Auburn council approves institutional use, commits about $1.7 million to Ridgecrest redevelopment

The Auburn City Council approved an institutional use for the Ridgecrest housing redevelopment Phase 1 at 945 North Donahue Drive and agreed to contribute roughly $1.7 million over eight years toward a project Mayor Ron Anderson described as a $21,000,000 effort.

The action, announced in Mayor Ron Anderson’s summary of the Feb. 17 meeting, clears a land‑use step the Auburn Housing Authority needs to move the first phase forward. Anderson praised the housing authority’s leadership, saying: "What an outstanding job they do" and commending "the leadership of miss Sharon Talbert." The transcript indicates the council approved the institutional use and later approved a contribution commitment fund to support redevelopment costs.

The mayor said the city’s $1.7 million commitment will be paid out over an eight‑year period; the meeting packet contains additional project and funding details not repeated in the summary. The council’s action was presented as part of the meeting’s ordinances and resolutions.

Next steps identified in the meeting materials include implementation of Phase 1 site work and any necessary permitting tied to the institutional use approval. The council did not detail contractor awards or a construction timetable in the mayor’s minutes posted at the meeting.