Cowlitz County commissioners on Dec. 17 voted to commit $1,000,000 to Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington (HASWA) to help finance a proposed 74‑unit affordable housing development called The Landing at Goldfinch Grove.

Jennifer Westerman, chief executive officer of HASWA, and consultant Kelly Rupp told the board the project — sited across from Roy Morse Park along the canal in West Longview — would add 31 one‑bedroom, 29 two‑bedroom and 14 three‑bedroom units and include a community center, gardens and accessible design elements. Westerman said Sunrise Village, HASWA’s most recent development, filled its waiting list quickly: “We opened the waiting list in April 2025, we received over 1,200 applications, and by October we were 100% leased,” she said.

Rupp, who presented regional housing need data compiled from the Washington Department of Commerce and U.S. Census American Community Survey, told commissioners the county faces demand for roughly 7,500 new housing units affordable to households earning 0–80% of area median income over the planning horizon and that Cowlitz’s rental market shows a high share of cost‑burdened households.

To build Goldfinch Grove, HASWA said it expects about $18 million from a tax‑credit investor and has applied to the Department of Commerce for $5 million; the organization reported receiving $200,000 from the Firstenberg Foundation but still faces a stated $1,000,000 financing gap. Westerman asked the county to show local commitment by providing $1,000,000 from recording‑fee or affordable‑housing funds to strengthen HASWA’s state funding application.

Commissioners asked detailed budget and operations questions, including HASWA’s voucher portfolio, administrative cost rate and replacement‑reserve plans. Westerman said HASWA holds an allocation of roughly 1,600 HUD vouchers but is effectively budgeting for about 1,500 because of funding limits: “Our allocation is 1,600, but we have 1,500 at least because we’ve run out of money,” she said.

A commissioner moved to approve the county’s $1,000,000 commitment to HASWA for The Landing at Goldfinch Grove. The motion carried on an affirmative voice vote recorded as “Aye, Aye.” Presenters thanked the board and said the funds would not be invoiced until construction begins; HASWA said final design would be completed in January and construction could start as early as September 2026 if state and investor financing are secured.

By the meeting’s end, the board had signaled support for the project with a formal commitment intended to strengthen HASWA’s funding application to the state and tax‑credit investors.