The Battle Ground City Council signed off Monday on an ordinance that clears the way for Eaton Park, a 95-unit apartment project planned just south of Alder Pointe Apartments on Eaton Boulevard. The vote approved a contract with developer Eaton BG LLC that grants a 12-year Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) in exchange for reserving 19 units for affordable housing.
The ordinance is the final procedural step in a project that has struggled for traction for more than two years. With the contract in place, the developer can now move forward under a tax program designed to boost housing production in specific parts of the city.
Under the agreement, Eaton Park will allocate 20 percent of its units to households earning no more than 80 percent of the area’s median income. City staff estimate the project’s assessed value at roughly $23 million, which translates to an annual property tax exemption of about $21,850 over the 12-year period.
Monday’s vote marks the end of a long and uneven path for the project. Eaton Park first appeared before the council in 2023 under an 8-year exemption allowed by the city’s existing MFTE code. That attempt stalled after concerns about lost revenue for police, fire and other services. At the time, the developer sought a similar exemption for another proposed apartment development, Remy Heights, directly north of the Eaton Park parcel. That previously proposed project is not included in last week’s contract. A 2024 version returned with support from the Vancouver Housing Authority and offered deeper affordability, which was also rejected for similar reasons. The Vancouver Housing Authority is not involved in the current project.
The project’s greatest hurdle was cleared once the owner secured an agreement with Fire District 3 to annually pay its share of tax dollars, per the district’s levy and property value. The council restarted the process this year by designating the Eaton Park parcel as a Residential Target Area, then revising the city’s MFTE code to include a 12-year option. Those votes were close and at times contentious, with Davis, Overholser, and Ferrer opposing the direction.
Councilmember Victoria Ferrer supported the contract despite her earlier opposition to extending the MFTE program to 12 years.
“I’ll just say that obviously I was against the whole 12-year thing,” she said. “But since [the] council’s already voted on it, I will be moving to approve it.”
The measure passed 5-2. Councilors Tricia Davis and Eric Overholser voted against the ordinance.
