Upper Valley MEND breaks ground on affordable housing project

Community members, supporters, and representatives from Upper Valley MEND gather for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new affordable duplex on West Commercial Street in Leavenworth on July 23. The project is part of MEND’s community land trust homeownership program and aims to provide two permanently affordable homes.

COURTESY OF UPPER VALLEY MEND

City staff, elected officials and Housing Advisory Committee members pose with Upper Valley MEND.

TAYLOR CALDWELL/WARD MEDIA

Upper Valley MEND Executive Director Kaylin Bettinger, State Rep. Mike Steele, and State Sen. Keith Goehner at the site of the future duplex.

TAYLOR CALDWELL/WARD MEDIA

Upper Valley MEND and supporters celebrate the construction of a new affordable housing project with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 23.

TAYLOR CALDWELL/WARD MEDIA

Bettinger thanked the numerous supporters that helped the nonprofit move forward with the project.

TAYLOR CALDWELL/WARD MEDIA

Posted Thursday, July 24, 2025 8:38 pm

By TAYLOR CALDWELL
Ward Media Staff Reporter

LEAVENWORTH — Upper Valley MEND broke ground on a new duplex that will provide two more affordable homeownership opportunities in Leavenworth. The nonprofit celebrated the milestone at the W.Commercial Street property on July 23.

The duplex will be part of Upper Valley MEND’s homeownership program, which uses a community land trust model to ensure long-term affordability. When homeowners sell, the homes will remain affordable for all future owners.

“For those folks who buy these units, it's a lot more than just two units. It’s the stability of home ownership. It's the pride of home ownership. It's the reduced stress that comes with housing costs that you can actually afford," said Upper Valley MEND Executive Director Kaylin Bettinger during the ceremony.

Upper Valley MEND established its affordable homeownership program in 2001, which has 20 homes in two neighborhoods. Last year, the nonprofit expanded its affordable housing program with the acquisition of 31 rental units from the Marson family. Through the Solid Foundations Campaign, the nonprofit raised over $6.8 million for the purchase in just over a year, receiving support from the community, Chelan County, the City of Leavenworth, and Washington state.

“We knew the community was hungry to support affordable housing. This is a caring community. We all know the affordable housing issue here, but we really didn't know how well [the campaign] would go. And I think it's an understatement to say that it went really well,” said Bettinger.

Shortly after the acquisition, the Marson family surprised the nonprofit with the donation of the W. Commercial Street property.

“Our family business was supported by the Upper Valley and the entire county. So, affordable housing was natural for us, because we housed a lot of our employees at times over the years in our units. The area was really good to us, and we certainly need workforce housing,” Ken Marson told Ward Media.

The duplex will feature two 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom homes in the low $300,000s. Simplicity by Hayden Homes expects to start construction this summer and finish by 2026. The company has worked with other community land trusts and specializes in building value-driven, high-quality homes in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

The application for these homes will be open through October 2025. Prospective home buyers interested in the program must qualify based on income and residency requirements. Upper Valley MEND encourages anyone interested in homeownership opportunities to visit https://www.uvmend.org/homeownership.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media