A new neighborhood is coming to town

People interested in building new houses and looking forward to welcoming new neighbors were drawn to a spot of open ground last Friday. The site, at the corner of Rose and McCauley Streets in Blue River, is expected to affect community rebuilding positively.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rose Street project, McKenzie Community Land Trust (MCLT) executive director Brandi Ferguson saluted the area’s “can-do spirit.” Talking to a crowd of well-wishers in a gentle rainfall, she thanked “so many people for volunteering so much of their time to bring this community back.”

The Rose Street Homes project involves constructing six 3-bedroom, 2-bath homes for low and mid-income full-time Blue River residents. Details of ownership include a 99-year lease.

Lane Tompkins, the president of the non-profit MCLT, said he was excited by the prospect of “bringing back some neighbors who were displaced but maybe also welcoming some new neighbors to help strengthen the community.”

East Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch also spoke and pledged continued government support for rebuilding efforts. Since taking office at the start of the COVID epidemic and a string of wildfires, Buch said recovery efforts have become “pretty much ingrained in what I do each day.”