Grays Harbor County has extended its commitment to a potential South Aberdeen low-income housing complex.

Earlier this year, Coastal Community Action Program (CCAP) had asked the county to commit $250,000 from the Affordable Housing fund for what’s now being referred to as the “Homestead Apartments Project.” In February, the commissioners approved the commitment through 2017.

On Monday, March 27, the commissioners approved extending that commitment through 2018 to allow CCAP additional time to seek grant funding to complete the project which is estimated to cost some $15 million.

The deadline extension was approved with a 2-1 vote. Commissioner Vickie Raines opposed the extension.

“It’s not the project that I have an issue with, it’s the process with how we got it to this point,” Raines said during the media information session following the afternoon meeting.

When the commissioners committed to funding a portion of the project, Raines had also noted her concern that the project had not been appropriately vetted by the Housing Coalition and the Health and Human Services Advisory Board. As characterized by Raines, both of those boards green lit the project without the appropriate amount of attention under the assumption that the next committee or board to review the project would do the research.

During the morning meeting on March 27, Raines had suggested the project should go back through the vetting process.

Commissioner Wes Cormier pointed out that no part of the process was skipped, even if Raines believed the project was hastily approved.

Commissioner Randy Ross said he didn’t feel there was any reason to deny the extension.

“We’ve already committed the funds, so we’ve already vetted this one as much as we’re going to vet it, and we’ve had a pretty thorough understanding of it,” Ross said. “I think that process is important, too, but we’ve committed these funds already for this project and I don’t want to see them spent on anything else until this project gets funded. I think it’s important to deal with this as soon as we can, and this allows them (CCAP) to continue to seek grant funding for this project.”

If built, the housing complex will create more than 90 dwellings for people already receiving CCAP services, including many who are homeless and others who are living in substandard housing. The dwellings will be based on “micro-housing” designs.

CCAP expects the project will be funded 100 percent through tax credits. The county’s contribution — as well as an in-kind match from the City of Aberdeen — will fund $500,000 in off-site work of road improvements and installation of utilities.