If you care about affordable housing in Bend, it’s time to celebrate. Bend just won a state competition, allowing 360 units of affordable housing to be built on land just outside its urban growth boundary.

But if you care about affordable housing across the state, there’s no reason to celebrate. Bend may have won, but every other community in Oregon lost. There’s no reason other cities with similar need and qualifying plans shouldn’t be able to do it, too. The Legislature should expand the affordable housing program that Bend won to the rest of the state.

Oregon needs more affordable housing. Bend needs it. Redmond needs it. It’s hard to find a city in Oregon that doesn’t need it. But in the state competition, only one community could win. The competition became a choice between Bend and Redmond. Bend won. It’s the first time the state has ever allowed this idea of expanding outside the UGB for affordable housing.

If another city can prove they qualify, why shouldn’t they be able to win, too? Redmond had a perfectly good application for a project. It exceeded the minimum requirements in almost every category.

To qualify for this pilot program, cities had to demonstrate that they developed policies to promote affordable housing within the existing UGB and explain why this type of development could not occur within the current UGB. There are many additional requirements. One is “at least 30 percent of the dwelling units built in the pilot project must be ‘affordable,’ defined as a rent or sales price representing no more than 30 percent of the household income of a household earning 80 percent of the area’s median income.”

The win means Bend will be able to build affordable housing on 35 acres, between U.S. Highway 20 and Bear Creek Road. Bend’s proposal included 394 units, 185 of which will be for households making less than 60 percent of area median income. That is approximately $38,000 annually for a family of four. There will be another 175 units for households making less than 120 percent AMI, and the 34 remaining units will not be income restricted. Redmond proposed a total of 485 units, with 50 percent for affordable housing — possibly some units at less than 30 percent AMI — and some between 30 percent and 60 percent of AMI.

Bend’s application had an advantage in access to transit because Redmond has no fixed-route bus service. Redmond’s project would also be built on land designated “exclusive farm use,” though the soil quality doesn’t make the land good for farming.

Both projects were wins for affordable housing. There’s no reason Redmond should need to lose. The Legislature should allow the Redmond project to go ahead and allow other communities that qualify to win, too.