The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality alongside community partners, will celebrate the grand opening of Spruce Point, a 60 unit low-embodied carbon affordable housing complex in Manzanita on September 17, 2026. This landmark achievement was supported through DEQ’s Climate Equity & Resilience Through Action (CERTA) Low-embodied Carbon Housing Program, a statewide initiative designed to address both the housing crisis and the climate crisis. Low embodied carbon housing refers to homes that are designed and built to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the carbon emitted before a building is even occupied, also known as the “up front carbon” associated with manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials.
“DEQ is thrilled for Spruce Point to be the program’s first completed housing project,” said Rita Haberman, a built environment specialist with DEQ. “DEQ would like to acknowledge all of our partners that helped make this possible and the Home First team for its leadership in climate-friendly housing development.”
The Low-Embodied Carbon Housing Program’s investments are on track to contribute to the development of 940 new housing units across the state. Tillamook County is one of nine local governments partnering with DEQ to deliver the program.
“For years, workers along the north coast have faced significant commuting burdens due to a shortage of affordable housing,” explained Tillamook County Commissioner Mary Faith Bell. “The 2025 Tillamook County Housing Needs Assessment found that over 2300 daily workers commute more than 100 miles each day. That is approximately 25 percent of the county’s workforce. These long daily trips strain household budgets, reduce quality of life and well-being, and contribute to increased vehicle emissions. We are excited that Spruce Point will help residents live closer to work and spend more time in the community.”
"Working alongside DEQ, we rethought how we build — from concrete and rebar to insulation and flooring — and cut more than 50,000 kg of CO2 from Spruce Point,” explained Ben Pray, the CEO of Home First. “As a B Corp, that's the kind of result we work hard to deliver in communities across Oregon. Many of these low-carbon specifications are now our baseline, so the investment made in Manzanita will benefit new developments for years to come.”
DEQ’s CERTA program is funded through the $197 million awarded to Oregon DEQ to advance climate positive development across the transportation, buildings, and waste sectors. The DEQ housing program requires homes to be available at 120 percent average median income or less. It helps reduce the climate impacts of housing through space-efficient home design, adaptive reuse of existing buildings to residential, and the use of building materials with demonstrated lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Spruce Point is developed by Home First Development Partners, with major contributions from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality CERTA Grant, CARE Inc., Cornerstone Community Housing, Northwest Real Estate Capital Corporation, and the Tillamook County Affordable Housing Grant Program. Additional support came from Oregon Housing & Community Services, including a $21.4 million grant, and a $2.7 million state legislative investment to upgrade Manzanita’s water and wastewater infrastructure to serve new housing.
Media Contacts:
DEQ: Chris Varley, chris.varley@deq.oregon.gov, 503-933-0514
Tillamook Board of County Commissioners: Sarah Absher, Sarah.Absher@tillamookcounty.gov
Home First Development: Ben Pray, ben@hfdpartners.com, 503.330.8929
Event Details
Spruce Point Grand Opening
September 17, 2026 from 10am to 12 pm
Spruce Point, 522 Legacy Place, Manzanita, Oregon
Hosted by Home First and community partners
