The already sold-out Whispering Winds subdivision marks the community’s transition into a haven for clean, affordable housing

WHITE CITY – This once-blighted area of Jackson County is shedding its old reputation for a new image — a clean, affordable place to live out the American dream.

Case in point: Real estate developer Tommy Malot recently sold 43 lots within a new White City subdivision in just one week.

Malot sold the nearly four dozen land/home packages for the soon-to-be-developed Whispering Winds, between Avenue A and Highway 140. He attributed the quick sales to the dearth of affordable housing in the Rogue Valley.

"The fact that those homes sold that quickly, that’s just phenomenal," Malot said. "If we’re in an area that can absorb that amount on a yearly basis, that would be over 2,236 per year."

Malot added that typically, sales of such home packages average between four and seven per week.

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Malot said property values are increasing in White City, where a three-bedroom, one-bath home that went for $87,000 four years ago recently sold for $127,000.

Whispering Winds, Malot’s fourth subdivision in four years, will be made up of varied three-bedroom, two-bath floor plans that sold for $142,000 to $159,000, a price range that’s becoming increasingly scarce in areas such as Ashland, Central Point and Medford, said Malot and other local experts.

"There are just not many new, high-quality houses available out there at this point, especially in this price range," Malot said.

"I think White City is becoming a place where people can still have the opportunity to live the American dream of owning and purchasing a home."

Medford appraiser Mark Baird was not surprised at how quickly homes sold in the new subdivision.

"The issue is that interest rates are still so low that people can easily qualify for loans and therefore the prices of properties and availability of properties are getting higher," he said. "Homes are typically selling for more than they’re being listed.

"We’re displacing people because, for example, when Ashland gets overpriced, people look for submarkets such as Phoenix and Talent. People are getting priced out of the market in the bigger cities and certain areas inherently have a little bit lower values, so people tend to pick off those markets."

Jayne Randleman, project manager for Jackson County Economic and Special Development, said that the increased appeal of White City has as much to do with urban renewal improvements as affordable housing.

Changing the image of the unincorporated area, said Randleman, was initiated in July 1991 when county commissioners mandated that the "blight within the area be taken care of."

Major improvements to date include a new library, construction of the Fire District 3 training facility and the Rogue Family Center, a one-stop office for various social services.

In addition, increased law enforcement protection has reduced crime, and roads and water services are steadily improving.

"It’s become a place where there is affordable housing. That’s a big draw," said Randleman.

"And I think with all the improvements that urban renewal is putting in, it’s become more of an inviting place to live."

Appraiser Jerry Sawtelle of Appraisal Office of Southern Oregon in Medford said White City had definitely shed its stigma as a place with potholes and poor housing. Evidence of such projects, Sawtelle said, included a strip of attractive sidewalks near Main Street and housing by developers like Malot.

"White City is becoming an exceptional place," Sawtelle said. "It’s kind of a diamond in the rough, to tell the truth. There are a lot of improvements taking place.

"One of the worst things about White City was the roads were so rude, almost. It was like some podunk little place. But that’s not so much the case anymore.

"You can buy an acre in White City for a reasonable amount and put a nice home on it. The forecast is that White City will soon lose the stigma it once had as the poor city of Jackson County. It’s doing that already."

Malot hopes to begin construction on homes this month, depending on weather, and complete all 43 parcels by year’s end.

Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford.E-mail her at buffypollock@juno.com.