By granting Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) the ability to operate freely within unincorporated Clark County, the Clark County Council aims to remove bureaucratic hurdles and streamline the housing development process for affordable units.
The council unanimously signaled support to eliminate case-by-case approval for Vancouver Housing Authority projects during its Wednesday, Feb. 26, meeting. The council approved a draft, from which a formal resolution will be brought back for official approval at a later date.
Currently, VHA can only operate within Vancouver city limits and a 5-mile radius outside of its boundaries. The decision, once formally adopted, would remove the requirement for VHA to seek county approval on a case-by-case basis for affordable housing projects in unincorporated areas.
The decision aims to streamline the process of acquiring land and developing housing by ending bureaucratic hurdles.
“It removes (barriers) at a time when we are struggling with building enough housing for our community members,” Councilmember Wil Fuentes said. “It allows them to move quicker … The markets need to build housing outside of their current boundaries.”
Jordan Boege, senior policy analyst for Clark County, noted that while VHA representatives have not faced council opposition on past projects, removing the additional approval requirement would allow them to act more swiftly on property acquisitions.
“It helps them move the speed of the market,” Boege said. “If there’s an opportunity for the Vancouver Housing Authority to purchase real estate to acquire or develop a building for affordable housing, it is tough if they then also need to go through a political process where it takes time to get in front of council to have a hearing to answer questions. That can endanger projects when there is some time sensitivity.”
The resolution, once finalized, is also expected to set an example for other jurisdictions, encouraging smaller cities in Clark County to adopt similar measures.
“(VHA) hopes the County Council can show some leadership as VHA is also working to get similar resolutions passed by the small cities outside of Vancouver in the county to allow them to operate within as well,” Boege said.
Battle Ground’s history with VHA
VHA’s recent history in Battle Ground demonstrates the challenges of operating under city-by-city approvals.
In April 2024, the Battle Ground City Council rejected a proposal for Eaton Park Apartments, which would have created 95 affordable housing units. The rejection was largely due to concerns that, as a public agency, VHA would not contribute property taxes to Fire District 3. However, VHA later affirmed its commitment to paying the fire district’s levy. The vote was deadlocked 3-3 with one councilmember absent at the time.
By August 2024, the Battle Ground City Council had approved a development agreement for the Weaver Creek housing project, allowing VHA to proceed with plans for 100 housing units. The approval followed concerns over parking, as VHA proposed 1.2 parking stalls per unit, lower than the city code requirement of 1.5 stalls per unit.
Under the state’s Growth Management Act, Battle Ground must plan for housing for an estimated 3,000 future residents with incomes below the area median.
