<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4U2Jug_1DlKBGNX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4U2Jug_1DlKBGNX00" width="720" height="720" ><figcaption>1/2 There are currently four townhouses built and ready to be sold in Madras. (Candice Stilwell/Madras Pioneer)</figcaption></figure>Grizzly Road in Madras is seeing its second housing development this year, as a new group of houses is being built in the area.City View is a new development by Thistle &amp; Nest that will offer 100 homes once the construction is completed. Thistle &amp; Nest, founded by Amy Warren, who is also the company’s board president, is a nonprofit that focuses on providing affordable housing. The organization has three communities built in Bend and one in Prineville. This is the first time Thistle &amp; Nest is building in Madras.“The city of Madras does not have a (Habitat for Humanity) presence there or anything like that,” Warren said. “So it was definitely considered an underserved area for affordable ownership.”Much like the developers of Willow Heights, another new housing development off of Grizzly Road, Warren highlighted the natural views of the area. “It’s kind of breathtaking,” Warren said. As the name of the development suggests, this area sits on a hill and overlooks much of Madras, with natural views of the surroundings as well.Many of the schools in Madras are within about a mile of the development, as is the aquatic center.“I like to build homes in places where I would live,” Warren said. “… Were really convicted to that quality of life and quality of product.”The development will have townhomes, each with its own fenced yard. “It’s more communal living, which is really awesome for a lot of folks who are looking for that in their life,” Warren said. “That community and not being isolated.” Right now, there are four townhomes finished. These homes have two bedrooms and are 1,152 square feet. “They’re incredibly cute,” Warren said. The real estate agent for the project, Josue Ojeda, lives in the Prineville development built by Thistle &amp; Nest. “Definitely didn’t think I was going to be able to buy a house at 28,” Ojeda said. “Especially with these current prices.”The average cost of a home in Central Oregon, excluding Bend prices, is around $450,000, Ojeda said. This means that the price of City View homes, $200,000, is roughly half of the average cost of a Central Oregon home. The nonprofit’s general payment assistance program allows for those low costs. Those who make under 80% of the area median income qualify for down payment assistance.“(This assistance) is a huge relief for a lot of homeowners, including myself,” Ojeda said. Ojeda also said the price does not indicate the home’s quality, and highlighted the energy efficiency of the homes.“People tend to think that affordable housing is just bare bones, done cheaply or done in a way that’s gonna cause the homeowner problems,” Ojeda said. “These houses are modern, appliances are Whirlpool, they’re great appliances. This is done to make it feel modern, make it feel kind of like a luxury home.”Thistle &amp; Nest is a community land trust, meaning the company owns the land these homes are built on, and those who live there will pay a $50 land lease fee, rather than traditional property taxes. “That fee is much less than what property taxes would have been on that piece of property,” Warren said. She described this type of homeownership as a stepping stone for those who want to own their homes. The nonprofit also offers a down payment assistance program specifically for first-time homebuyers who are veterans, which offers them an additional $30,000 in assistance.Funding for that program comes from Oregon Housing and Community Services.“I don’t feel like after what many of our veterans have been through that they’re cared for adequately by public services,” Warren said. “And I am really excited to be able to offer this.” With the veterans assistance program, the cost of these homes could be down to $140,000. Warren said that prices for building materials have been higher, but this did not slow them down or increase the final prices of the homes.“We are not seeing increases on labor because there’s more labor out there than there were home to build two years ago,” Warren said. “I wouldn’t say that our construction costs are a challenge for us.”Warren said a current difficulty is that the homes that are built have not been purchased yet.“We are used to, in our Bend communities, by the time a home is finished, really we have a waitlist of people wanting to go under contract on homes,” Warren said. “… So that’s unique. I think we’ll want to have those (four) under contract before we move forward with additional homes.” There will be an open house for the development at 811 S.E. Grizzly Road on Aug. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.</div></body>

Block Source: Madras Pioneer Newspaper

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Grizzly Road in Madras is seeing its second housing development this year, as a new group of houses is being built in the area. City View is a new development by Thistle & Nest that will offer 100 homes once the construction is completed. Thistle & Nest, founded by Amy Warren, who is also the company’s board president, is a nonprofit that focuses on providing affordable housing.

New affordable housing development underway in Madras

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Grizzly Road in Madras is seeing its second housing development this year, as a new group of houses is being built in the area. City View is a new developm

New affordable housing development underway in Madras

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