By Rachael McDonald
A community land trust is breaking ground on six affordable homes in Blue River on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 for people who survived the Holiday Farm Fire.
The fire swept through the McKenzie River Valley on Labor Day 2020. 517 homes were lost in the blaze, which burned more than 173,000 acres.
Brandi Crawford Ferguson is interim Executive Director for McKenzie Community Land Trust. She said, after the fire, property values actually increased.
Locals and community members decided to establish the trust to help with rebuilding so that people who had been there for years could afford to stay. Ferguson said the MRLT project runs the entire McKenzie River corridor.
“We are starting in Blue River, in downtown Blue River, because that was the highest impact,” she said. “Blue River lost everything including the library, the fire station, the clinic, and main street. The only thing left was a red picnic table.”
Ferguson said the project, called Rose Street Homes, will be six 3 bedroom, 2 bath homes. Income qualified applicants must be full-time Blue River residents.
The groundbreaking is on Friday at 2 p.m. in downtown Blue River.
Meanwhile, Ferguson told KLCC, more of Blue River is coming back. The Fire Station and Health Clinic have been rebuilt.
And on Saturday, the O’Brien Memorial Library will hold its ribbon-cutting.
“And then Melanie Stanley is very close to breaking ground on the first business, the Meyer General Store, as well,” Ferguson said. “So, it’ll be a nice opportunity not only to celebrate these first six community land trust homes but also just to celebrate with the community that has worked so hard to rebuild.”
Ferguson said the homes are built to be fire safe. The land is part of Pure Water Partners, which works to keep properties cleared of debris and invasive plants which helps with fire safety.
To make it more affordable, the MCLT will sell each home to a qualified buyer, and not the land. The homebuyer then signs a 99-year lease on the land. The Rose Street homes will be complete by winter of 2025.
MCLT purchased its second parcel in Blue River earlier this year. Funding for the Rose Street neighborhood was provided by Oregon Housing and Community Services LIFT funding, Lane County, PacficSource and Eugene Water and Electric. DevNW is the developer for the project.
MCLT operating costs are funded by foundations and private donations.
This article first appeared on KLCC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.