Serving the Mid-Columbia region of Oregon and Washington, providing regional economic development and business assistance.Mid–Columbia Economic Development District

Mid Columbia Economic Development District strives to promote the creation of family-wage jobs, the diversification of the economic base, and the growth, development and retention of business and industry in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania Counties

MCEDD is organized as a government non-profit in Oregon as an ORS-190 and in Washington through RCW 39.34.010.

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MCEDD’s Attainable Housing Fund

March 18, 2022 – Affordable Housing has been identified by all communities within the MCEDD region as a top priority issue! Did you know that MCEDD has resources in place that can help?   First identified in a 2013 study, the North Central Oregon Regional Solutions Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the Oregon state legislature, dedicated $2 million in state funds to seed MCEDD’s Attainable Housing Development Revolving Loan Fund.  As the need for affordable housing continues to increase each year, MCEDD stands ready to provide supplemental funding as needed for housing projects in our north central Oregon counties!   To be eligible for this fund: Projects must be in the North Central Oregon region: Hood River, Wasco and/or Sherman counties. Projects must have support from the city or county in that region. Projects will provide quality workforce housing. (Housing at price ranges and rental levels that are affordable to workers and worker households in the region.) Funding will be in conjunction with commercial bank loans to fill lending gaps for Attainable Housing development projects.     This fund was designed to provide opportunities for working-class residents in the MCEDD region to live where they work.  Metrics that were used to identify the affordable market income at 60-120% median family income (“MFI”) can be found on MCEDD’s website, along with the complete policies and checklists for this program.     If you have or are considering a housing project that meets the criteria above, contact our Loan Fund Manager, Ami Beaver, at 541-296-2266 x 1004.    [Continue Reading]

Sherman County’s Incentives for Housing Development

February 22, 2022 – After hearing stories of new employees hired by Sherman County organizations that couldn’t find local housing, Sherman County set to work exploring options to spur the development of additional rental housing. In 2017, Sherman County created the New Rental Housing Development Grant program to provide an incentive for construction of new rental housing, a grant of $10,000 per unit. In 2018, the County created the Housing Rehabilitation Grant program to support renovations of non-owner occupied housing, with the goal of bringing existing housing up to working family standards. Eligible applicants can receive up to $20,000 through this program. Between 2017 and 2020, the County approved about $175,000 in grants to nine applicants with these two programs. The projects included five rental projects expected to complete a total of 13 units, and four rehab projects. With these successes, the County realized that there was more work to be done with incentivizing housing development.  In 2021, two more grant programs were added to their line. The Housing Property Preparation Grant offers applicants up to $20,000 in grant funding to responsibly demolish unsafe housing units, clean up any environmental contaminants on properties and prepare lots for housing redevelopment or sale. The New Housing Construction Grant will provide a $10,000 grant for newly constructed housing units that will be owner-occupied or sold. The County received nine eligible applications to its four programs in 2021, with approximately $90,000 in grants approved to fund two rehab projects, one new rental housing project, and six new housing construction projects. The County’s fund that supports the housing programs is close to depleted, but an infusion of capital is expected in January 2023. If you are developing housing in Sherman County and are interested in the County’s grant programs, applications can be found on Sherman County’s website. Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) supports the County with the administration of these programs. Contact Jacque Schei (jacque@mcedd.org, 541-296-2266 ext. 1006) with any questions about the grants or eligibility requirements. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the applications in detail and reach out to Jacque prior to starting projects.     [Continue Reading]

MCEDD

802 Chenowith Loop Rd,
The Dalles, OR 97058
Phone: (541) 296-2266

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