Hayfields Site could become urban renewal district
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The Hermiston Urban Renewal Agency has begun the process to create a new urban renewal district that would expand housing on land along Feedville Road. Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan says developing the Hayfields Site for housing would attract the hundreds who work in the Hermiston area but live in the Tri-Cities.
“Almost 2,000 people per day commute down on a net basis from the Tri-Cities into the Hermiston area,” Morgan said. “We need to be providing a reason for those folks to stay here in Hermiston.”
The proposed district would develop slowly. Eventually it would have over 1,000 residences of varying types including senior housing. It’s also proposed to host a school, a community park, several neighborhood parks, and a firehouse for Umatilla County Fire District No. 1.
The problem comes in funding the infrastructure to support the new district. Morgan said the most costly bit of infrastructure will be getting water to the site.
“That’s where an urban renewal agency really comes in to address the issue,” he said. “If not for some form of public investment, then we’re never going to see houses going up out there.”
City staff has been asked to work on an urban renewal plan for the proposed district, a process which is expected to take six to eight months. Staff will work with FCS Group, the city’s urban renewal consulting firm, with a goal of bringing the plan back to the city council for a hearing and possible adoption by the end of this year.
