The Waterfront Gateway project is expected to bridge downtown Vancouver to the waterfront district. (Photo contributed by OTAK)
The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded $4.5 million to an affordable housing project in Vancouver’s Waterfront Gateway.
The six-floor apartment building to be operated by the Native American Youth Association, or NAYA Family Center, will serve low-income residents. The development will cost more than $40 million.
NAYA is a Portland-based nonprofit that also serves Clark County.
The state commerce department announced Thursday that it’s distributing $12.6 million to help create 300 units of low-income housing near public transit centers across the state.
“Creating more density near transit will be critical as Washington plans to accommodate future population growth, while also addressing climate change,” a news release states.
The state commerce department had already awarded $5 million to the Vancouver project in January.
The project is still in its planning stage. According to a fact sheet shared by the state agency, NAYA’s Vancouver Waterfront Gateway project will offer a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, as well as studios. The project is anticipated to serve individuals and families earning 60 percent of the area’s median income.
The project intends to serve people of any identity, but NAYA’s organizational mission focuses on Indigenous households. NAYA is working with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to identify opportunities for culturally specific housing services for tribal members.
The project fact sheet said the property will integrate design features that promote the health and well-being of its residents, with a playground and community space for studying, reading and other activities.
“The people NAYA serves seek large community spaces to gather for art, ceremony, family gatherings and to support an overall sense of wellness. People seek child-centered, child-dedicated spaces where children are free to explore and parents can visit each other,” the fact sheet states.
The master plan for Waterfront Gateway — which was approved by the Vancouver City Council in October 2023 — promises to bring hundreds of housing units and thousands of jobs to the 6.4-acre site in downtown Vancouver, located two blocks south of West Sixth Street and bisected by Esther Street.
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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