Roseburg Council Approves $1 Million Grant Application for UCC Student Housing Downtown
Roseburg City Council approved applying for a $1 million state grant to support UCC’s proposed student housing at the former downtown post office. The funding has not yet been awarded.
Update, Sept. 29: Roseburg City Council approved Resolution No. 2026-21 Monday, authorizing the city to apply for up to $1 million from Business Oregon’s Regional Infrastructure Fund on behalf of Umpqua Community College. Staff said Business Oregon extended the application deadline through Tuesday, Sept. 29, and expects to notify applicants of funding decisions by the end of October.
The city is applying because UCC is not eligible to apply directly. Staff said the vote does not commit city funding to the proposed conversion of the former downtown post office. If the grant is awarded, the city and UCC would then formalize their responsibilities in an agreement. UCC would remain the property owner and project partner.
The Roseburg City Council will consider applying for a $1 million state grant to support Umpqua Community College’s proposed conversion of the former downtown post office into student housing.
UCC is pursuing the project at 704 SE Cass Avenue, with an emphasis on housing for students with families. The college is not eligible to apply directly to Business Oregon’s Regional Infrastructure Fund, according to the Council agenda packet, so it has asked the city to submit an application on the project’s behalf.
Resolution No. 2026-21 would authorize the application and allow Mayor Larry Rich to sign it. The city and UCC would enter into a memorandum of understanding setting out their responsibilities related to the application and project.
The agenda packet describes the proposal as a way to add student housing within an existing downtown building. It says the project is intended to help students complete their education, including those pursuing medical career pathways, while putting an underused property back to use.
Several details remain unresolved in the material before Council. The packet does not specify the number of housing units, a construction schedule, the full project cost, or whether grant funding will be awarded.
Approving the resolution Monday would allow the city to request $1 million. It would not independently appropriate city funds or authorize construction.
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