The Vancouver Housing Authority desires jurisdictions in Clark County to comply with blanket approval of its housing initiatives outdoors of Vancouver, however some officers are hesitant.
“I can see both sides of it,” Battle Floor Metropolis Councilor Victoria Ferrer stated in an interview Tuesday.
Within the metropolis of Vancouver — which fashioned VHA in 1942 to handle public housing initiatives throughout a fast inflow of wartime employees — the inexpensive housing builder doesn’t want metropolis council approval for a housing mission. The identical is true inside a 5-mile span across the metropolis.
But when VHA desires to create a mission outdoors of that boundary, it wants permission from the federal government council with jurisdiction, in line with Washington legislation. Which means a public continuing that would span over a number of conferences.
“Not only does that slow down the process considerably, it at times could lead to us losing the property … to other people,” VHA CEO Andy Silver stated.
Public discussions about value can undermine VHA’s negotiating energy, Silver stated, and delays may enable another person to scoop up a property on the open market.
As a substitute, VHA is asking jurisdictions in Clark County to move a decision permitting it to go ahead with buying properties, like every other actual property developer, with out council approval.
The decision may very well be useful to cities as they plan for development, Silver stated. For the primary time, Washington has required cities to plan their development with affordability as a central focus.
“We’re offering our services to help them meet their goals knowing that there’s a pretty limited affordable housing development community here,” Silver stated. “There (are) just not a lot of nonprofits or other entities that are going to be able to help Battle Ground, Washougal, Camas, Ridgefield meet their targets.”
When county employees offered such a decision to the Clark County Council two weeks in the past, councilors appeared in help, though they’ve but to vote on it. If the council passes the decision, Silver hopes Washougal and Battle Floor observe swimsuit.
“I think this is great,” Clark County Councilor Wil Fuentes stated. “I think what this does is removes a barrier at a time when we are struggling with building enough housing for our community members.”
Battling for floor
Though unsaid, the decision would take away one other barrier: the flexibility of cities and the county to disclaim VHA initiatives.
Jurisdictions outdoors of Vancouver can reject VHA initiatives for any motive — together with aesthetics and public notion — regardless of many cities having stories detailing a necessity for extra inexpensive housing.
“At what part … is an overbalance of affordable housing going to cause a risk to the beauty and attractiveness of this area,” Battle Floor Councilor Eric Overholser stated in an interview Wednesday.
He’s one of many councilors who voted in opposition to permitting VHA to work with a non-public developer final April to create an house mission that may nearly double the quantity of inexpensive housing being deliberate within the metropolis.
Through the council assembly the place councilors stored the partnership from transferring ahead, Battle Floor Deputy Mayor Shane Bowman stated individuals have a notion that house residents steal. (He stated he doesn’t agree.)
Some councilors additionally expressed concern that the mission, known as Eaton Park, wouldn’t generate property taxes for town as a result of housing authorities are typically exempt. That might hold providers from being adequately funded, they stated.
“I don’t know if we need to be in that big of a rush to jump on board and open the flood gates and say, ‘OK, build wherever you need.’ And the next thing you know our taxes are suffering,” Overholser stated in an interview.
Battle Floor has been reluctant at hand out monetary incentives for inexpensive housing prior to now. Town council earlier rejected a multifamily tax exemption for Eaton Park. In 2023, it declined to waive system improvement fees for an inexpensive senior housing complicated known as McNair Plaza, in line with builders.
Battle Floor hasn’t spent any of its personal cash, a minimum of prior to now 5 years, in line with town’s data division, to fund inexpensive housing, regardless of a 2021 metropolis report displaying a transparent want for extra.
The report discovered nearly two-thirds of people that work in Battle Floor earn lower than $40,000 yearly. For housing to be thought of inexpensive for them, hire must about $1,000 a month — 50 % decrease than town’s common hire, in line with the itemizing service RentCafe.
Ferrer and Overholser each acknowledge the necessity for inexpensive housing however stated Battle Floor must plan for development whereas preserving its pure magnificence.
“I understand the urgent need for affordable housing, but I also, again, want to maintain the integrity of our community values,” Ferrer stated. “We don’t want to look the same as Portland. We don’t want the high buildings and the density that comes with it.”
