The weekly · No. 1 · Week of October 22, 2026 · Thursday, October 22, 2026 · Est. read time 10 minutes
Free by email every Sunday morning. Sign up or forward this edition to a neighbor.
Joseph asked 106 neighbors about housing. Most own, nearly half pay nothing a month, and 16 of the 20 renters could not find a place.
At the end of 2024 the City of Joseph asked its residents about housing, and 106 people in and near town answered. 80% own their home. 45% reported no monthly house payment at all. Of the 20 renters who answered, 16 had met a barrier to renting in Joseph, and 13 of those named money. Seven of 100 households had someone sleep in a car, a tent or someone else’s home in the past year. The survey is small and says so. The Record carries every question of it this week.
One thing a town can do about it comes up Wednesday evening in Enterprise, where the council takes public comment on allowing backyard homes outright in two residential zones. Joseph does not allow backyard homes at all, and its own consultants told it to. If you have a view, Enterprise wants it in writing by Tuesday, or in person or on Zoom at 6:30.
Also this week: the hospital opens the doors on its new MRI unit Wednesday at 5. Ballots are in the mail, and Joseph’s carries one city question, whether to bar licensed psilocybin businesses inside town. Saturday has eleven things on the Chamber calendar alone, from a 4-H auction at 8 to the Headless Horseman at 7.
- 106people in and near Joseph who answered the city’s housing survey
- 45%of them reported no monthly house payment at all
- 16 of 20renters who answered had met a barrier to renting in Joseph
- 11listings on the Chamber calendar for Saturday, of 25 from Thursday to Thursday
The five things
- Number 1.
What 106 Joseph neighbors told the city about housing
For Everyone · Renters
The city asked, 106 people in and near Joseph answered, and the report prints every question.
“When I first moved here 2016, I could not find an affordable home or apartment for long term. It took me two years and two big moves before I finally found the right place.”
- 80% own their home; 20% rent.
- 45% reported no monthly house payment at all. The report says many may have paid off a mortgage.
- 16 of the 20 renters had met a barrier to renting here; 13 of them named money.
- 86% say their housing meets their needs. Of the 27 who want to move and cannot, 70% name cost.
- 7 of 100 households had someone sleep in a car, a tent or someone else’s home in the past year.
Why it matters. It is small, 106 answers and not a census, as the report says itself. What it shows is owners who are fine and renters who are stuck, which is what people told the Record all October.
Every question, with its count and page, is on the Record.
Read all 28 questionsThe housing guide
Source: Joseph Housing Analysis, April 2025, Appendix D, the community survey report, REV Center and EOU for the City of Joseph, checked Oct 20
- Number 2.
See the hospital’s new MRI unit Wednesday evening, before the first patients in November
For Health · Everyone
An open house for the hospital’s new modular MRI unit.
- When
- Wednesday, October 21, 5 to 7 PM
- Where
- Wallowa Memorial Hospital, 601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise
- What
- Tour the unit, see the machine, meet the staff who will run it
- First patients
- Early November, the listing says
Worth asking Wednesday: what it will scan, what it will not, and what a scan costs.
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
- Number 3.
Joseph’s voters decide whether psilocybin businesses can open in town
For Voters
A yes vote bars licensed psilocybin manufacturers and service centers inside city limits. A no vote leaves the state’s licensing in force inside the city, subject to the city’s ordinary land-use rules. Ballots are in the mail countywide; this is the only city question on any of them.
“Shall Joseph prohibit psilocybin-related businesses in the City of Joseph?”
- Ballots due
- 8 PM, Tuesday, November 3
- Drop boxes, 24 hours
- Wallowa City Hall, 104 N. Pine · Joseph City Hall, 201 N. Main · the courthouse, 101 S. River, Enterprise
- Inside the courthouse
- Weekdays, 8:30 to 5
Why it matters. State law allows licensed psilocybin manufacturers and service centers, and lets a city or county put a ban to its voters. County voters did that for the unincorporated county in November 2022, 2,743 to 1,684. None of the four cities put the question to its voters then. Joseph is doing so now.
The clerk asks that ballots be in a box by 8 PM on election day rather than trusted to late mail.
Read the ballot titleDrop box locations
Source: City of Joseph, notice of ballot title, August 14, 2026; Wallowa County Clerk, official ballot drop sites; East Oregonian, November 15, 2022, checked Oct 19 and 20
Visitor7, April 9, 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image & source ↗ Number 4.Enterprise decides whether backyard homes need a hearing or just a permit
For Voters · Homeowners
Ordinance 610 would bring accessory dwelling units into the municipal code and allow them outright in the R-2 and R-3 residential zones.
- When
- Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 PM
- Where
- Enterprise City Hall, 102 E. North St, or Zoom
- Zoom
- Meeting ID 846 8244 0423 · passcode 170057; the button carries both
- Written comments
- By Tuesday, October 27, to Alanna Smith, planning director, asmith@enterpriseoregon.gov
Why it matters. The housing guide’s three problems are lots that will not sell, old houses no bank will lend on, and new houses that cost about $375 a square foot. A backyard home goes on a lot someone already owns, which sidesteps the first. One wrinkle: the city’s 2023 housing-strategies handout says the code already allows an accessory dwelling of up to 800 square feet, while the notice calls Ordinance 610 the adoption of ADUs into the code. The ordinance text is not posted.
Write to the city by TuesdayJoin on Zoom WednesdayAdd to calendar
Source: City of Enterprise, public hearing notice, October 13, 2026; City of Enterprise, Housing Strategies handout, February 14, 2023, checked Oct 19
- Number 5.
Eleven things on Saturday’s calendar, from a 4-H auction at 8 to the Headless Horseman at 7
For Families · Arts
Eleven listings on the Chamber calendar. The day runs like this:
- 8:00 AM · 4-H Radio Auction, Cloverleaf Hall, Enterprise
- 10:00 AM · Fill Your Pantry, Southfork Grange, Lostine, to 2
- 10:00 AM · Open house and Kitten Palooza, Humane Society Re-Tail Boutique, 119 E. Main, Enterprise, to 4
- 1:00 PM · Trunk or Treat, in front of Wallowa City Hall, to 3
- 2:00 PM · Fall Festival and Truck or Treat, North End Grange, Flora, to 5
- 4:00 PM · Inland Northwest Orchestra, Enterprise Christian Church, free
- 4:00 PM · Slack-O-Lantern carving, Slack on Main Street, Joseph, to 7
- 4:00 PM · Bingo for Unity Homes, Elks Lodge, Enterprise; games at 5:30
- 7:00 PM · The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Fishtrap, 107 W. Main, Enterprise, $10
- Evening · Dana Wirth at the Range Rider; costume party at the Stubborn Mule, Joseph
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
The next seven days
- Wed21
7:30 AM Morning Brew, Chamber · 9 AM County board, a vehicle-use policy · 10 AM Mini Mountaineers · 5 PM MRI open house · 5 PM Pubtalk, M. Crow · 5 PM Clay Club, Josephy
- Thu22
Quarter 1 ends, Joseph Charter · 8 AM Wheel intro begins, Josephy · 10 AM Storytime, Enterprise · 2 PM Parenting Now! · 5 PM Joseph Library Task Force · 6:30 PM Book club, Wallowa
- Fri23
Football, Joseph at Sherman · MS cross-country, Pendleton · 10 AM Storytime, Wallowa · 10:15 AM Storytime, Joseph · 12:30 PM Bingo, Community Connection · 5:30 PM Handbuilding class, Josephy
- Sat24
All eleven, hour by hour, under The five things
- Sun25
5 PM Community dinner, Wallowa Senior Center · Sleepy Hollow, second listing, Fishtrap
- Mon26
5:30 PM Handbuilding course begins, Josephy · 6 PM Joseph Planning Commission · 6 PM BE 2 WEEKS READY, Wallowa
- Tue27
Written comments on Enterprise’s ADU ordinance due · 2 PM Donation clinic, Joseph · 3 PM ORLA roundup · 7 PM County Planning Commission, courthouse and Zoom
- Wed28
10 AM Mini Mountaineers · Rotary · Restorative yoga · 6 PM Booster club evening, Joseph School · 6:30 PM Enterprise council hearing on Ordinance 610
- Thu29
8 AM Hospital bake sale · 10 AM Storytime, Enterprise · 2 PM Parenting Now! · 6 PM Business course begins, Wallowa City Hall · Wallowa School Fall Festival
Where each matter stands
Every public matter the Record is following and what happens next. A stage moves only when a document says so.
City of Enterprise
Ordinance 610: accessory dwelling units allowed outright in R-2 and R-3
- Open
- Hearing
- Vote
- Decided
- Done
Next: Hearing Wed, Oct 28, 6:30 PM; written comments by Tue, Oct 27. Source ↗
City of Joseph
SUB 2026-37 and CUP 2026-33/34: 20.4 acres into lots of 6,322 to 15,718 square feet, and two caretaker homes on industrial lots
- Open
- Hearing
- Vote
- Decided
- Done
Next: Planning Commission Mon, Oct 26, 6 PM; any recommendation goes to the council. Source ↗
Wallowa County
AMD 26-01 and 26-02: the airport protection zone rewritten, and the county’s first farm-store rules
- Open
- Hearing
- Vote
- Decided
- Done
Next: First of two Planning Commission meetings Tue, Oct 27, 7 PM; the Board of Commissioners decides later. Source ↗
City of Joseph
Ordinance 2026-04: public contracting
- Open
- Hearing
- Vote
- Decided
- Done
Next: Second consideration at council, Thu, Nov 5, 6 PM. Source ↗
Joseph voters
City measure: prohibit psilocybin businesses inside Joseph
- Open
- Hearing
- Vote
- Decided
- Done
Next: Ballots due 8 PM Tue, Nov 3. Source ↗
Also open, no date set: Enterprise’s police chief search (minutes November 9) and the county’s Citizens Advisory Committee on the Land Development Ordinance (four seats, meetings November to May), and the county’s lodging tax, which the commissioners agreed on October 14 to reassess and possibly put to voters.
Families and schools
Joseph Charter: the first quarter ends Thursday, conferences next Thursday and Friday, and FFA is at nationals
For Families · Kids
From the school’s calendar, which posts no times for the first three:
- Thursday, October 22 · First quarter ends
- Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30 · Parent and teacher conferences
- Through Sunday, October 25 · The FFA chapter at the National FFA Convention
- Tuesday, November 10, 6:00 PM · Night at the Library
Source: Joseph Charter School calendar, the iCal export linked from its events page, checked Oct 20
Both school boards meet Monday, November 9 at 5:30
For Voters · Families
Both districts’ boards meet the same evening; neither agenda was posted as of Tuesday.
- When
- Monday, November 9, 5:30 PM
- Enterprise
- School Board, with an executive session on the agenda
- Joseph Charter
- Board meeting
Source: Enterprise School District, upcoming events on its homepage; Joseph Charter School calendar, the iCal export linked from its events page, checked Oct 20
Joseph Charter asks the community whether it wants a booster club
For Families · Sports
An informational evening on a potential booster club, open to anyone in the community, posted on the school’s live feed Tuesday.
- When
- Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 7 PM
- Where
- Joseph School cafeteria
Source: Joseph Charter School, live feed, posted October 20, 2026, checked Oct 20
Four free storytimes and a parenting class
For Families · Kids
Free, every week:
- Wednesday, 10:00 AM · Mini Mountaineers, place announced weekly
- Thursday, 10:00 AM · Storytime, Enterprise library, downstairs
- Thursday, 2:00 PM · Parenting Now!, Building Healthy Families, 207 NE Park St, Enterprise; call 541-426-9411 to reserve
- Friday, 10:00 AM · Storytime, Wallowa library
- Friday, 10:15 AM · Storytime, Joseph library
Source: Building Healthy Families, events calendar, checked Oct 19
Wallowa School’s Fall Festival is next Thursday; details to come
For Families · Kids
The listing says save the date. The school’s number is 541-886-2061.
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
Health, safety and services
No weather alerts for the county as of Monday night, per the National Weather Service.
Two weeks on your own: a readiness workshop in Wallowa
For Everyone
The BE 2 WEEKS READY workshop walks through keeping a household self-sufficient for two weeks after a disaster. After this summer that is not an abstract exercise.
- When
- Monday, October 26, 6 to 8 PM
- Where
- Wallowa Senior Center
- Sign up
- By email through the listing
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
A pay-what-you-can clinic in Joseph on Tuesday afternoon
For Health
A pay-what-you-can clinic.
“Come as you are, no long commitment, so care stays accessible.”
- When
- Tuesday, October 27, 2 to 4 PM
- Where
- Wallowa Avenue Wellness, Joseph
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
The hospital auxiliary’s Halloween bake sale fills the lobby next Thursday
For Families
The hospital auxiliary’s annual Halloween bake sale. Go early.
- When
- Thursday, October 29, 8 AM to 3 PM
- Where
- Wallowa Memorial Hospital lobby, Enterprise
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
Arts and neighbors
The Josephy Center’s fall clay term: five ways in, from a Wednesday club to an eight-week wheel course
For Arts
At the Josephy Center, 403 N. Main St, Joseph:
- Wednesdays, 5:00 to 8:30 PM · Wednesday Clay Club with Julia Allen, October 21 and 28
- Thursday, October 22, 8:00 to 10:00 AM · six-week morning wheel introduction with Brett Binford begins
- Friday, October 23, 5:30 PM · two-day handbuilding class, a soup bowl and a plate, with Julia Allen
- Monday, October 26, 5:30 PM · six-week handbuilding course with Julia Allen begins
- Tuesdays, 6:00 to 9:00 PM · eight-week evening wheel introduction, under way since October 20
Fees and sign-up are on the center’s calendar.
Source: Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, events calendar, checked Oct 20
Seven years of the Humane Society’s Re-Tail Boutique, with kittens, Saturday
For Families · Kids
An open house and Kitten Palooza for the shop’s seventh year: refreshments, door prizes, sidewalk chalk for kids, and the volunteers who run it.
- When
- Saturday, October 24, 10 AM to 4 PM
- Where
- Re-Tail Boutique, 119 E. Main St, Enterprise
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
Bingo for Unity Homes at the Elks Saturday evening
For Everyone
A fundraiser for Unity Homes: drinks, bingo and prizes. The listing gives no price.
- When
- Saturday, October 24; doors 4 PM, games 5:30
- Where
- Elks Lodge, Enterprise
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
Sunday dinner in Wallowa, free, everyone welcome
For Everyone · Seniors
The Wallowa and Lostine Sunday Community Dinner. The Record counted these dinners on the long account: the Monday series in Joseph served more than 385 meals one night in March. This is the north valley’s version.
- When
- Sunday, October 25, 5 to 6 PM
- Where
- Wallowa Senior Center
- Cost
- Free, everyone welcome
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
A thriller book club in Wallowa, bingo in Enterprise
For Arts · Seniors
Two tables this week:
- Thursday, October 22, 6:30 PM · Loosely Bound book club, Wallowa Public Library; bring a thriller or mystery, snacks provided
- Friday, October 23, 12:30 PM · Bingo, Community Connection, 702 NW 1st, Enterprise; $10 to buy in, lunch at 11:30
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
Sports and the outdoors
Joseph plays at Sherman Friday; the middle-school cross-country championship is in Pendleton the same day
For Sports · Families
From Joseph Charter’s calendar, which posts no times:
- Friday, October 23 · Football at Sherman
- Friday, October 23 · Middle-school district cross-country championship, Pendleton
- Friday, October 30 · Football at Dufur
- Saturday, November 7 · State cross-country meet
Source: Joseph Charter School calendar, the iCal export linked from its events page, checked Oct 20
Working Wallowa
Thirty-year federal loans are open to any county business the summer hurt, until July
For Business
Wallowa County is in a Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration for the summer’s storms and wildfires.
- Who · small businesses, farms and most private nonprofits hurt by the storms and wildfires of July 15 to August 24, 2026; economic loss alone qualifies, no physical damage needed
- How much · up to $2 million
- Terms · up to 30 years, at 4% for businesses and 3.625% for nonprofits
- Deadline · July 1, 2027
- Apply · lending.sba.gov, or 1-800-659-2955
Why it matters. One Main Street business owner told the Record the smoke roughly halved summer trade. This is the one program that treats that as a loss worth lending against.
Apply at lending.sba.gov → · County notice →
Source: Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, news release, October 5, 2026, checked Oct 19
The county is hiring a 911 dispatcher, a deputy clerk and a juvenile tracker
For Jobs
Three county jobs are open. The listings do not show pay.
- Juvenile Tracker, Youth Services · closes October 30
- 911 Emergency Communications Dispatcher, Sheriff’s Office · closes December 23
- Deputy Clerk, County Clerk’s office · closes December 30
Source: Wallowa County, job openings, checked Oct 19
Restaurant and lodging owners get a free regional roundup Tuesday
For Business
The Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association’s small-group session, mainly for operators.
- When
- Tuesday, October 27, 3 to 5:30 PM; hosted social hour from 4:30
- Where
- Venue on the RSVP page
- Covers
- Legislative updates, cost control and competitiveness
- Cost
- Free; RSVP required
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 19
Irrigators and ranchers get an evening on pump efficiency and solar over cattle, at M. Crow
For Business · Ranchers
A pubtalk for irrigators and producers.
- When
- Wednesday, October 21, 5 to 7 PM
- Where
- M. Crow, Lostine
- Speakers
- Brad Moore of RPW Energy on irrigation and pump efficiency, with the savings and incentives available; The Nature Conservancy on a pilot it calls cattle voltaics
- Cost
- Free; light refreshments, drinks for sale
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
Coffee at the Chamber Wednesday morning, and a first look at its new executive director
For Business
The Chamber’s Morning Brew: coffee and conversation, billed this time as a chance to meet its new executive director.
- When
- Wednesday, October 21, 7:30 to 9 AM
- Where
- Wallowa County Chamber, 101 W. Main St, Enterprise
- Who
- Business owners, employees, anyone
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
A free six-week business-planning course starts in Wallowa next Thursday
For Business
The Northeast Oregon Economic Development District’s Foundations course, for anyone starting or running a small business.
- When
- Thursdays, 6 to 9 PM, from October 29, for six weeks
- Where
- Wallowa City Hall
- Cost
- Free
- Register
- The listing asked by October 15; ask the district whether seats remain
Source: Chamber of Commerce calendar, checked Oct 20
Decisions and public money
An agenda item is a proposal until the minutes say what happened.
Joseph’s planning commission hears a 20-acre subdivision and two caretaker homes
For Voters · Homeowners
Pines Holdings and ODD One ask to subdivide 20.4 acres zoned General Residential into lots of 6,322 to 15,718 square feet. Two industrial-lot owners ask for conditional-use permits for caretaker homes. These are applications, not decisions.
- When
- Monday, October 26, 6:00 PM
- Where
- Joseph Community Events Center, 102 E. First St, or Zoom
- Zoom
- Webinar ID 850 9628 2311 · passcode 673291; the button carries both
- On the agenda
- Item 7, the public hearing on CUP 2026-33 and 2026-34 and SUB 2026-37; item 14, public comment
Why it matters. Joseph’s 2024 inventory found 129 buildable acres inside the growth boundary. This application would use 20 of them, and the lot sizes are the point: smaller lots are how the city’s own analysis says more houses get built.
Join the Zoom webinar → · Read the agenda → · Add to calendar →
Source: City of Joseph, Planning Commission agenda, October 26, 2026, checked Oct 19
The county planning commission takes up a bed and breakfast near Joseph, the airport zone and the first farm-store rules Tuesday
For Voters · Ranchers
Three matters on the agenda, two of them the first of two required public meetings before the Board of Commissioners decides:
- CUP 26-05 · Stuart and Carol Vencill ask to run a bed and breakfast as a home occupation on 6.3 acres on Riverview Lane near Joseph, zoned Rural Residential; the property was a bed and breakfast before
- AMD 26-01 · Stangel Industries asks the county to rewrite Article 29, the Airport Protection Zone, to match current state and federal aviation rules; first of two meetings
- AMD 26-02 · the commission has had the planning department draft the county’s rules for farm stores, the new land use the legislature created this year in House Bill 4153, which takes effect January 1, 2027; the agenda prints the bill number as 4513; first of two meetings
- Also · the September 29 minutes, other business and public comment
- When
- Tuesday, October 27, 7 to 8 PM
- Where
- Wallowa County Courthouse, 101 S. River St, Enterprise, or Zoom
- Zoom
- Meeting ID 865 6422 8173 · passcode 937822; the button carries both
- Next meeting
- Tuesday, November 24
Why it matters. The farm-store rules are the one to watch if you sell from the ranch. The 2026 law lets a county approve a store on farmland that sells the host farm’s own products, with agritourism alongside, and the county is writing its version before anyone can apply on January 1.
Join on Zoom Tuesday → · Read the agenda → · Add to calendar →
Source: Wallowa County Planning Commission, agenda for October 27, 2026, posted on the county meetings page; Oregon Legislature, House Bill 4153 (2026), Oregon Laws 2026 chapter 123, checked Oct 20
Enterprise’s council met Monday on its police chief search and the audit; the county board took up a vehicle-use policy Wednesday
For Voters
Two boards, one past and one with its amended agenda posted the morning of the meeting.
- Enterprise City Council, Monday, October 19 · police chief recruitment, CETRA grant awards, Hanford & Associates for the fiscal-2026 audit, a COAR grant application, a Landmarks Commissioner’s resignation, a livestock permit; minutes come to the November 9 meeting
- Board of Commissioners, Wednesday, October 21, 9 AM, Thornton Room, courthouse · one agenda item, a Wallowa County Vehicle Use Policy
- Also on the board’s consent agenda · claims, three sets of minutes, two easements on Russell Lane in Joseph and Golf Course Road in Enterprise, and a $5,000 insurance grant for a landfill imaging camera; public comment, three minutes each
Source: City of Enterprise, council agenda, October 19, 2026; Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, amended agenda for October 21, 2026, checked Oct 21
Joseph’s public-contracting ordinance returns to the council on November 5
For Voters
Ordinance 2026-04 was before the council on October 1.
- When
- Thursday, November 5, 6 PM, second consideration
- Also
- The Library Task Force meets this Thursday at 5 PM
Source: City of Joseph, notice of September 22, 2026, and TownCloud agendas, checked Oct 19
From the Record
One page that changed this week.
Joseph has the land and not the rules: 129 acres, and no backyard homes
The housing guide now carries Joseph’s 2025 analysis and 2024 land inventory, supplied by the city this week: 129 buildable acres inside the growth boundary, no accessory dwelling units allowed, a 1,000-square-foot minimum house, a 25-foot height limit, and the ladder that puts a median-income family of four at a $222,000 to $262,000 house while the county’s median sale was $448,000.
Source: The Wallowa Record, housing guide, updated October 19, 2026, checked Oct 19
Where you live, this week
One line each. A quiet line is a quiet week on the public pages, not a quiet town.
- Enterprise
- MRI open house Wed 5; coffee at the Chamber Wed 7:30; ADU hearing Wed 28, 6:30; orchestra Sat 4; kittens and bingo Sat; bake sale Thu 29.
- Joseph
- Planning commission Mon 6 on 20 acres; psilocybin measure on the ballot; Josephy clay term; quarter ends Thu, conferences Thu–Fri 29–30; football at Sherman Fri; booster club Wed 28; a B&B permit at the county Tue.
- Wallowa
- Trunk or Treat Sat 1; community dinner Sun 5; book club Thu 6:30; readiness workshop Mon 6; business course from Thu 29; Fall Festival Thu 29.
- Lostine
- Pubtalk at M. Crow Wed 5; Fill Your Pantry Sat 10 to 2.
- Flora
- Fall Festival and Truck or Treat Sat 2 to 5, North End Grange.
- Imnaha
- Nothing posted this week.
- Troy
- Nothing posted this week.
Have an event, a notice or a deadline? Send it to the Record by Friday evening and it runs here the next Sunday.
Ask the Record
Each week we take one question from a reader and answer it from the documents, with the sources shown. This week’s is one we heard again and again in October.
Why does a new house cost about $375 a square foot here?
Joseph’s 2025 housing analysis puts builders’ quotes at $250 to $450 a square foot and says building costs are much the same across the state. What moves the price here is what sits under the house: a serviced lot in a Joseph subdivision at about $100,000, rules on minimum size and height, and few lots for sale. The Record’s housing guide lays the pieces out with their sources.
Read the guideReply with a question
We answer one question every Thursday, with sources, and we show you the words before your name goes near it.
Reading this on the web? Get the weekly by email on Sunday mornings. It is free.
Corrections
- Thursday, November 5, 2026
- This edition previewed Enterprise’s hearing on Ordinance 610 for Wednesday, October 28, the date in the city’s first notice. The Record has no record that a hearing was held that night. The city’s notice dated October 22, 2026 sets the first hearing for Wednesday, November 18, and the second for Monday, December 14, both at 6:30 PM at City Hall. The edition also called accessory dwelling units “backyard homes”; the Record now uses the law’s term.
Where this came from
Checked October 19 to 21: the county’s meetings, news, jobs and calendar pages; Enterprise’s and Joseph’s meeting pages and agendas; all 80 listings on the Chamber calendar; the Josephy Center’s calendar; Building Healthy Families’ calendar; the Weather Service alerts feed; Joseph Charter’s calendar, news page and live feed; the Enterprise district’s calendar. The Wallowa district’s calendar is a PDF read by hand; the hospital’s site has no news page.
Edited by Edan Krolewicz. Every item names the document or page it came from and the day it was checked. An agenda item is a proposal until the minutes say otherwise. Wrong or missing? Write edan@portlandciviclab.org.