IHI and Copeland Commons, a non-profit community group, have partnered to redevelop 1167 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon into a 66-unit affordable housing complex with studios and 1-bedroom units. Copeland Commons, an Astoria-based civic group focused on developing workforce housing in their community, acquired the building specifically due to its suitability to be repurposed for housing. After conversations with several Oregon affordable housing developers, the Copeland Commons group selected IHI as its real estate development partner.

The Copeland Commons community group have been incredibly successful in fundraising for acquisition and predevelopment activities. Copeland Commons has obtained grants from governmental agencies, CareOregon, and other non-profit groups, and the group has even successfully raised significant funds through grassroots outreach in the Astoria community. Once fully funded, the nonprofit group will exit the deal prior to construction closing, and the property will be incorporated into IHI’s portfolio, with IHI managing the asset and providing resident services staffing at the site.

The project concept includes fully adapting the historic structure to modern code, adapting the existing structure for use as an apartment community with a mix of studio and 1-bedroom units, and constructing a new attached structure to add more units to the site. The target population will be primarily low-income workers in Astoria, as well as people living on fixed incomes in a community with rapidly rising housing costs due to population growth and constrained housing supply.

The need to house workers in growing coastal communities is important and pressing. As this project concept and much of the predevelopment work and fundraising originated in the community it will serve, Copeland Commons represents an exciting opportunity for IHI to be pilot an innovative community-driven model for affordable housing development.