[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6163470,"mediaKeyId","5434119-3c74fd26c59b0c6b7307a0970639262c","parentId",5434119,"title","City and Bay Area Hospital study 16–17 acre Coos Bay parcel for mixed housing; consultant recommends “through‑hike” design","audioSeconds",4405,"startMs",134000,"endMs",4539000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5434119-3c74fd26c59b0c6b7307a0970639262c&start=134&end=4539","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5434119-3c74fd26c59b0c6b7307a0970639262c/thumbnail_134000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6163470/Coos-Bay/Coos-County/Oregon/City-and-Bay-Area-Hospital-study-1617-acre-Coos-Bay-parcel-for-mixed-housing-consultant-recommends-throughhike-design","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6163470-a488182d913448115ac33a1e8b04afab/orig.mp4?Expires=1771031007&Signature=NCoBF-ZCM~jRlMsIBkKJ0uuK1ajtlJ2UYP8riZQxjUR-Q8QDsk6P472D9nioShqXV5cBxOHLOip6IBlAk1Hzns~uvFJBMqcu1pXyo1bHu9xHoA9RvswjhuVzZoxvZiYrupaQ6eRhj5US3~8lDFYuiuBOGXMNDW9ZqeZM2G8~sEPfnBwddC9Aji4m0YNU4wDyzhSl2uuLJWexgtYFGTA9Nmx6zrSvwMOoFmJKl36JhnXSuuBzowcemlWseSQs4vKs182W8A0758zxKtNZwhdol1C5uovJHB9x2-okf7y1y3zdmk1Yw23vImHFnpcAB0aRxuLBhUCMHD8yl~xEj78u8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," City Council of Coos Bay, OR","date","2025-06-24T00:00:00Z","article","Paul Runge, project director for Cascadia Partners, told the City of Coos Bay joint city council and the Bay Area Hospital board during a work session that consultants continued a feasibility study of a roughly 16–17 acre parcel the hospital has identified as surplus.

The study assessed physical constraints, community feedback and market conditions and tested two development concepts: an “out‑and‑back” access pattern and a “through‑hike” design that would secure a secondary access point and better sewer routing by linking into the adjacent North Bend Medical Center parcel. Runge said consultants and grant partners recommend the through‑hike concept as the stronger long‑term option.

The consultant described steep topography and ravines on the parcel and said those natural features both constrain development and create a potential value proposition if a trail network and natural open spaces are integrated into a neighborhood design. Runge said the site is zoned medical park, which allows residential and mixed use, and noted that mixed use can remove some residential density caps but keeps a three‑story height restriction.

Nicole Cross, land use and transportation planner at the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Transportation Growth Management (TGM) program, said the project is funded in part by a TGM quick‑response grant supported by the Federal Highway Administration, ODOT and state funds. She described TGM’s aims to link land use and transportation to foster walkable, transit‑served neighborhoods and said the program is advisory to local projects.

Runge summarized community engagement: a key‑partners group (including local governments, tribal representatives and hospital staff) and a public survey of about 50 respondents both prioritized a diversity of housing types and affordability. He said roughly half of survey respondents ranked housing as the site’s top priority and that the key partners’ feedback aligned with that conclusion.

The consultants tested financial scenarios. An out‑and‑back concept with a mix of rental and for‑sale units produced negative returns when the team assumed high infrastructure costs tied to the site’s topography; Runge said a sewer lift station could be required for some configurations and that lift stations can be expensive (he cited a nearby development’s lift station cost in the ballpark of $4,000,000). A through‑hike design that uses a road alignment connecting to the neighboring parcel and allows gravity sewer outflow improved feasibility and brought the pro‑forma closer to breakeven.

Runge said adding an affordable‑housing component can be financially neutral or beneficial only when developers can access public infrastructure funding tied to affordable units. He listed potential public funding sources discussed with the team: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) (he cited roughly $2.5 million caps for water/sewer and $1.5 million for community facilities as typical program limits), ODOT’s infrastructure bank (loans with below‑market or deferred terms that can create roughly $700,000 in value under certain assumptions), a new state moderate‑income revolving loan pool (cited as a roughly $75 million pool) and a pending legislative grant (identified in the meeting as “HB 30 31 a”) that the consultant said, if passed with its current structure, would reserve about 25% of funds for small cities.

The consultant showed an illustrative program that blends about 80–90 townhomes and roughly 70 apartments (approximately 20 units per acre under one illustrative plan), with a central roadway spine, trails linking to existing hospital paths, and preserved ravine/open space. Runge said the site’s financial outcomes are sensitive to modest changes in cost or price assumptions — for example, 5% lower costs and 5% higher sales prices substantially improved project returns — and that the site is more likely to proceed if public infrastructure grants and partnerships are available.

Councilor Troy Cribbits, who the meeting identified as both a city councilor and board chair for Bay Area Hospital, said the hospital previously signaled a willingness to “liquefy” the property if doing so advanced the expansion of housing consistent with community goals. Paul Runge and Gretchen (hospital representative on the call) indicated the hospital is open to selling or partnering but would not necessarily develop the land itself.

Chelsea Schnabel, the city’s community development director, said next steps are for the consultant to finalize the preferred alternative and return later this summer or fall with the report for formal acknowledgment by the council and the hospital board.

Discussion at the work session also noted additional steps for pursuing the concept: meet again with North Bend Medical Center about the adjacent parcel, obtain a broker opinion of value, pursue targeted infrastructure funding, and issue a request for proposals or expressions of interest to solicit developer interest and partnering models.

No formal vote or binding decision was taken at the meeting; the item was presented for discussion and direction to finalize a preferred alternative and return for council and hospital board acknowledgement.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","6/24/2025 - Joint City Council/Planning Commission/BAH Board Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Consultants presented a feasibility study for the Bay Area Hospital ‘‘opportunity site,’’ a roughly 16–17 acre surplus parcel south of the hospital, and recommended a ‘‘through‑hike’’ mixed‑use/mixed‑housing concept as the most promising path to financial feasibility if public infrastructure funding and partner agreements are secured.","taxTitle","Coos Bay, Coos County, Oregon","taxId",61742,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6163465,"Affordable Housing Oregon team outlines collaborative development models and shows local project examples",1215,4335000,5550000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5434119-3c74fd26c59b0c6b7307a0970639262c&start=4335&end=5550","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5434119-3c74fd26c59b0c6b7307a0970639262c/thumbnail_4335000.jpg","/articles/6163465/Coos-Bay/Coos-County/Oregon/Affordable-Housing-Oregon-team-outlines-collaborative-development-models-and-shows-local-project-examples","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6163465-de1c919b47b8c5ffb6813c9af2f00d61/orig.mp4?Expires=1771031007&Signature=fuRqvWZUH~PczyMICDzQn99pguM03-i~aCQ72PJrek5e4CEHgzZM2qL01~i15I8usWQAmJI93hf1thdYIj3ox8XnWKbhxlKEOm0A8WHLyvgSvR0i~09Ob8MYfBb0AiTYd9MqKEGxt-tBtTtm0sE7Zr0vya3Rn~o7haMJJwiG6XVLoiLaofGK5VtNO405sO9EoFCrJfJwMfSPDymmLQ4DDR5c9XFTj4azFsGhoHjZnhe~iPrqUtPWtHecm9bEJU4LIbHxiWxUVlJpaju7a76bXsn3dW9qlZxJ4bvR0HYIlKTRATPmYBBUM2ypXmS0FvKqibZNrm7LAiPhNuBmZs3rZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Darren Nicholas of Nichols & Irish presented to the City of Coos Bay council and staff on the firm’s collaborative community development approach, describing steps from land assembly through construction and ongoing on‑site services in some projects.

Nichols & Irish said their model brings public, private and nonprofit partners together to align resources and risk, then assemble development teams and financing. The presenter described completed and in‑progress projects to show how small‑format ownership, cooperative communities and mixed‑use town centers have been implemented elsewhere. He highlighted Hub City Village — a 1.4‑acre cooperative community in Albany with 27 small single‑family units and an on‑site community center and services — as an example of a high‑touch, intensive model that pairs housing with wraparound support.

The presenters said they tailor approaches to the local market, prefer to “get into the weeds” on local constraints, and seek to leverage municipal tools such as annexation, zoning changes and infrastructure commitments to make projects investable. City staff said they had earlier conversations with the team at the League of Oregon Cities conference and that the team had reviewed several Coos Bay‑area opportunity sites, including Inglewood, Gussie’s and the Bay Area Hospital parcel.

Councilors and staff discussed the range of possible roles the city could play: applying for infrastructure grants, using land or tax incentives to lower up‑front costs, and convening developers and brokers to evaluate specific parcels. Councilor remarks emphasized interest in workforce and moderate‑income housing in particular.

No formal commitments were made at the meeting; councilors said they will continue conversations and suggested a future council work session to explore next steps and tools for moving locally prioritized projects forward.","Representatives from Nichols & Irish (presenting with Affordable Housing Oregon partners) described their collaborative development approach, displayed recent projects (including Hub City Village) and discussed potential public‑private pathways for Coos Bay sites including the hospital parcel, Inglewood and other identified properties.","actionData","errors"]

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City and Bay Area Hospital study 16–17 acre Coos Bay parcel for mixed housing; consultant recommends “through‑hike” design

Affordable Housing Oregon team outlines collaborative development models and shows local project examples