“Most of the challenges city officials face come from our significant population growth,” said City Manager Geoff Wullschlager. To quantify, La Pine’s population has increased from roughly 2,512 residents in the 2020 census to more than 3,200 residents, according to 2026 official city and state estimates. This 28.6% jump makes La Pine one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. And its population is expected to surge by 87% over the next 25 years.
What those figures don’t take into account, Wullschlager pointed out that while operating with a tax base of 3,200 residents, a staff of 13, and a volunteer city council, “we’re also answering to an additional 12,000 -15,000 people outside the city limits and across two counties. We need to be as quick and efficient as we can in trying to increase capacity on multiple fronts to meet demand.”
$34 Million Water & Wastewater Overhaul Complete
One successful example is La Pine’s recent completion of a nearly decade-long water and wastewater overhaul, capping more than $34 million in infrastructure upgrades that include storage and treatment facilities, added security measures, upgraded water distribution and sewer collection lines, and increased water and septage treatment capacity to accommodate anticipated future growth.
Perceived Housing Shortage
“In terms of affordable housing, while there is a perceived shortage in La Pine, Wullschlager noted that the days of finding single-family rental units for $1,200 a month are gone. “Over the past 12 months, 59 reduced-rate multifamily units have come online, with 40 to follow soon, and 30-40 in another apartment building under construction.”
In fact, he added, “developers of Huntington Apartments, a 4.7-acre, multifamily affordable housing project — had a hard time filling their 60 units.”
Other affordable and income-restricted options in La Pine include Wickiup Station Apartments (39 units), and Hawks View Estates (42 units). In addition, the La Pine/Sunriver Habitat for Humanity plans to complete four to six homes each year through 2032, starting with its Park View development, “to create a steady pipeline of permanently affordable housing opportunities for local families.”
“Housing prices in La Pine remain among Central Oregon’s most affordable,” Wullschlager said, “with overall median sold prices in May 2026 hovering around $367k — compared to $795k in Bend, $497k in Redmond, $748k in Sunriver, and $725 in Sisters.
Transition From Rural to Semi-Urban Community
As Wullschlager clarified, expanding local housing supply “is not in the DNA of what a small city like La Pine does. We’re here to keep the water flowing, the streets paved, and to ensure equitable and fair land use and public processes.”
“La Pine is transitioning from a rural to a semi-urban community,” he added, “yet we still have only three stoplights, a DMV that is open one day a week, and no municipal police department” (although the city has invested in an enhanced Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department deployment in the incorporated city limits).
“Even our Fire District is nearing its breaking point due to the town’s rapid growth, with people sometimes waiting 40 minutes for ambulance service. We know what the community can bear, and what it cannot.”
Housing, he said, “is just one leg on the stool, and has to be considered as a complete picture — it’s not a simple matter of putting more people in the same fishbowl.”
Commercial Land Availability & Market Forces
Another common misconception is that no commercial space exists in La Pine.
As Wullschlager noted: “A significant number of existing buildings were constructed 30+ years ago on commercial lots, which today could accommodate two or three buildings within local development standards — despite only one unit often occupying the lot. Additionally, dozens of acres of commercially zoned land have grandfathered residential property on them, further reducing supply.”
He did clarify that there are other opportunities for economic development within the city, most notably in the industrial park where roughly 150 acres remain available for low-cost purchase through a shared City/County lands program for light- and large-scale industrial installations.
Wullschlager emphasized that the current state of commercial land utilization “Is not a government issue, and can’t be laid at the city’s doorstep, but one that market forces will determine. Meanwhile, all that available commercial land is being enjoyed by those who own it.”
“La Pine is emerging as a regional hub of activity,” he said. “In time, it will be built out.”
