THE GORGE — Affordable Housing is a complicated topic, especially in a region like the Columbia River Gorge, where development opportunities are limited. For more than 35 years, Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation (CCHC) has had two primary goals: to build and preserve affordable housing for low-income families in Sherman, Wasco, and Hood River counties in Oregon, as well as Klickitat and Skamania counties in Washington.
CCHC owns 24 affordable housing communities with 435 units of various types serving individuals, families, seniors, Veterans, and agricultural workers. Demand is high, and more developments are underway with area partners, which will significantly increase their affordable housing portfolio by adding more than 200 new units in the next few years.
In Hood River, 130 new units are under construction at Mariposa Village, a seven-acre site off Rand Road. The project is currently in Phase I, which includes Buildings 1, 2, and 3 along with the community building, representing approximately half of the total homes. Phase I encompasses full-site infrastructure, vertical construction, and the completion of the first group of units, with a targeted completion date in August 2026. Phase II, which includes the remaining homes, is scheduled for completion by early 2027.
Director of Real Estate Development Sergio Garcia said a lot goes into an affordable housing development. The goal for this site is to improve the quality of life for residents in and around the development by integrating nature with necessity. Mariposa Village includes a community center for residents, a new public park and walking trails, public transportation access, and an enhanced crosswalk at Rand Road. While the build focuses on quality, energy resiliency and efficiency are also essential to reduce residents' utility costs.
Construction crews work on the forms for the Mariposa Village affordable housing project.
Photo courtesy Mid-Columbia Housing Authority and
Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation
In The Dalles, CCHC is working with partners to develop a 1.76-acre parcel at Chenowith Loop, creating a 76-unit, four-story structure that was once a grocery store. Low-income families, seniors, veterans, and individuals with severe and persistent mental illness may be eligible for residency. The affordable housing site is adjacent to a main transit hub, connecting residents to schools, employment, and community services. Units are expected to be ready for move-in by Fall of 2027.
“The preservation of affordable housing is equally important to our region,” said CCHC Executive Director Karen Long. “In addition to the new sites like those at Mariposa Village and Chenowith Loop, we work hard to keep developments that were initially designated as affordable housing eligible to continue to serve low-income residents.”
Long explains that many affordable housing complexes created since the 1970s have a “period of affordability” that lasts 30-60 years when they participated in programs such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). Many of those are coming to an end, so CCHC seeks to identify and, if possible, support owners and developers in upgrading and preserving those projects to maintain housing for low-income families and prevent displacement from sales or renovations.
Recently, CCHC acquired and rehabilitated the Rhine Village Apartments in White Salmon, preserving 36 units of subsidized housing. The project required the temporary relocation of all residents to allow updates to be made within the units. Asset Manager Joe Gillock said that “the team worked with each resident to help them store their household items and find temporary housing throughout the year-long process. Households were provided a relocation stipend to cover housing, food, and miscellaneous expenses for the time they were out of the apartment. All tenants who wanted to stay returned.”
In Cascade Locks, CCHC is busy preserving and reinvesting in Columbia View Apartments, a 12-unit community originally built in 1975. The rehabilitation will address long-deferred maintenance, improve building systems, and extend the affordability of all units for another 40 years.
“This is a small rural community with limited rental options and vacancy rates below three percent,” Garcia said. “Preserving these homes is critical to preventing displacement and maintaining access to stable housing for families, seniors, and individuals.”
“As a committed nonprofit affordable housing developer, our team will continue to look for more opportunities to serve low-income residents of the Mid-Columbia Region,” Long said. “Mariposa Village, Chenowith Loop, Rhine Village, and Columbia View are just a few of examples of how we reach our mission.”
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