Study finds TalentRailroad District development would require large public investment; smaller parcel more feasible

The Talent City Council heard Tuesday that fully developing the Railroad District would require an estimated $220,000,000 in off-site and on-site infrastructure upgrades and could yield about 430 housing units, while concentrating development on a single flat parcel would yield about 150 units but still leave an estimated $10,000,000 funding shortfall.

The consultant leading the study, Victor of Cascadia Partners, told the council the team calculated infrastructure needs for multiple build scenarios and factored in on-site construction costs. "It's very unknown and risky to assume that the railroad crossings could be kept open or not. It's ultimately up to the corp," Victor said, referring to the railroad company.

The study, commissioned with a grant through the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, updated previous cost estimates and tested housing prototypes ranging from large-lot single-family to townhomes. Joshua Bombard, Southern Oregon representative for the Department of Land Conservation and Development, said the project began because the Railroad District is a large portion of land already inside Talent's urban growth boundary and the city needed an updated factual basis for legislative decisions. "When we do housing…