City of North Bend release - The City of North Bend has been selected for Salazar Architect Inc.’s “Catalyst Design Grant,” an in-kind award providing up to $15,000 in professional design services to help mission-driven projects during the earliest planning stages.  “This grant gives us a valuable opportunity to bring expert, public-interest design guidance to the table early—before major development decisions are locked in,” said North Bend City Manager David Milliron. “That kind of early feasibility and concept work can significantly improve long-term outcomes for our community.”  Salazar Architect, a Portland-based public interest architecture and urban design firm, will work with the City to explore feasibility and early concept options for a downtown workforce housing initiative on publicly owned property. The work will be informed by the firm’s Community, Wellbeing, and Sustainable Design approaches.  “Salazar’s focus on community-centered design, wellbeing, and sustainability aligns closely with what we want to prioritize from the start,” Milliron said. “We want this project to be feasible, durable, and responsive to the needs of the people who live and work here.”  Milliron said the effort is driven by ongoing housing challenges affecting North Bend and many communities across Oregon.  “North Bend is facing a serious housing shortage,” Milliron said. “Essential employees—teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, and other critical workers—are increasingly priced out of the local market or commuting long distances. We need more attainable housing options close to jobs, services, and downtown amenities.”  The City is advancing redevelopment of the former Coos County Courthouse Annex in the downtown core, with a preliminary goal of creating approximately 70 or more workforce housing units. The City is also exploring the potential for community-serving space at the ground level.  “Our goal is to redevelop an obsolete public building site into housing that supports the local workforce and strengthens downtown,” Milliron said. “We’re also looking at how ground-floor space could contribute to the neighborhood and the broader community.”  Earlier the week, the Salazar team visited North Bend to tour the Courthouse Annex site and the former hospital property, and met with City representatives from Administration, Public Works, Finance, Tourism, and Economic Development and Urban Renewal.  “They took time to understand the site, the surrounding context, and the practical considerations—utilities, infrastructure, community goals, and financing realities,” Milliron said. “That kind of cross-department input is important as we define what success looks like.”  The next step is a design charrette that took place Tuesday, Feb. 10 in Portland, where the Salazar team and City staff worked through early concepts and recommendations to help guide future decisions related to site layout, massing, program options, and sustainability priorities.  “The charrette is where we translate goals and constraints into a small set of realistic options,” Milliron said. “The intent is to come out of that process with clear recommendations and a roadmap for what needs to be studied next.”  Milliron said the project’s funding strategy includes multiple sources, including federal and state investments and local urban renewal planning that has already been completed through the required public process.  “We have secured $4 million in federal funding with support from the offices of Senator Ron Wyden, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Representative Val Hoyle,” Milliron said. “We also received a $100,000 Business Oregon Housing Infrastructure Support Fund grant for pre-design engineering, environmental and historic review, and infrastructure planning to help prepare the site for demolition and redevelopment.”  Milliron added that the project is included as a priority in the North Bend Urban Renewal Agency’s amended plan.  “The Annex is included as a priority project in the Urban Renewal Agency’s amended plan, and that substantial plan amendment has already been completed through the required public process,” Milliron said. “We’ll continue to share updates as the charrette and follow-up work move forward.”