Regional Affordable Housing Bond for Washington County

Regional Affordable Housing Bond

On November 6, 2018, voters approved Measure 26-199 and Oregon Measure 102. These measures provide $652.8 million in resources to the Portland metropolitan region for affordable housing development and allow the funds to be leveraged with additional resources and partnerships.

Washington County jurisdictions received $192.2 million of the total bond funds, and they were divided up between Washington County ($118.9 million), the City of Beaverton ($31.8 million) and the City of Hillsboro ($41.5 million).

Washington County is using these funds to build high quality, affordable homes that will serve our community for decades to come.We are on track to exceed our production goals, increasing accessible housing for households with very low-incomes, families who need larger units, and those who need additional supports to maintain housing stability.

Project Goals

Graph showing progress meeting affordable housing bond goals — Washington County is on track to exceed our Affordable Housing Bond production goals.

Progress Map

A map of the bond-funded county projects

A table of the various county bond-funded properties

Plans and Reports

Local Implementation Strategy

The guiding principles of the Local Implementation Strategy are:

Housing Development plan including criteria and selection process for projects
Strategy for advancing racial equity throughout implementation
Engagement reports summarizing how stakeholder input and community outreach shaped development of the strategy (see page 33 of the Local Implementation Strategy)
Plan for ongoing community engagement

The final version of Washington County's Local Implementation Strategy was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on December 17, 2019.

Local Implementation Strategy (PDF 3.97 MB)

Washington County Housing Design Community Listening Sessions Report (PDF 877.73 KB)

Affordable Housing Bond Multifamily Housing and Senior Housing Surveys Report (PDF 538.49 KB)

Annual Reports

2023 Washington County Report on the Metro Housing Bond (PDF 1.38 MB)

2022 Washington County Report on the Metro Housing Bond_2-22.pdf (PDF 1.21 MB)

2021 Washington County Report on the Metro Housing Bond (PDF 1.21 MB)

2020 Washington County Report on the Metro Housing Bond (PDF 1.25 MB)

Project Summaries

Viewfinder (Formerly Tigard Triangle) Project Summary (PDF 281.75 KB)

Terrace Glen Apartments Project Summary (PDF 1.1 MB)

The Valfre at Avenida 26 (formerly Forest Grove Family Housing) Project Summary (PDF 1.26 MB)

Heartwood Commons (Formerly Aloha Quality Inn) Project Summary (PDF 1.92 MB)

Cedar Rising (Formerly Aloha Family Housing) Project Summary (PDF 572.25 KB)

Opal Apartments (Formerly Saltzman Road Senior Apt) Project Summary (PDF 582.16 KB)

Plaza Los Amigos Project Summary (PDF 370.7 KB)

Alongside (Formerly Tigard Senior Housing) Project Summary (PDF 706.07 KB)

Altura (Formerly South Cooper Mountain) Project Summary (PDF 1.2 MB)

Plambeck Gardens (Formerly Basalt Creek) Project Summary (PDF 469.86 KB)

FAQs

Bond funding to create new affordable homes is distributed across the region, based on how many people live in each county. Using this calculation, 34% of funding is distributed to Washington County, 21% to Clackamas County, and 45% to Multnomah County.

The Metro Urban Growth Boundary is made up of portions of the three counties. Each county contributes a different percentage of property taxes, based on how many of the county’s homes fall within the boundary. The intention of the program is to create affordable homes proportionate to revenue raised in each county. Washington County’s portion of the revenue generated through property taxes within the urban growth boundary is 34 percent or $192 million. There are three implementing jurisdictions within Washington County who each have their own share of these funds. The City of Beaverton ($31.8 million), the City of Hillsboro ($41.5 million), and Washington County ($118.9 million).

Each county has developed a local implementation strategy based on community needs. The Washington County Local Implementation Strategy (LIS) was approved by the Washington County Board of Commissioners on December 17, 2019. The Metro Community Oversight Committee reviews project plans to ensure they are in alignment with the Washington County approved LIS and meeting specific goals.

The bond will cost county homeowners about $72 per year, or $6 per month, based on assessed home value of $300,000.

The affordable housing bond program is overseen by a Community Oversight Committee appointed by the Metro Council. The committee will:

Review implementation strategies
Provide ongoing project review and annual program reports
Assess program outcomes and make recommendations to staff
Recommend changes to Implementation Strategy amendments as needed

The funds can be used to:

Build new affordable housing
Purchase and rehabilitate existing housing
Buy land for new affordable housing
Produce affordable homeownership units

The majority of Bond funds MUST be used for housing units. Ten percent of the funds generated by the bond will be used by Metro to acquire land that will be developed into affordable housing within the region. Five percent of the funds will be set aside for administrative costs. This allows local entities to hire the staff required to implement the plans they are developing.

Yes. The Washington County LIS requires robust community involvement as we develop our regional priorities.

The unit goals identified in the prior section labeled “Overview” will be the driving force behind the type of housing to be built. Additionally, the County’s LIS will include input from the community as we work to identify local priorities which must be aligned with the following core values laid out in Metro’s Bond framework:

Lead with racial equity
Create opportunity for those in need
Create opportunity throughout the region
Ensure long-term benefits and good use of public dollars