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.