A proposed affordable housing development on a city-owned half-acre property at the corner of Main Street and North 20th Street continues to advance with a purchase agreement now under review.
Philomath City Manager Chris Workman said during the Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting on March 10 that the city attorney is currently reviewing the document and that the City Council will likely take it up in April and talk specifics in a closed meeting. A decision on whether to accept or reject would come in an open session — voting is not allowed in executive sessions.
The prospective developer, Wisconsin-based nonprofit Commonwealth Development Corp., is eyeing a three- or four-story apartment complex with a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and studios, Workman said. The developer is also reportedly open to incorporating the city’s timber town theme into the building’s design, he added.
The timeline, however, remains uncertain. Workman said the project is dependent on the next round of state funding for subsidized housing dollars, and that the timing of that funding cycle is still unknown. He said shovels in the ground are likely still a few years away and that a firm project concept is still several months out.
The city purchased the site in March 2023 for $337,500. The City Council voted last August to enter into an exclusivity agreement with Commonwealth, a nonprofit that has developed more than 125 affordable housing projects nationally, including six in Oregon.
The Housing and Economic Development Committee also reviewed two competing proposals for the city-owned corner lot at 14th and Main Street. After releasing a Request for Qualifications for a mixed-use development, the city received two responses — one proposing a boutique hotel on the upper floors, the other proposing small housing units.
The City Council plans to interview both development teams on April 13.
2. Quick peek at Philomath Frolic and Rodeo
The Philomath Frolic and Rodeo is introducing new features for this year’s July 9-11 event, Jodi Russell, sponsorship coordinator, said in an email earlier this week.
On Thursday during Frolic week, organizers will launch a Family Night at the Frolic grounds starting with the traditional Fish Rodeo before moving into an evening at the Yew Wood Corral, where a live DJ will perform and a kids corner will offer snacks and a Dirty Soda Bar.
On Saturday, the annual Timber Sports Competition returns with a new addition — a Timber Heritage Display featuring local logging equipment and trucks highlighting the region’s logging history.
Various other events that will be familiar to folks will be back, including the Grand Parade, Lions Club Breakfast, Barbecue Chicken Lunch, a 5K family run, Chalk Roundup, cornhole tournament and Home Run Derby.
Oh, and by the way, the Frolic and Rodeo appears to have an improved website.
3. Timber Framers Guild, Peterson earns recognition
The Timber Framers Guild has been named Greenbelt Land Trust’s Partner of the Year for 2025, recognized for its work on a community pavilion build project at Bald Hill Farm. Central to the partnership was Philomath-area resident Autumn Peterson, a local board member of the Guild who helped bring the project to life.
Greenbelt credited Peterson’s involvement as key to moving the project from plans to reality and cited the partnership as a model for trusted collaboration. Peterson owns Heritage Natural Finishes and Summer Beam Books in downtown Philomath. She has been involved in the timber framing world for roughly 25 years.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
