• The City of Vancouver received $3.49 million in Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce during the 2023 grant cycle to support the development of affordable housing through system development charges (SDC) and water and sewer infrastructure development.
• Specialized Housing Inc. has requested the City of Vancouver administer a $949,473 CHIP grant, originally awarded to Clark County, which will support the Felida Park Senior Housing Project and the PACE facility.
• The Felida Park Senior Housing Project will provide 65 units of affordable housing for seniors earning at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI), with 33 units set aside for households earning at or below 30% AMI.
• This project is located outside Vancouver city limits but in Clark County. However, Clark County Community Development stated that they do not have the internal resources or capacity to manage the grant award. The City of Vancouver does have this capacity.
• The City of Vancouver will receive a management fee of $28,484.19 (3% of the total award amount) to cover the costs associated with managing this grant.

In 2023, the Washington State Department of Commerce opened its application for the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP). CHIP supports the development of affordable housing through providing funding for system development charges (SDC) and water and sewer infrastructure development. In January 2024, the City of Vancouver received $3.49 million in CHIP funding for four housing projects.

In early 2024, Specialized Housing Inc. approached the City of Vancouver to request administration of the infrastructure portion of their CHIP grant totaling $949,473, originally awarded to Clark County. Clark County has indicated their inability to manage the grant due to a lack of capacity. Specialized Housing, Inc. received a total CHIP grant award of $1,430,283, of which $949,473 will support infrastructure development and the remaining $480,810 will pay for system development charges (SDC). Clark County Public Works will remain responsible for the SDC portion of this grant.

This CHIP award will support the development of affordable senior housing and a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) facility, the only one of its kind in Clark County. The project will provide 65 units of affordable housing for seniors earning at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI), with 33 units set aside for households earning at or below 30% AMI. This project is also supported by the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) funding.

The Washington State Department of Commerce has provided an award letter reallocating the grant to the City of Vancouver. The grant award can only be used for the Felida Park Senior Housing Project, which is located in Clark County but outside city limits. The City of Vancouver will receive a management fee of $28,484.19 (3% of the total award amount) paid by the developer to cover the costs associated with managing this grant. The funds will be provided to the developer as a low-interest loan. The City of Vancouver would be responsible for the administration of this loan. The Washington State Department of Commerce is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of this project.

Contribute 65 units of affordable housing for seniors, which eases the housing burden within city limits.