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Medford may buy Redwood Inn to restart stalled housing effort By Damian Mann Updated: Dec 14, 2022 03:59 PM A A Medford City Council is considering buying Redwood Inn from Rogue Retreat. [Mail Tribune/file photo] A stalled emergency housing project could get a shot in the arm Thursday if Medford City Council approves the purchase of Redwood Inn. Rogue Retreat began transforming the motel in 2021 into emergency housing for Almeda Fire victims and homeless people. As of March 2022, renovation efforts were suspended for lack of funding and other issues. The council will consider buying Redwood Inn from Rogue Retreat for $300,000, then seek funding to complete the remodel. Rogue Retreat would use proceeds from the purchase to pay debts to vendors associated with the remodel project. The city eventually would transfer management of the emergency shelter to a local organization. Rogue Retreat and the city looked at other ways to restart the project, but Rogue Retreat has undergone an organizational upheaval this year and continues to face financial headwinds. The Redwood Inn Motel conversion at 722 N. Riverside Ave. received a $2.5 million grant from the state as part of Project Turnkey, a program to help provide housing to fire survivors and the homeless. The state provided an additional $139,000 to help add kitchens to the units. Medford Urban Renewal Agency, which helped secure the Project Turnkey grant, also provided $450,000 to help renovate the motel and add small kitchens in the 47 rooms. Providence had agreed to contribute $120,000 to convert four of the rooms at the hotel for people with medical conditions. Project Turnkey is a state grant program designed to aid survivors of the 2020 fires, including the Almeda Fire, which wiped out 2,500 residences, mostly in Talent and Phoenix. This is the second hotel in the valley obtained through Project Turnkey grants. A 50-room Super 8 motel in Ashland was purchased by Options for Helping Residents of Ashland after receiving a $4.2 million grant. The Super 8, which can house up to 72 people, opened in 2021. In taking over Redwood Inn, Medford would assume responsibility for securing the funding needed to complete the renovation, now projected to cost up to $1,400,000. Oregon Housing and Community Services has allocated $450,000 for Redwood Inn that can be used for either renovation or operations. “This property will complement the Urban Campground and Navigation Center, which the city already owns to expand a portfolio of publicly owned resources providing a path from homelessness to housing,” said Deputy City Manager Kelly Madding. Apart from the $450,000, the city is trying to determine the best way to secure the remaining dollars needed for the remodel and to nail down what needs to be done to finish the building. The remodeling timeline hasn’t been developed yet. If the city buys Redwood Inn, it would be the owner of three homeless shelter operations, the other two being the Urban Campground and Navigation Center, both of which are operated by Rogue Retreat. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].