Developers tell Boardman committee: 'There's not enough housing for our workforce specifically'

The Boardman Housing Committee held a developer 101 session that walked members through how private developers identify sites, run financial projections and navigate city approvals. "There's not enough housing for our workforce specifically," facilitator Nate Wildfire said, framing the city's housing shortage as the meeting's central challenge.

Locke Litwer of Columbia Gorge Capital described development as three broad choices—finding land, running the math and dealing with local approvals—and emphasized that projects only move forward when investors expect an adequate return. "At the end of the day, this is sort of our definition of what real estate development is: inquiring, improving, and repositioning land or buildings to maximize their value," Locke said. Committee members pressed for specifics about timing and costs; several staff members noted the committee's role is advisory to council and should focus on aligning incentives so the city gets the housing it wants.