To mitigate the growing affordable housing shortfall, Clackamas County, alongside the City of Milwaukie, has submitted a bid for a slice of the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) grant, a federal initiative backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Capitalizing on a $6.5 million asking, this joint pursuit is poised to address a trio of pivotal impediments stifling the advent of reasonably priced residential options in the area, as reported by a Clackamas County news release.
Foremost among their projects is the second phase of the Hillside Park Redevelopment, a plan set on erecting roughly 225 affordable housing units at a cost of $3.5 million, followed by a $2.0 million campaign focused on the acquisition and transformation of up to 15 houses into affordable homeownership opportunities via a community land trust that will be, the City of Milwaukie has spotlighted these locations for a particular priority given the deficits in multifamily land availability heightened by a comparative scarcity in public funding aimed at the construction and perpetuation of such dwellings.
The final element in the grant proposal earmarks $1.0 million for the City of Milwaukie, which will direct these funds towards the developmental groundwork for the Sparrow Street project—a 1.98-acre property earmarked for affordable housing ventures. This strategic move signals an intensified response to the aforementioned barriers that have historically hampered progress in this sector.
Public opinion is currently being solicited on the matter, giving residents and stakeholders an opening to weigh in on the proposed projects before the grant submission is finalized; this stands as a testament to the participatory emphasis of local governance and the shared responsibility between policymakers and the public whose lives are inexorably entwined with these initiatives. Echoing the necessity for such programs, one official in the housing division noted, "lack of available land for multifamily housing in the City of Milwaukie, limited public subsidy for affordable housing production and preservation, and lack of affordable homeownership opportunities" are the principal barricades being addressed through this round of funding proposals, as detailed in the county's announcement.
