Housing forum to be held Tuesday, in Washougal

A group of local residents has organized a housing forum for Park View East Apartments residents who are having difficulty relocating.The meeting will be held today, at 7 p.m., at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 2350 Main St., Washougal. Attendees will include local pastors, members of the Washougal City Council, and representatives from the Washougal School District, The Council for the Homeless and The Housing Resource Center. The meeting will be open to anyone interested in the situation and finding out how they can help. "This forum will hopefully connect those in need of help, with those in our local community that can offer assistance -- whether it be basic needs or relocation funds," said Rev. Jessie Smith, vicar of St. Anne's. Park View East residents found out toward the end of September that a new ownership group planned to make significant improvements, including interior renovations, to the apartment complex.Four limited liability corporations, based in Beaverton, Oregon, purchased the apartments from Elizabeth Trainor, of Portland. The $3.9 million acquisition was made by STK Brugger, LLC; 4RT Brugger, LLC; SFT Brugger, LLC; and LPRP Brugger, LLC.Sara Ontiveros, operations manager of Park View East, at 4290 Addy St., Washougal, has said the renovations will require the apartments to be vacant. Madrona Ridge Residential, a Seattle-based company, manages the Park View East complex. Mary Marin, a regional manager with Madrona, said the first notices will be sent in January for residents to move out by Jan. 31.The renovations will be done in stages, with the first building receiving improvements in early February. New residents will move in to the renamed complex, Parc East, starting in March and April."Invitations to current residents to transfer to newly renovated homes have been distributed, and current residents will be placed on a priority list," Marin said.Information about Parc East is available at www.madronaridgellc.com/communities/944-parc-east.html.The renovations are expected to take three months to be completed. They will include new flooring and cabinets."The rental rates on the renovated units have not yet been established," Marin said.Smith and Robert Barber, pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, in Washougal, hand-delivered flyers about the housing forum to the residents of Park View East on Thursday.Smith and Barber are the co-chair and chair, respectively, of the Friends of Refuel board."We first talked about the housing forum at one of our meetings," Smith said. The Friends of Refuel educates the public about the needs of local residents who are not able to provide adequate food for themselves and their families. Free meals are served to the community Fridays, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Silver Star Search and Rescue, 1220 "A" St., in Washougal.Questions about the housing forum can be directed to Smith at 328-1267. A Madrona Ridge help line for current residents has been set up, (206) 787-8481.

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