Baker County seeks contractor ideas for Hughes Lane property use

Baker County commissioners are now asking the people who actually build projects to weigh in on what can realistically happen on the county’s Hughes Lane property in north Baker City. The 62-acre parcel has been discussed for housing, retail shops and even a sports facility, but county leaders are trying to move from broad ideas to something a contractor could actually put on the ground.

The county bought the land in December 2022 for $1.45 million from the Ward family, after first approving a five-year, no-interest lease-purchase agreement and then deciding to pay it off with federal COVID-19 aid. A county business plan completed in February 2023 described the site as a 70-acre property and explored a multipurpose event complex there. Consultants contacted for that plan were generally positive about a community-focused sports and event facility with gym space for basketball and volleyball, along with room for conventions, concerts and similar gatherings.

More recently, county officials have said the site is in the Powder River floodplain, which makes development harder but does not rule it out. The property also borders Hughes Lane and the Baker Sports Complex, placing it in one of the county’s most visible growth corridors in north Baker City. Commissioners have said the parcel could support a mix of uses, and Shane Alderson has said workforce housing may be a better option than a large event project. Under that concept, the housing would be for working families, owner-occupied, and protected by deed restrictions that would bar short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

The housing discussion comes as Baker County continues to wrestle with limited construction and tight local housing supply. The county had 16,668 residents in the 2020 census, a median owner-occupied home value of $285,600 and median gross rent of $865 in recent Census Bureau figures, and it recorded just 28 building permits in 2024. Those numbers underscore why commissioners are looking at Hughes Lane not just as a land-use question, but as a chance to expand the future tax base, add housing or recreation space, and create work for local builders.

The county held a town hall on March 25, 2026, at the Baker County Fairgrounds Event Center to gather public input on the site. That conversation followed voter approval of Measure 1-134 on November 4, 2025, when Baker County residents passed the measure 4,274 to 790, or 84.4% to 15.6%, giving them veto power over certain large event-center projects. For now, commissioners are still sorting through the options, and the builders they are consulting may help determine which ideas remain viable before any decision hardens.