33 affordable apartments in Vancouver could end up in the path of a new I-5 bridge; residents fear the worst

“If The Normandy apartments were to be demolished, it would be a significant blow — not only to its residents but to the housing market. This would be the extinction of basically the only truly affordable rent left in Vancouver,” said Eliason, 38.

‘Final footprint’

In September, officials overseeing the planned I-5 Bridge replacement released a long-anticipated environmental impact statement. The document outlines possible alternatives for the new bridge that could cut through 176 parcels, potentially displacing 43 residential units and 33 businesses across Washington and Oregon.

One of the scenarios would shift the section of I-5 between state Highway 14 and Mill Plain Boulevard about 40 feet west, requiring the acquisition and demolition of The Normandy.

The final footprint of the new bridge will not be determined until later in 2025, said Greg Johnson, who is leading the project. He said the goal is to avoid displacing residents and businesses.

“Our team is very sensitive to this issue of taking a property. It’s one of the most disruptive things that … a program like this one can do,” he said.

Johnson said he has firsthand experience: In the mid-1960s, when he was 4 years old, his family was displaced by construction of Michigan’s U.S. Highway 25. He recalled his father describing the process as unfair, which is why he’s committed to ensuring that people are “heard and that they have adequate information and representation throughout the process.”

Project officials said they have already begun informing residents that their properties are within the preliminary footprint for the new bridge. However, tenants at The Normandy told The Columbian they hadn’t heard their building might be displaced by the new bridge until they either read about it in the newspaper or heard from other residents.

The Normandy’s owner, Dean Irvin, did not immediately respond to The Columbian’s inquiries.

Johnson said his team will work directly with anyone who is displaced. That includes reaching a fair purchase price for properties needed for the new bridge and offering assistance to renters like those at The Normandy.

“If they have questions, we would make sure that they have independent representation in the process, that would allow them to feel that they’re not at the sole mercy of the program, but they also have an advocate looking out for their interests,” Johnson said.

Part of the federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act requires officials to ensure that displaced residents are made “whole,” Johnson explained.

Under the act, renters displaced by federally funded projects must receive compensation for moving expenses, as well as rental assistance.

People cannot be displaced from their residences unless a comparable replacement residence is available, and they can’t be required to move any sooner than 90 days after a purchase offer, according to the act.

Normandy tenants said they worry that even if they do receive help, it won’t be enough in the long run. Fair market rent for a studio apartment in Vancouver is $1,600. Eliason pays $750 for her studio apartment at The Normandy.

Affordable rent

After Eliason learned about The Normandy possibly being in the path of a new I-5 Bridge, she texted her neighbor and friend, Monica Martinez-Animas, who suggested they create flyers to distribute to their fellow tenants. They hoped to raise awareness and rally support.

“We wanted to create a call to action,” Martinez-Animas, 36, said.

She pays $1,095 for her one-bedroom apartment in The Normandy, where she has lived for two years.

“Paying $1,095 is OK, but it can still be tough. I can’t imagine trying to pay more than this right now,” she said. “This would be a loss, not only because there would be fewer affordable options for people to live, but also because this is a great building full of character.”

Martinez-Animas posted flyers on each of her neighbors’ doors, informing them of the situation and urging them to voice their concerns to officials involved with the bridge project.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach report, Clark County residents must earn $38 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Eliason said that The Normandy has long served as a refuge for single adults.

“A lot of us don’t fit the profile of the nuclear family. There’s a lot of single adults here,” Eliason said. “We’re like mismatched socks that found a home.”

The Normandy houses a diverse mix of residents — from young adults in their 20s trying to gain a foothold in the housing market, to older tenants hoping to age in place. But there’s a shared anxiety among all of them: If The Normandy were demolished, its 40 or so tenants would flood the already strained rental market at the same time and compete with each other for the dwindling number of affordable units elsewhere.

“A lot of people here don’t have a lot of money. They may not even have enough money to move,” tenant David Minne, 44, said. “We all have jobs. We all contribute. We all love downtown, but I don’t know how many of us would be able to stay in the area. The lack of affordable housing is already a problem. This would only make it worse.”

Looming uncertainty

For many Normandy residents, their concern is not just about the inconvenience of moving. It’s about survival. One tenant said he is already living paycheck to paycheck.

Last year, 8,752 people in Clark County experienced homelessness, according to data from the Council for the Homeless, with rising housing costs identified as a primary driver.

“I’ve seen the unhoused population grow every year,” said Eliason, who works as a housing case manager for Share, a Vancouver-based nonprofit that addresses poverty and homelessness.

“Losing some of the few affordable units left in Vancouver would be devastating,” Eliason said. “It may seem like 30 or so units, but that’s 30 lives turned upside down.”

The looming uncertainty weighs heavily on Eliason. Her backup plan is to move in with Martinez-Animas and reach out to family to cover the higher rent.. The independence she’s fought so hard to maintain would be gone, she said.

“I think a lot of people would turn to roommates or try to find family to move in with. But some people don’t have that option. Many people would be losing the ability to pay for a place that they can afford by themselves,” Eliason said. “There are some people who I have no idea where they will go.”

As the hum of I-5 traffic sang in the background, Clint Phillips, 30, gently stroked the head of his 11-month-old son, Jayden. Jayden, propped in his stroller, looked up at his dad with a small, contented smile.

Phillips, a chef, moved into The Normandy about a year and a half ago, with plans to stay long term and raise his son with his partner. He pays $1,000 for his one-bedroom and doesn’t know where else he would move to or how he could afford to.

“I know a lot of people here who have lived here for 10 to 20 years. If this gets taken away it would be very sad. This is rent that people can afford,” Phillips said. “At this point, people are just bracing for the worst.”

Sad day

The lyrics of Del Shannon’s 1964 song “Keep Searchin’” — “Gotta keep searchin’, searchin’, find a place to stay/ Searchin’, searchin’, every night and day” — fluttered through the hallway at The Normandy one recent afternoon.

The music slipped through the door left ajar to Eliason’s apartment. Eliason and Martinez-Animas sat cross-legged on the bed, playing a game of Uno. Behind them, Eliason’s large bedroom window glimpsed I-5 through thick tree branches.

Tenants fear that along with low rent, they’ll lose their sense of community if The Normandy must make way for a new I-5 Bridge.

Eliason said she knows many of her neighbors by name. Martinez-Animas said Normandy tenants look out for each other, for example, by grabbing neighbors’ mail when they’re out of town.

“If they demolish The Normandy,” Eliason said, “it would be a very sad day for this city.”