Affordable Housing Plans Approved

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 02, 2020

More plans for affordable housing in Washington County gain approval

Seven projects in Washington County now have concept endorsement approval from the Washington County Board of Commissioners and Metro to get funding from the Metro Affordable Housing Bond.

“Throughout the region – and right here in Washington County – too many community members have been struggling for too long to gain access to stable, affordable housing,” said Washington County Board of Commissioners Chair Kathryn Harrington. “The need continues to outpace the demand for such housing right now, but it is gratifying to have seven more projects beginning to take shape in our county.”

"This step is a significant milestone for Washington County and the region as we move closer to filling the affordable housing gap for working class families and low-income people," says Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez, District 4. “These affordable units will meet so many needs - serving farm workers, families, our aging community, veterans and our BIPOC community that need stable housing - especially given the strain of the COVID-19 economy. I am proud that our region can work closely together and rise up to create more affordable housing.”

These seven projects most-recently approved for Washington County are geographically widespread, including Forest Grove, Cornelius, Aloha, Beaverton, Tualatin, and Tigard and, upon completion, will bring the county another 624 units of affordable, regulated housing. These latest projects range in size from a 36-unit project in Forest Grove to a 144-unit project in Tigard. Six of the seven projects are for homes for individuals and families, while one will focus entirely on building 58 units to serve seniors from 62 years of age and older. These seven Washington County projects will break ground and begin construction over the next six to eighteen months. The county’s overall unit production goal with the Metro Affordable Housing bond is to produce 814 units. There’s already an 81-unit project under construction in Tigard. That leaves an additional 109 units to be produced in the future with the Metro bond funds in order to reach the county’s goal.

The $652.8 million bond voters approved in November of 2018 will enable the creation of permanently affordable housing across the entire Portland-Metropolitan region. The goals of Metro’s Affordable Housing Bond include creating 3,900 permanently affordable homes region-wide, with half of them being two, three, or four-bedroom apartments large enough to accommodate families, and reserve 1,600 of the homes being built for those at the lowest income level, defined as $26,000 per year for a family of four. 

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