As rents rise in Cowlitz County, new affordable housing units planned in Longview
Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington plans to start construction on a new affordable housing development off Ocean Beach Highway in May 2027 as housing costs increase in both the county and nation.
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Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Westerman said at an information session Friday that the agency expects to begin leasing the units in fall 2028. Like its other affordable housing properties, the new development will have a waitlist, and tenants will be able to apply on the housing authority's website.
The project comes as apartment vacancy rates in the county are below the level experts deem healthy.
Cowlitz County had a vacancy rate of 2.9% for all apartments and 1.7% for one-bedroom apartments in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, while a healthy level is closer to 5%.
Rent during that quarter also rose 2.9% in the county over the year, the report states.
The Consumer Price Index report, released Friday, shows that shelter costs nationwide rose 3% over the last year.
Project renderings
An artist's rendering and potential floorplans for apartments at The Landing at Goldfinch Grove are pictured at Longview Presbyterian Church Friday, April 10. The design for the planned affordable housing development includes 74 units, a community center and a walking path.
What's the plan?
The development, called The Landing at Goldfinch Grove, is planned to have 74 units consisting of a combination of flats and townhouses with one to three bedrooms. The design also includes a community center, a playground, a community garden and a birch-lined walking path.
The property is located in West Longview, near the intersection of Ocean Beach Highway and 52nd Avenue, southeast of the Baker's Corner Store. It currently contains one unoccupied house, which will be demolished as part of the construction process.
Pacific Tech Construction, a Kelso-based firm that has partnered with the Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington on other projects, will be responsible for the construction. Vancouver-based architecture firm Access Architecture provided the designs.
The project is expected to cost $31,374,256. Most of the funding will come from federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which are awarded to developers through the state and can then be purchased by corporations to fund projects like this one.
Other funding sources include state grants, local sales tax revenue and donations from local organizations.
Who will live there?
The units are reserved for households that make between 30% and 60% of the area median income.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that the median family income in Cowlitz County was $85,500 in 2025, meaning the units would be open to households earning between $25,650 and $51,300 per year.
Portions of the units are set aside for different income levels, with 19 reserved for households earning 30% of the median income, 37 reserved for those earning 40% and 18 reserved for those making 60%. One quarter of the units are also reserved for homeless individuals or families.
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Rent for each unit is based on household income, and can range from $533 to $1,067 for a one-bedroom unit, $640-$1,281 for a two-bedroom unit and $739-$1,479 for a three-bedroom unit.
Applicants who are currently on the waitlist for another Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington property will be notified when the Goldfinch Grove application opens, but will not receive priority over new applicants, Westerman said.
Previous projects
Friday's information session took place at Longview Presbyterian Church, which donated the land next door for another Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington property, Sunrise Village. The 40-unit development opened in June 2025.
Longview Presbyterian member Jim MacLeod said some congregants were initially hesitant about supporting Sunrise Village, as they worried that having affordable housing units nearby would bring down property values or increase crime.
Neither prediction came true, he said. Instead, the Sunrise Village residents have been a great addition to the community. In a speech during the presentation, MacLeod choked up as he described the impact getting to know the residents has had on the church.
Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington currently operates 12 affordable housing properties across Longview, Kelso, Woodland, Castle Rock, Kalama and Cathlamet.
Sunrise Village
Apartments at Sunrise Village are pictured Friday, April 10. Housing Opportunities of Southwest Washington opened the 40-unit affordable housing development in June 2025.
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