Jackie Stinson Research Paper – Housing & Cascade Locks Green Cities – PPPM 445 Due: December 9, 2014 Background: The beautiful City of Cascade Locks in Hood River County sits along the Columbia River. The town has a vibrant history enriched with the heritage of the Native Americans. The Native Americans are still present in town, giving back to the community through the fresh fish and produce they sell. The timber industry used to strive in Cascade Locks until the 1980s. When the timber industry declined, the town’s population decreased; residence lost jobs and citizens began to move out of town. Since the timber industry waned, the people of Cascade Locks have had a desire for a new, big business to move into the town. According to Zimmerman, 2014 the town was almost successful in building a Casino a few years ago. He quoted that $29 million dollars had been put into the project, but the bill was never signed. Due to this disappointment in the town, the citizens have grown to be untrusting. Today, the town is a little more hopeful with the Nestle Water Company moving in and a dried fruit factory titled “The Puff Factory” being commissioned. Considerations: New businesses coming into Cascade Locks is a great accomplishment for the town, but the lack of a large business is only the original problem; the town has faced more difficulties since then. First, the town has aged so much that there is not a large enough young population to upkeep a high school. Second, there is not a health clinic or an affordable grocery store in town, so citizens commute for their everyday necessities. Third, the town has lost its root to its unique heritage of the Native Americans. Lastly, there is no affordable housing in Cascade Locks. The value of housing with mortgages in 2011 was $375,961 and without mortgages was $304,280. This is high in comparison to the state of Oregon; housing with mortgages was $238,600 and without mortgages was $217,100. In addition, the price of homes increased tremendously from 2012-2013 and has continued to increase ever since. (“Cascade Locks, OR (zip code 97014) Real Estate - Home Value Estimator and Recent Home Sales”, 2014) Overall, the town needs to bring in a young population in order to survive. The key for doing this is through developing mixed-use, affordable housing that is attractive and carries a theme. Big businesses will create jobs, but that does not mean people are going to reside in town. Some focus should be shifted towards developing homes for a new population to move to Cascade Locks. Ten Recommendations for Cascade Locks: The purpose of these recommendations is to emphasize the need for desirable housing. 1. Affordable housing: Develop affordable housing by establishing a variety of housing types and emphasizing mixed use spaces. 2. Remember the Users: Keep the user’s needs in mind when developing housing types. Survey existing residence for opinions, examine what time of lots are vacant, and try to predict what type of people will be attracted to the new businesses coming to town.
3. Living Above the Store: Establish the idea of “Living Above the Store” in the downtown area. This will promote new, smaller businesses along WaNaPa Street. 4. Green Spaces: Integrate green spaces, such as community gardens, near residences. 5. Necessary Amenities: Bring in businesses that will tend to the citizens every day needs, such as a grocery store and health clinic. Local amenities will give citizens a reason to stay in town, rather than commute to other locations for their needs. 6. Give the Native Americans a New Home Too: The Native Americans need their “home” established too! Re-establish the community’s theme towards the heritage of the Native Americans. Set up a community core based on the Native American’s lifestyle. 7. Walkability and Bikeability: Set up transit systems, including bike lanes and safe walking paths, in the residential areas. This will reduce the number of residence that have to drive to work and promote a more active downtown. 8. Emphasize a Housing Style: Choose a housing style that fits in with what the town is founded on, but do it naturally. 9. Incrementalism: Incrementally update existing homes. Incrementally is key—a little money put in can go a long way! 10. Take Action on Existing Codes: Analyze the zoning codes (especially zone D) to make sure the city is utilizing what can be done in each zone. Description and Evidence on Recommendations: 1. Affordable Housing: According to Aurand (2010), neighborhoods with a higher density and a greater variety of housing types is likely to have more affordable housing than neighborhoods with a low density and exclusively single family homes. The article states “… 1 per cent increase in the variety of housing types was associated with a .90 per cent and .86 per cent increase in the number of affordable rental units in 1990 and 2000 respectively.” (Aurand, 2020, p. 1030) In addition, Vancouver, Canada has done this effectively. In their 100 year plan it is stated “… the City in 2017 is comprised of neighborhoods designed to minimize GHG emissions while offering a mix of housing choices varied by type, tenure, affordability and accessibility.” (Condon, Owen, Miller, White, Smith & Teed, 2009 p. 83) 2. Remember the Users: In 2011 there were an estimated number of 40 vacant for-rent houses and condos, and 15 vacant for-sale houses and condos in Cascade Locks. (“Cascade Locks, OR (zip code 97014) Real Estate - Home Value Estimator and Recent Home Sales”, 2014) Many factors can play into why a house is not bought or rented—price, location, number of bedrooms, and style are a few. Analyzing what type of houses and condos are vacant in comparison to the filled lots can determine what type of demand there is for housing. “Housing Generated by User-needs” (1972) explains how sociological data of users can translate into physical form. The researches analyzed categories such as noise control, visual control, safety, security, circulation and usability to determine the layout of houses, condos and apartment units. These principals should be applied when developing new residences in Cascade Locks.
3. Living Above the Store: The New York Times article “The Benefits of Living Above the Store” really details the pros and cons of living above a store. A pro is that “… mixed-use buildings can be found, usually less expensive by a third or more than fully residential buildings.” (Hamlin, 2004, p. 1) A con can be seen as “... the down payment is at least 25 percent of the purchase price… a substantial cash outlay.” (Hamlin, 2004, p. 2) Owning a mixed-use building gives the owner the option to make a profit from renting the first floor to a business, or to use the space them-selves and have a place to both live and work. 4. Green Spaces: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) states that community gardens provide the opportunity to “Decrease violence in some neighborhoods, and improve social well-being through strengthening social connections”. This will reduce the risk of degenerates overcrowding affordable housing. 5. Necessary Amenities: At the Design Charette in Cascade Locks on October 18, 2014, local citizens emphasized the lack of convenience there is when it comes to heath care. Citizens were concerned that they had to leave town to pick up pharmaceutical prescriptions, visit a doctor and buy every day groceries. The map below shows that the nearest doctor’s office to Cascade Locks is in Washington.
6. Give the Native Americans a New Home Too: Citizens at the Design Charette in Cascade Locks (Oct. 18, 2014), expressed a concern that the selling of fish and produce by the Native Americans gave the town a “run-down” image. A solution to this is to give the Native Americans a public space for them to hold a market. Selling the produce and fish in one area will most likely increase their sales as well as satisfy the citizens by keeping their sales in a single location. Of course the Native Americans cannot be forces to sell their items at a specific location, but it would be nice to designate an area for them and create a community core. A good location for this is on the open lot by Oneata Street. The map on the following page shows the suggested location.
7. Walkability and bike-ability: When the modes of transportation to work were survived in Cascade Locks, 79% of the population said they drove a car alone to work. 80 citizens said their travel time was less than 5 minutes and 64 citizens said their travel time was 5 to 9 minutes. (“Cascade Locks, OR (zip code 97014) Real Estate - Home Value Estimator and Recent Home Sales”, 2014) This indicates that biking to work is definitely an option that is not being utilized. Developing better bike lines in the city, starting at the location of residential areas should be a focus of the city planning. 8. Emphasize a Housing Style: The Cascade Locks Downtown Development Plan and Strategy (2004) states “… an architectural style consistent with the historical character of the Community. Acceptable styles include Classical Revival, Craftsman, Cascadian, and Arts and Crafts.” Baker (1992, p. 104) regards Neoclassical Revival as “grotesque, tasteless, and nouveau-riche”. He states “… pretense carried to absurdity when a makeshift portico is slapped on the façade of a raised ranch or pseudo-colonial.” Due to these presumptions, Classical Revival style should be reconsidered. The Craftsman style is defined by the use of timber and stone materials, which is very different from the Classical Revival style. In order to create a sense of place, a cohesive style should be established. The use of natural resources is a good start, but using fake materials to represent them diminishes the initial intent of representing the local materials. For example, the image below shows a log cabin, made of a plastic material. (Taken on WaNaPa St. in Cascade Locks).
9. Incrementalism: Denhardt (2014, p. 176) states that “Budget decisions are largely incremental… this approach is an accurate representation of the actual behavior of decision makers and is an appropriate way to maintain a balance among different interests represented…” Morgan (2014) explained an example of this. The only way a citizen of Cascade Locks could redevelop a property was to split the property into sections and ask for incremental loans. 10. Taking Action on Existing Codes: Article III - Downtown Zone (D) of the Cascade Locks Zoning plan has several objectives and project goals that have not been implemented. It states it will “… Encourage more mixed-use and efficient use of land in the downtown…”, “create pedestrian/bicycle linkages to all major points in the community”, and that “apartment units as part of mixed-use buildings, provided that they are built above or below the street level floor…” can be built on WaNaPa. Based upon the information discussed above, it is clear that these objectives are not being implemented. According to Morgan (2014) the main stagey of downtown developed should be based on implementation. Conclusion: The Cascade Locks community is struggling to survive due to the decreasing population. Pack (2013) defines the survival of small towns to be based on density. He outlines that an increase in population density is a result of mixed-use housing, bringing in community services such as health care clinics and post offices, and creation of public spaces. Cascade Locks needs to influence people to reside in their town; the best way to do this is through the development of housing that defines a welcoming community with a strong heritage.
References Article III - Downtown Zone (D). (2001, May). Cascade Locks Community Development Code. Retrieved November 14, 2014. Aurand, A. (2010). Density, Housing Types And Mixed Land Use: Smart Tools For Affordable Housing? Urban Studies, 1015-1036. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from Ebsco Baker, J. (1994). American House Styles: A concise guide (p. 104, 105, 114, 115, 157). New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company. Cascade Locks, OR (zip code 97014) Real Estate - Home Value Estimator and Recent Home Sales, (2013). City-data, Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.city-data.com/city/Cascade-Locks-Oregon.html Citizens of Cascade Locks (2014, October 18). . Cascade Locks Design Charatte. From , Cascade Locks, OR. Community Gardens. (2010, June 3). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/healthyfood/community.htm Condon, P., Owen, S., Miller, N., White, R., Smith, S., & Teed, J. (n.d.). 100 Year Sustainability Vision. 81-105. Denhardt, R., & Denhardt, J. (2014). Budgeting and Financial Management. In Public administration: An action orientation (7th ed., pp. 172-183). Boston, MA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Hamlin, S. (2004, September 18). The Benefits Of Living Above The Store. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/realestate/19COV.html?_r=0 Harvard Graduate School of Design, & Szabo, A. (1972). Housing Generated by User-needs. Cambridge. McLean, J., Schey, P., Jones, J., Kelley, S., Secrist, B., Voetterl, B., & Blakely, M. (2004, January 1). The Cascade Locks Downtown Development Plan and Strategy. 25-30. Morgan, J. (2014). Green Cities Guest Lecture [image projects and discussion] Lecture conducted from, Eugene. Pack, A. (2013). Increasing Density: A Small-Town Approach to New Urbanism. Publications. Retrieved November 19, 2014. Zimmerman, G. (2014). Green Cities Guest Lecture on Cascade Locks [verbal presentation], Lecture conducted from, Eugene.