HOUGH — The Vancouver Housing Authority hosted a garage sale and open house on May 14 at the old Lieser School in the Vancouver Heights neighborhood. Vancouver Housing Authority estimates that more than 100 community members attended the event to claim free items — including chairs, desks, tables and bookshelves — and walk the school’s halls to reminisce and visit their old classrooms. Community members were also invited to provide feedback on the site’s future redevelopment, which will feature affordable multifamily housing, a new fire station, public park and early childhood learning center.
Community members heard and shared stories of teachers, classmates, family members and events from their years spent in Lieser School with some alumni sharing stories from the 1940s. Vancouver Housing Authority appreciated people providing feedback on the upcoming redevelopment and sharing memories and saying farewell to the elementary school, which ended its operations in 1992 before becoming an early childhood learning center.
The event was one part of the community engagement process Vancouver Housing Authority and Salazar Architect have been leading in advance of finalizing a plan for the site’s redevelopment. Over the past two months, project staff have held discussions and solicited feedback at on-site pop-up events, focus groups with stakeholders and two neighborhood association meetings. By meeting directly with the community, project staff say they hope to better understand neighborhood priorities, address concerns regarding the redevelopment and incorporate that feedback into the project design.
