Ya-Po-Ah Terrace 
Ya-Po-Ah Terrace Retirement Apartments is locally owned by Evergreen Union Retirement Assoc. and was constructed in 1968. Since 1968, the building has provided 222 units dedicated to seniors aged 62 and older, including 210 apartments for seniors with very low incomes who pay no more than 30% of their income as rent. The average resident is over 76 years old and has an income of $15,910 per year.
The federal program that supported its construction and additional rent subsidies have allowed the units to remain affordable to seniors for nearly 50 years. The rehabilitation of Ya-Po-Ah Terrace allows the continuation of federal subsidies to preserve these units as affordable housing for current and future residents.
Rental Rehabilitation
The City of Eugene loaned $1.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for this Eugene landmark. Additional, leveraged resources include FHA loan, 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax-Credit, equity, tax-exempt bonds, and gap financing from the State of Oregon.
The total construction project was nearly $30 million and included:
- Replacing the building’s skin with highly-insulated roof, walls, and windows
- Updating interior LED lighting, plumbing fixtures, and mechanical systems
- Creating additional ADA parking spaces and route to building entrance
During the rehabilitation, tenants were temporarily relocated to another unit within the building or to a comparable unit off-site at no cost to them. All residents returned once phased work was completed, and no one was permanently displaced as a result of the project.
Rehabilitation began in early 2019 and concluded in 2021. To view progress, please see Meadowhawk Imagery's photos. This project not only extended the life of the building, but also preserved the long-term affordability of the federal rent subsidies for future, aging Oregonians.
Media Coverage of Ya-Po-Ah Terrace Rehabilitation Project
- December 30, 2019, The Register-Guard, "Message from a High Place"
- May 9, 2019, Eugene-Weekly, article and photo of the rehabilitation project and energy upgrades
- April 17, 2019, KVAL 13 News, article and video
- January 4, 2019, The Register-Guard, "Changes at Eugene's tallest building"
- December 23, 2018, KEZI 9 News coverage.