It’s been more than four years since the Holiday Farm fire destroyed hundreds of homes along the McKenzie River. Last Friday, Homes for Good held a grand opening to celebrate a completely rebuilt housing community where a mobile home park once stood.

About 100 people showed up in heavy rain to check out the brightly painted modular houses on the former site of Lazy Days RV Park. Eleven-year-old fire survivor Parker Crabb cut the ribbon.

“My grandma lost her house. It was scary,” he said. “Grama’s definitely gonna get a house here!”

Parker’s grandmother is Yvette Oyervides. She lived in her home in Blue River for 22 years until it burned to the ground in 2020. “It was devastating,” she said.

Hugging her grandson, Oyervides said she’s happy to see Lazy Days rebuilt. “We are supposed to be getting a place here. They’re really nice,” she added.

The new Lazy Days Community was built by Homes for Good. Executive Director Jacob Fox said the houses have fire-resistant metal roofs and concrete siding. He added that the units are footprinted away from vegetation and the landscape design is intentional. Also, there are water tanks and generators on the property so that if there was another fire event, he said, the sprinklers could still be run.

Fox said the two-bedroom modular homes are designed for up to a family of four.

“We have 20 [units] here today that are ready to move into,” he said. ”And then we have 10 more smaller units that we’re about to order and we will have them available in April.”

Fox said first priority will go to applicants displaced by the fire. Immediate priority goes to people who lost their mobile home or RV when the Holiday Farm fire tore through Lazy Days. “Second priority,” he said, “will be people in the fire footprint, who were displaced.”

Homes for Good is Lane County’s housing agency. It works with Oregon Housing and Community Services and assigned case managers to help individuals and families who were displaced by the Holiday Farm Fire connect with housing opportunities.

Fox said from the outset, the new Lazy Days community will be a combination of renters and homeowners with “rent-to-own” opportunities for residents.

“And the ultimate goal is that this park would be owned and maintained and managed by the people who live here,” he said.

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Guest remarks

Lane County Commissioner Heather Buch represents District 5—East Lane County. At the event, she noted the numerous grand openings she’s attended over the last year as the Blue River community continues to rebuild itself.

“Lane County is committed to the long-term recovery of the McKenzie River community,” Buch said. “It is in my heart and I am profoundly honored to work on behalf of the people who live here and support their recover.”

Sophia Francia read aloud a joint letter from Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden. In part, the letter said: “The journey to this point has been long and challenging. In the face of adversity, the community has shown incredible resilience and determination.”

Francia, who works in Merkley’s office, read on. “Lazy Days is taking tangible steps toward the future where everyone has access to a safe affordable home. To the fire survivors here today, your strength and perseverance is an inspiration to us all.”

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Oregon Housing and Community Services Director Andrea Bell spoke of the humanity of the McKenzie River community. “Part of what I want to offer you all today is a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude for your compassion for one another. We are here in the rain and the cold because we are united by a common cause. That common cause is one of humanity, it’s one of compassion. When a challenge comes our way — we know that we have a group of people who will bring our best — for the sake of humanity.”

While many of the attendees of the Grand Opening were locals, several out-of-town folks arrived by bus. LTD provided free rides from Eugene to the site at 52511 McKenzie Highway, Blue River.

About the Lazy Days site

The Lazy Days Mobile Home and RV Park, with 21 mobile home spaces and 15 RV spaces, was completely destroyed during the Holiday Farm Fire on Sept. 7, 2020.

Homes for Good purchased a portion of Park on the north side of the McKenzie Highway in December 2021.

Lane County approved Homes for Good to provide 20 spaces for modular/manufactured homes and an additional 10 spaces for park model RVs as well as a community building, open space and a park. Site work started mid-June 2023.

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Modular Homes move-in ready

All the modular Homes were built by IdeaBox.

The 20 modular homes ready for occupancy have numerous ADA features including bath grab bars, wide exterior and interior doors and aisle ways sized for wheelchair access. One of the homes is an ADA Unit with fully accessible kitchen cabinets and appliances and fully accessible bath.

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Project Funding

According to Homes for Good, most of the funding for the rebuild and construction of 30 homes at Lazy Days has come from the State of Oregon and in a joint letter, U.S. Sens. Merkley and Wyden cited $1 million toward the project through the Community Initiative Project in the financial year of 2022. Additional funding came from Lane County/Business Oregon and Department of Environmental Quality for the community septic system and a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/02/lazy-days-community-holiday-farm-fire/