The Planning Commission for the City of The Dalles had a full house for a hearing last night on an appeal against the staff granting a site plan review for the Basalt Commons project. That’s the proposed five story building with commercial businesses on the ground floor and 118 apartments on the upper four floors. The empty former Griffith Motors building across Third Street from Sawyer’s Ace Hardware would be demolished and the new structure raised in its place.
A sizable crowd attended the meeting, which ran nearly three hours. Nine people testified in favor of the appeal and nine testified in favor of the project. The biggest concern from opponents of the project was parking for the residents of the new building. The biggest concern from proponents of the project was the desperate need for local housing.
One thing to note. As part of a tax incentive, 20 percent of the apartments will be reserved for people making 80 percent or less of the median income in Wasco County. That median income for 2023 was just over $61,000, so if this complex had been open last year, 23 of the apartments would have been reserved for people who made $49,000 or less.
Ultimately, the planning commission voted 5 to 1 to deny the appeal and let the project continue.