Cowlitz County commissioners pledge $1 million to support Goldfinch Grove affordable-housing project

Cowlitz County commissioners voted Dec. 17 to commit $1 million to Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington to help fill a funding gap for a proposed 74-unit affordable housing project in West Longview.

Jennifer Westerman, chief executive officer of Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington, told the board the project, The Landing at Goldfinch Grove, would include 31 one-bedroom, 29 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom units, a community center, gardens and solar panels. She said the agency is seeking $5 million from the state Department of Commerce and expects a tax-credit investor to bring about $18 million; the current financing gap is $1 million, which she asked the county to commit from recording fees or other local affordable-housing funds.

"We've asked Commerce for $5,000,000, and we have a meeting with them on January 6 where they're going to tell us the outcome of our funding application," Westerman said. She told commissioners any county contribution would not be invoiced until about September and that a local commitment would strengthen the agency’s competitiveness for state funding.

Kelly Rupp, a regional housing consultant, outlined larger county needs, citing Department of Commerce and Office of Financial Management projections indicating thousands of new units will be required at 0–80% of area median income over the next 20 years. Rupp also emphasized the county’s aging housing stock and the prevalence of cost-burdened renters.

Westerman described recent success with Sunrise Village, a 40-unit development the agency leased up in 2025 after receiving more than 1,200 applications. She said Sunrise Village included 20 units set aside for people exiting homelessness and that the county had provided $60,000 in supportive-services funding for that project, split as $20,000 annually over three years.

On financing, Westerman said the agency has $200,000 from the Firstenberg Foundation, had applied for CHIP funding for infrastructure, and planned to defer some developer fees as part of the local match. She summarized layered funding used on affordable projects: Housing Trust Fund dollars, low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) sold to investors, Federal Home Loan Bank funds, CDBG, and local mechanisms such as the one‑tenth‑of‑one‑percent sales tax for affordable housing and retained recording fees (referred to in discussion as "14‑0‑6" funds).

During a question-and-answer period, commissioners asked about administrative costs (the agency reported agency-wide administrative expenses at about 12 percent), voucher counts and limits, and whether document-recording and 14‑0‑6 funds were available. County staff said roughly $500,000 was available in 14‑0‑6 funds and about $1.4 million in recording-fee funds at that moment.

An unidentified commissioner moved to approve Housing Opportunities’ $1,000,000 request to support The Landing at Goldfinch Grove. After public questions about the authority’s assets and voucher operations, the board approved the motion by voice vote; commissioners responded "Aye," and Westerman thanked the board.

The commitment is intended to improve the housing authority’s chance of securing state financing. Westerman said construction work would begin only after financing is closed, with design finalization expected in January and potential construction start in September 2026 if funding is secured.

What the board approved was a county commitment to provide funds when needed to support project financing; the motion does not indicate immediate cash transfer or invoicing and staff said they would not expect invoices until roughly September should the project proceed.