Low-income units to be bought in Grand Coulee

Homes to be renovated by housing authority

GRAND COULEE - The Grant County Housing Authority is purchasing and renovating 17 units of low-income housing in Grand Coulee.

Housing Authority Executive Director John Poling said the housing authority is purchasing Spring Canyon Apartments for $456,600, so the apartments can continue serving low-income residents.

In the past, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided loans to private developers, under the agreement housing they built would operate as low-income for 30 years, Poling said. Spring Canyon was developed under those terms and is approaching 30 years in age, he said.

The developer has the option of selling to a private entity, a private person, or to an agency. An agreement was reached to sell the apartments to the housing authority, Poling said.

The state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development granted the housing authority a loan of approximately $450,000 for the sale through the Housing Trust Fund. The housing authority is applying for approximately $2.5 million in additional funds from low-income housing tax credits to pay for renovations, Poling said.

Renovations include a new roof, heating and air conditioning, upgraded insulation, new windows, siding, kitchen and bath fixtures, and landscaping improvements.

"The goal is for the project to have 50 more years of life in it when we get done," he said.

Grant County Housing Authority was one of two entities to receive loans for Grant County housing through the Housing Trust Fund. Yakima-based Catholic Charities Housing Services received a $2 million loan to build 51 units of housing for farm workers in Royal City.

Community, Trade and Economic Development provided more than $29 million in grants and loans to 23 housing projects in Washington through the fund, according to the organization.

"Developing and maintaining needed stock of affordable housing can be challenging for many communities," stated Community, Trade and Economic Development Director Juli Wilkerson. "These projects show how public-private partnerships are succeeding in making the necessary investment in a variety of good, sustainable housing options."