CTUIR to break ground on groundbreaking neighborhood
By Terry Murry on Friday, February 11th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MISSION – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees is holding a groundbreaking ceremony Monday at 3:15 p.m. to celebrate the start of construction for Nixyaawii neighborhood. The 13-acre parcel of land is south of Nixyaawii Community School and Education Center and the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center.
Nixyaawii neighborhood will be comprised of 50 residential market-rate lots available to CTUIR tribal members 18 and older through the acquisition of a 99-year lease. That lease gives individuals the right to build and live on the property much like conventional land ownership. Leases will become available later this spring. Single lots range from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet. Amenities include rear-loaded lots with alleyways, a neighborhood park, sidewalks, and greenways.
Work on infrastructure for the neighborhood begins Monday and will continue for about six months. Infrastructure includes streets, sidewalks, water, sewer, power, natural gas, and fiber optic cable.
After that work is done, those who hold leases may begin the permitting and design process for building their own homes to suit their needs. The construction and design team involves staff from CTUIR Housing Development and is being coordinated by the Wenaha Group. Rotschy, Inc. is the general contractor.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter for CTUIR in crating affordable home sites,” CTUIR Planning Director J.D. Tovey III said. “We have many projects aimed at providing a range of lot sizes and neighborhood amenities for tribal members to build, buy, and live in homes of their choosing. It takes time to build that market, and this is only the beginning.”
High land prices, fractionation, and construction barriers like wells and septic tanks have made it hard for tribal members to actually live on the reservation, Tovey said.
“This neighborhood will be a compact residential neighborhood on Tribal Water and Sewer,” he added. “It is designed to be a walkable neighborhood so residents can easily walk to and from work or events.” More information is available at https://nixyaawii.com/.
