Baker County Commissioners to Hear R3 Housing Proposal for County-Owned Land

Commission chairman Shane Alderson said commissioners will hear a presentation from R3, a regional, state‑funded consortium that seeks to boost housing, about a potential residential development on the property. That presentation will happen during a work session at 1 p.m. on March 4, following commissioners’ regular meeting that morning, Alderson told the Baker City Herald.

Baker County posted a work‑session agenda on Feb. 27, 2026 for the Board of Commissioners’ meeting scheduled March 4 at 1:00 p.m. in the county courthouse at 1995 Third St., Baker City. The county website lists the Commissioners Meeting Room at 1995 3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814 for board and EDC meetings, and provides ADA assistance instructions: call 541-523-8200 (TTY: 541-523-9538) with requests at least 48 hours in advance.

The parcel under discussion is the farmland the county bought from Ward Ranches after a December 2022 commission vote to purchase the property for $1.45 million. “None of the current commissioners — Alderson, Christina Witham and Michelle Kaseberg — was in office when the commission decided in December 2022 to buy the property, farmland owned by Ward Ranches, for $1.45 million,” the Herald reported, underscoring the change in elected leadership since the purchase.

County planning on the site dates to 2023, when the county produced a business plan that concluded the complex “could operate successfully in Baker City and see thousands of annual users and visitors, including regular use by local residents and businesses. An Event Center that is supported and used by the County, the schools, city, chamber of commerce and local nonprofit organizations, Blue Mountain Community College, as well as by the community, will not only be self‑sustaining, but also it will make a positive impact on the health and quality of life in Baker County.” In the fall of 2023, commissioners voted to hire Steele Associates Architects of Bend to write a master site plan for the property. The contract was for $48,000.

Economic development leaders have already signaled alternatives to a large multipurpose event center. At the Baker County Economic Development Council meeting Feb. 10, EDC Chair Jerry Peacock and Vice Chair Doug Gaslin oversaw agenda items that included appointing new leadership and an RFP for an EDC director. Peacock told the Herald that although a multipurpose event center seems not to be feasible, “a much smaller structure, with multiple courts for basketball, volleyball, wrestling, pickleball and other sports, could be a more viable, and affordable, option.” Peacock pointed to the Mettle Center in Nampa, Idaho — “built in 2019 for $3 million and has four courts and covers 33,000 square feet” — and said a similar building now would likely cost at least twice as much but would be considerably less than previous large-center proposals.

Alderson said a public meeting on the housing proposal will be scheduled later in March. Residents seeking to follow the March 4 session can attend at the county courthouse, 1995 Third St., Baker City, and request ADA assistance through the county at 541-523-8200 (TTY: 541-523-9538). The work session will be the first public airing of R3’s concept for the county‑owned Ward Ranches since the master‑planning work and the 2023 business plan.