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Metro brief: TV Highway transit/safety project seeks $50M state match; $5M housing accelerator opens this summer
Summary
Metro representatives updated Forest Grove on the TV Highway transit and safety project that needs a roughly $50 million state contribution to unlock federal funds and begin construction in 2028; Metro also launched a $5 million Housing Accelerator grant program for local predevelopment and permitting support and formed a regional oversight committee for supportive housing services.
Juan Carlos Gonzales, Metro Council President, and Metro Councilor Miles Palacios provided a regional update focused on three items: the TV Highway transit and safety project, the Metro Housing Accelerator Fund, and the new Regional Policy Oversight Committee for supportive housing services.
On TV Highway, President Gonzales described the corridor as one of the region's highest‑ridership and highest‑pedestrian‑crash lines and said regional partners have raised about $100 million to date. He said a $50 million state contribution is needed to unlock a roughly $150 million federal capital investment: “When you add the amount of money that has been raised by the region, it's about a $100,000,000. We would unlock a $150,000,000 from the federal government. What we need is $50,000,000, and if the state's road, they, at a minimum, should be putting $50,000,000 in.” Metro expects construction to start in spring 2028 and service to begin by 2030 if funding and approvals proceed.
On housing programs, Metro introduced a one‑time $5,000,000 Housing Accelerator grant program to help jurisdictions with predevelopment activities, feasibility studies, permitting acceleration, and other technical assistance to advance housing production. Gonzales encouraged the city to apply when the application launches this summer.
Finally, Gonzales and Palacios described the Regional Policy Oversight Committee created to unify oversight of the supportive housing services measure, improving coordination among cities, counties, service providers, and the governor’s office ahead of a potential ballot referral to renew the program.
Why it matters: TV Highway project funding and timing directly affect regional transit access for Forest Grove residents; the Metro Housing Accelerator offers near‑term technical assistance funds that could support local housing production and code work.
Next steps: Staff encouraged the city to track the funding conversations at the state level and prepare to apply for the Metro accelerator funds when applications open.
