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CPAH moves forward with affordable housing for Cedar Mill
By Virginia Bruce

Concept rendering of the CPAH Cedar Mill project, looking west from Cornell

Last July we wrote about the plans for an affordable housing development at the long-vacant corner of Murray and Cornell. Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) is currently applying for the necessary combination of funding from a variety of sources to come up with the approximately $11 million needed to complete the project.

They just submitted a $1.2 million grant application for Washington County’s HOME program, which allocates federal resources to agencies developing affordable housing projects. They also applied to Oregon Housing and Community Services for 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs), a federal program that provides tax credits to investors who loan money for construction of affordable housing.

They are working on several more applications for funding from Metro and other sources, and expect to make a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners in February 2017. They say that they expect the project to take two-three years from this pre-development and financing stage until it is fully constructed.

CPAH’s history

Early in the 1990s, Father Loren Kerkof of St. Anthony Church in Tigard heard many stories of need from parishioners who came to the church’s food pantry. Hard-working families with service jobs at minimum wage in the area were not able to afford to live nearby. Single mothers escaping abuse or addiction could not find housing they could afford. Father Loren made a call from the pulpit expressing the need for affordable housing for vulnerable populations in Tigard, and in 1993 a group of grassroots leaders took up the challenge and formed Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH).

Deputy Director Shannon Wilson and Executive Director Rachael Duke of CPAH are proud of the way The Watershed at Hillsdale is working in that community.

The City of Tigard asked the group to take over a troubled apartment building, and it became their first project. Now called Greenburg Oaks, in 2006, the complex underwent a more than $2.5 million renovation project .

Over time, CPAH has built partnerships in the community, with schools, police, libraries, churches, and a variety of social service partners, that help to stabilize and enrich the lives of the working poor, seniors and disabled individuals. CPAH currently owns eight affordable housing complexes and four single-family homes–372 total units in their portfolio. CPAH has successfully built new construction projects, as well as acquired and rehabilitated older, existing properties.

Two more projects are now in the pipeline, a site in the Tigard Triangle at SW 68th Parkway, and the Cedar Mill site. Their recently completed Barcelona at Beaverton building provides 47 unites of affordable housing alongside RKM Development’s La Scala project next door, which includes mixed-use, market-rate housing and commercial/retail space.

Kids from a CPAH development enjoy summer activities

Beyond housing

Their mission is “to promote a healthy community through the development of permanent affordable housing, sustainable economic growth, and community-based partnerships. We are building housing, building hope, and building lives.” They work with community partners to provide after-school activities and connect their residents with services to help them thrive. This summer, the CPAH Summer Youth Camps offered resident children a range of activities, including field trips and programs to keep them active and prevent summer learning loss. They also help residents navigate the complex world of obtaining health care and other services.

High-quality construction and sustainable, attractive exteriors at The Barcelona exemplify CPAH's work

Cedar Mill “gateway”

When Washington County issued its request for expressions of interest (RFEI) last year, one of the strong criteria was to provide a community gathering space that would support “a more active, pedestrian-friendly town center.” The ground floor of the four-story residential building will include a community room that will be available for local groups.

A public plaza will connect the residential building with a retail segment that will be developed by RkM Development, Roy Kim’s company. Kim is the developer of Bethany Town Centre and is already partnering with CPAH on the Beaverton project. Current plans are for a complex of small restaurants similar to what’s been so successful in Bethany.

The residential building will include 45-60 units ranging from one to three bedrooms. Most of the resident families will have incomes of about 60% of Area Median Income. Eight units will be reserved for households qualifying for Section 8 vouchers, at 30% AMI.

Watch for more information about the project as it develops. And plan to attend the December CPO meeting (see sidebar) to meet CPAH principals and see updated plans.

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