First 4 of 87 units were on display Thursday at New Spirit Village grand opening in Medford
By Jim Flint for Ashland.news
Four years ago, a fire on Sept. 8, 2020, swept by hot, dry winds of more than 40 miles per hour, left a 9-mile path of destruction from north Ashland to Phoenix, killing three people and destroying nearly 2,400 structures, including 2,300 homes.
Displaced families who are still without permanent housing will receive top priority for new affordable housing at New Spirit Village, an 87-unit development in west Medford which celebrated its grand opening Thursday. Gov. Tina Kotek cut the ribbon in the official ceremony.
Ashland residents Barry and Kathryn Thalden are the project’s initial funding contributors, through their nonprofit Thalden Foundation. After the devastating fire, they were inspired to create a sister foundation, New Spirit Village, to aid fire victims.
“Our objective has always been to build affordable housing for those displaced by the Almeda Fire,” said Barry Thalden, a retired architect.
United Way of Jackson County CEO Dee Anne Everson, speaking to the large crowd gathered for the ceremony, said it wasn’t a matter of the Thaldens “just writing a check.” She and state Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, credited their vision, compassion and tenacity for successfully seeing the project through.
Gov. Kotek echoed Everson’s comments, saying New Spirit Village will create new hope for families around the state.
“It’s not just about building homes, it’s about building neighborhoods,” she said. “There are many communities around the state who need their own New Spirit Villages. We may need a Thalden road show.”
High density, front porches and safe, low-speed streets will encourage residents to live in their neighborhoods, not just in their homes, Barry Thalden said.
“These homes are not just built out of wood and sticks and stones, they are built out of the hopes and dreams of the people who will live here,” he said.
Kathryn Thalden reminded spectators that home ownership helps build multigenerational family wealth, noting that home equity also can be the foundation on which small businesses and other family enterprises can be built.
The first of 87 homes
On Thursday, Aug. 1, the first four of 87 planned homes were on display, completed and ready for occupancy. One of each type of home that will be available for purchase was represented: a one-bedroom, two-bedroom/one-bath, two-bedroom/two-bath, and a three-bedroom home.
New Spirit Village is on Meadows Lane, just off Lozier Lane, about a mile north of the intersection of Lozier and West Stewart Avenue.
“By the end of the year, 18 additional homes will be completed and for sale,” Thalden said, “including nine one-bedroom, six two-bedroom and four three-bedroom homes. Next year we plan to build another 22 homes for sale.”
Outlier Construction of Medford is the general contractor.
When the project was envisioned more than three years ago, the initial plan was to build all 3D-printed homes, using large computer-guided machines, extruding layers of a proprietary mix of cement to create the exterior and interior walls.
However, because of a combination of factors, frame houses are being built instead, at least for the near term.
Since inception of the project, the developers have experienced frustrating delays of approvals and permits. In addition, certain certification guidelines for the new technology, including for insulation standards, are still being developed in Oregon.
Another factor is a shortage of companies available with expertise in the technology of 3D-printed homes.
After waiting three years, the Thaldens felt they needed to go ahead with something.
Are there any 3D-printed homes still in the plans?
“Not at the current time, but possibly some next year,” Thalden said. “While we do not have 3D-concrete-printed homes as we had first intended, this is still a very unique community of affordable houses, primarily targeted for Almeda Fire victim families and first-time homeowners.”
As low as $185,000
Prices range from $185,000 for a one-bedroom home to $235,000 for a three-bedroom home, with no down payments required.
“Since we are selling these homes at less than 70% of appraised value, lenders can provide mortgages at the full price of the house,” Thalden explained.
Thalden says more than 20 community service organizations, along with state representatives, have been involved in the process of developing New Spirit Village.
The lower selling prices are made possible in part by the structure of the organization and the philanthropy of the Thaldens.
“New Spirit Village is a nonprofit corporation that requires no overhead or profit,” Thalden said. “Kathryn and I are donating our time and talent as developers.”
Another factor Thalden cited as helping to achieve affordability is the high density of 15 units per acre, which reduces the per-lot costs of roads, utilities and land when compared to a typical subdivision.
“New Spirit has the same density as an apartment building,” he said at the grand opening. “Prices are about half the median cost of housing in Medford.”
Also contributing to affordability were grants from the state, United Way, Oregon Community Foundation and the Thalden Foundation.
The Thaldens’ initial contributions were designed to fund portions of the project, such as design costs and a community center with laundry, community kitchen, community gardens and a playground.
Apply through ACCESS
Prospective home buyers can apply through ACCESS, the community action agency for Jackson County that provides food, warmth, shelter and other essential services to low-income families, children, seniors, veterans and disabled people. Proud Ground, a HUD-approved nonprofit, also is helping to screen candidates.
Successful applicants must agree to resell at an affordable price if they move, and there is a restriction against renting out the property.
New Spirit Village utilizes a provision in Oregon laws to hold all the land in a trust so that some of the initial low-cost benefits are passed through to future buyers.
Proud Ground Executive Director Dom Merriweather said Thursday that, when the $28 million development is complete, “I believe it will be largest community land trust in the country.”
“Creating home ownership is a significant part of the solution to the housing crisis,” Thalden said. “When a new homebuyer moves out of a rental unit, it makes that unit available to those who are in temporary shelters, which ultimately opens those beds to allow homeless people to get off the streets and out of public parks.”
No additional such housing developments are planned by the foundation. Thalden said New Spirit Village was designed as a one-off demonstration project with the hope that others would develop similar affordable housing in the Rogue Valley using the template.
Barry Thalden founded, and led for 43 years, what became a nationally known architecture firm with offices in St. Louis; Tulsa; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas. His experience includes designing tens of thousands of residential units from coast to coast.
Kathryn Halden founded and operated a city planning and landscape architecture firm in Kansas City, and later was the founding minister of the Unity Church of Green Valley in Henderson, Nevada.
They retired and moved to Ashland in 2012.
For more information about the project, go to newspiritvillage.org.
Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him via [email protected].
