Oregon Housing and Community Services says it is seeing promising progress from the first recipients of its Pre-Development and Capacity-Building grants designed to expand homeownership development across the state, including a project in Hood River.  Big River Community Land Trust has broken ground on its first house and purchased 2.7 acres of land in Hood River.  Big River CLT board president Doug Baker says they hope to build 40 to 50 affordable and sustainable cottages.  The organization used the funding to hire Alysha Sherburne as their executive director, who reached out to a wide array of community groups, businesses, local government, and individuals.  That culminated in a significant donation to support the trust’s operating expenses for the year.  The PDCB program was established in 2023 as part of the larger Homeownership Development Incubator Program, which uses General Funds to support partners and projects not typically eligible for other homeownership development funds.