If we want Ashland to be more than a town people love but can’t afford, then something has to give
By Carrie Dahle
Every community has its “hard conversations,” and for Ashland, one of the hardest right now is about affordable housing. We all say we want it for teachers, service workers, young families, aging parents and the next generation of Ashlanders who dream of staying here. But the decisions we continue to make, even with the best intentions, aren’t actually moving us closer to that goal. In fact, some of them are quietly pulling us in the opposite direction.
Take the latest idea gaining attention: the potential for 50-year mortgages. On the surface, it sounds like a solution for smaller monthly payments, easier entry into homeownership and more people able to say, “I finally did it.” And I get the appeal. Truly. But at what cost?
A 50-year mortgage doesn’t build equity in the short term. Homeowners stay upside down longer. Selling becomes harder. Refinancing becomes less accessible. And suddenly “affordable entry” turns into “I’m trapped in a loan I can’t outgrow.” If a buyer purchased a $500,000 home with a 30-year mortgage, they would be paying $608,290 in interest. But if they instead got a 50-year mortgage, they would pay $1,247,877 in interest. And in just the first 10 years of making payments on that 50-year mortgage, they would still owe $482,820 toward their principal balance. That’s not the stability we want for our community.
Then we have our building standards, which, let me say clearly, are beautiful in their intention. Energy-efficient homes, green buildings and sustainability benefit all of us. But every time we add another requirement, another layer of cost, another rule on the checklist, we raise the price of construction. And when construction costs rise, home prices follow. Not because builders are greedy, but because math is math.
We can support the environment and affordability, but right now we’re asking the market to do both without giving it the flexibility or tools to actually deliver.
And finally, there’s the part nobody likes to say out loud: our resistance to change. We love Ashland’s charm, its quiet pockets, its cozy neighborhoods. But too often, when an apartment complex or townhome development is proposed, we hear the same concerns on repeat: traffic, noise, parking and “neighborhood character.” Some of those are valid. Some are genuine worries. But some are “not in my backyard” dressed up in nicer language.
If every neighborhood says “not here,” then where? And more importantly, who are we saying “not here” to?
If we want young people to stay, if we wish to working families to plant roots, if we want to be more than a town people love but can’t afford, then something has to give. We can’t say we value affordability while blocking the very changes that create it.
Here’s the truth: I don’t have the magic answer. I don’t think anyone does. A single policy, loan program or zoning change doesn’t solve the affordable housing problem. Many small, courageous decisions solve it, layered together, the kind that require us to be flexible, imaginative and a little uncomfortable.
But I do know this: Ashland has always been at its best when we lead with compassion, creativity and a willingness to grow. If we want a future where our kids, our grandkids and our essential workers can actually live here, then we have to be brave enough to rethink the choices we’re making today.
Ashland resident Carrie Dahle is president of the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors and principal broker at John L. Scott, Ashland. Email her at [email protected].
