SISTERS – Single mother Wendy Bachmeier has tried several times to find housing here in the last couple of years, but the rent was always too expensive, said the 34-year-old, who has three young children.

That was until she discovered Tamarack Village, the city’s first affordable housing complex, expected to be complete by mid-September. The 33-unit development on 2.1 acres on Larch Avenue has two- and three-bedroom units, all with mountain views. Rent will be adjusted for residents who earn roughly 30 to 60 percent of the area’s median income, according to the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority (CORHA), which spearheaded the project.

For example, a household of four with an income of $21,680, which is 40 percent of the area’s median income, would pay $489 a month for a three-bedroom unit. The rent includes water, sewer and garbage removal, and each unit has its own washer and dryer.

”It’s like a dream come true for me,” said Bachmeier, who lived in Bend before moving back with her parents in Silver Lake about two years ago. ”It’s like a miracle. There’s no way I could have done this otherwise.”

Bachmeier said she is glad to be near the Sisters Community Church, where she is a member. She just landed a part-time job as a housekeeper for Tollgate Vacation Rentals here. She used to drive four hours roundtrip from Silver Lake to attend church services here, she said.

The housing also helps area businesses draw from a larger pool of local workers, said David Salsbery, property manager for Bowen Property Management Co. of Tigard, the managing company of the $4.6 million property.

A grand opening is set for August 20 for the complex of eight bungalow-style buildings evocative of the Craftsman architectural style.

Cyndy Cook, executive director of CORHA, said the agency first began developing a plan for the project in 1999, after a developer bought The Pines, a group of homes in a former logging camp.

”(The Pines) were the inventory of affordable housing here. People were displaced and the community didn’t like losing those people,” she said.

The organization sought funding sources for the project and joined in a partnership with Columbia Housing, a Portland-based syndication firm that raised more than half the funds for the project, Cook said.

The firm is a collection of investors who receive tax credits for funding affordable housing.

”This provides the opportunity for the very best from the public sector to marry the entrepreneurial and private sector and be flexible in designing communities,” she said. ”Each community has its unique needs, so you must understand the market and design the social services and rent structure around that.”

Judy Trego, community advocate for Community Action Team of Sisters, said the only other affordable housing in the city is homes built by Habitat for Humanity.

”(Tamarack Village) is somewhere people can live and work in Sisters without having to make a choice between putting food on the table and paying rent,” she said. ”We want to make sure people who work here can also live here.”

On the lowest end of the spectrum, a single resident earning $11,400 a year, which is 30 percent of the area’s median income, can rent a two-bedroom unit for $304 per month.

On the other end, a family of six with an annual income of $37,740, which is 60 percent of the area’s median income, can rent one of six three-bedroom units for $640 per month.

The complex is located across from a planned city park four blocks north of Highway 20 and has a 1,270-square-foot community center that includes a conference room, computer station with Internet access and kitchenette.

The community center will support a referral network for social services such as homeownership training; parenting skills; education; organized children’s activities and job training. Sessions will be open to all Sisters residents, according to CORHA.

Information about applications and income qualifications is available by calling 541-549-0143.

Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or ccarroll@bendbulletin.com.