 3-step terrace style layout with onsite storm facilities.

*A plat is a division of land into numerous parcels.

City Looks for Answers to Increase in DUI’s: Local Transportation Partners Object to Uber and Lyft

Hood River City Police Chief Neal Holste speaking at City Council about DUI trends in the City of Hood River.

City Council continued their discussion of updating City policy to allow transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft to operate within the City of Hood River. Points brought up in the discussion included DUI prevention, tourism impacts, impacts to local transportation service providers, and a lack of diverse transportation options in the late hours of the night and early in the morning.

Several local providers spoke how a change in city policy would negatively impact their business and pointed to ethical concerns they had about Uber and Lyft. 

Their testimony and  can be viewed by clicking here, or by watching the video below discussion begins at timestamp 1:40:42.