The St Francis Park Apartments, currently under construction in the Central Eastside.
Last December the Portland Housing Bureau delivered its second annual State of Housing Report to the City Council. The report noted the many challenges facing Portland, including that in 2016 “data indicates that housing affordability in Portland in the last year has gotten worse, an issue that is disproportionately impacting low-income residents, Communities of Color, seniors, and individuals with disabilities”. Nonetheless, the report also looked at what the Bureau is doing to address these issues, including: gaining voter-approval of a $258 million Affordable Housing Bond; passage of an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance; increasing urban renewal funding dedicated to affordable rental housing; and dedicating short-term rental revenue tax to affordable rental housing.
The report listed nearly 1,900 affordable housing units in the production pipeline, split between 33 developments. Next Portland is re-publishing the entire list, along with images and information about the architect / developer where we have it.
Some buildings on the list are exclusively reserved for lower income people, while others include a mix of market rate units and subsidized affordable units. Figures for levels of affordability, expressed as number of units reserved for individuals or families at a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI), are taken from the Housing Bureau Report. Buildings that include market units are only receiving city funding towards the affordable units. Note that this list does not contain any buildings which will be required to provide affordable housing as part of the newly passed Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (which came into effect this month); any future projects funded through the voter approved affordable housing bond; any developments that are funded without the help of the Portland Housing Bureau; or any developments that have been allocated funding since the publication of the report late last year.
Under Construction
9101 SE Foster Rd
Total Units: 54
Level of Affordability: 16 units @ 60% AMI; 38 units @ market rate
Architect: Hacker Architects
Developer: Portland Development Commission (previously Williams & Dame)
Hill Park (110 SW Arthur St)
Total Units: 39
Level of Affordability: 14 units @ 30% AMI; 35 units @ 60% AMI
Architect: Carleton Hart Architects
Developer: Central City Concern
Mississippi Avenue Apts (878 N Fremont St and 751 N Cook St)
Total Units: 152
Level of Affordability: 30 units @ 80% AMI; 122 units @ market rate
Architect: Studio3 Architects
Developer: Marathon Acquisition and Development
Cathedral Flats (7228 N Burlington Ave)
Total Units: 24
Level of Affordability: 5 units @ 60% AMI; 19 units @ market rate
Architect: Studio 3 Architecture
Developer: WDC Properties
NAYA Generations (5203 SE 82nd Ave)
Total Units: 40
Level of Affordability: 2 units @ 30% AMI; 38 units @ 60% AMI
Architect: Carlton Hart Architects
Developer: NAYA Family Center, Guardian Real Estate Services
North Hollow Apts (1501 SW Taylor St)
Total Units: 121
Level of Affordability: 24 units @ 80% AMI; 97 units @ market rate
Architect: SERA Architects
Developer: Molasky Group, Trinity 3 Investments
St Francis Park (1177 SE Stark St)
Total Units: 102
Level of Affordability: 10 units @ 30% MFI; 66 units @ 50% AMI; 26 units @ 60% MFI
Architect: MWA Architects
Developer: Catholic Charities, Home Forward
Powell Apartments (3605 SE 38th Ave)
Total Units: 30
Level of Affordability: 6 units @ 60% MFI; 24 units @ market rate
Architect: Studio 3 Architecture
Developer: WDC Properties
Vancouver Avenue Apts (3956 N Vancouver Ave and 4030 N Vancouver Ave)
Total Units: 136
Level of Affordability: 27 units @ 80% MFI; 109 units @ market rate
Architect: Studio3 Architects
Developer: Marathon Acquisition and Development
Pre-Construction
1430 NW Glisan
Total Units: 230
Level of Affordability: 46 units @ 80% AMI; 184 @ market rate
Architect: Ankrom Moisan
Developer: Holland Partner Group
NW 14th & Raleigh St
Total Units: 93
Level of Affordability: 30 units @ 30% MFI; 15 units @ 50% MFI, 48 units @ 60% MFI
Architect: Salazar Architect and LRS Architects
Developer: Innovative Housing
72nd & Foster
Total Units: 101
Level of Affordability: 20 units @ 30% MFI; 50 units @ 50% MFI; 31 units @ 60% MFI
Architect: Holst Architecture
Developer: REACH CDC, Housing Development Center
Block 45 (NE Grand and Holladay)
Total Units: 240
Level of Affordability: 20 units @ 30% MFI; 3 units @ 50% MFI; 104 units @ 60% MFI; 108 units @ market rate
Architect: LEVER Architecture & LRS Architects
Developer: Home Forward
SW Park and Columbia (Broadway Tower)
Total Units: 60
Level of Affordability: 20 units @ 80% AMI; 40 units @ market rate
Architect: GBD Architects
Developer: BPM Real Estate Group
(The Broadway Tower itself will not contain any residential units; the 7 story residential building will be built on an adjacent parcel facing the South Park Blocks at SW Park and Columbia. As a condition of approval of the tower, construction permits for the residential building need to be obtained before the Certificate of Occupancy is obtained for the main tower.)
Grant Warehouse Redevelopment (3368 NE MLK)
Total Units: 80
Level of Affordability: 24 units @ 30% AMI; 15 units @ 50% AMI; 41 units @ 60% AMI
Architect: Carleton Hart Architects
Developer: Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Gerding Edlen
Hazelwood Plaza (222 NE 102nd Ave)
Total Units: 61
Level of Affordability: 25 units @ 60% AMI; 36 units @ market rate
Architect: ARDesign LLC
Developer: Ricardo Berdichevsky
Interstate (6905 N Interstate)
Total Units: 51
Level of Affordability: 3 units @ 30% AMI; 28 units @ 50% AMI; 20 units @ 60% AMI
Architect: Doug Circosta
Developer: Central City Concern, Home First Development
King Parks (6445 NE MLK Jr Blvd)
Total Units: 70
Level of Affordability: 24 units @ 30% AMI; 45 units @ 60% AMI; 1 unit @ market rate
Architect: Merryman Barnes Architects
Developer: Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives
KOTI – Block 290 (1417 NW 20th Ave)
Total Units: 150
Level of Affordability: 30 units @ 80% AMI; 120 units @ market rate
Architect: YBA Architects
Developer: Guardian Real Estate Services
(Note: Block 290 was originally scheduled to go in front of the Design Commission on May 19th, however in July the NW Examiner reported that the developer, Guardian Real Estate Services, was placing the project on hold.)
Köz Derby NW (1015 NW 16th)
Total Units: 127
Level of Affordability: 26 units @ 60% AMI; 101 units @ market rate
Architect: Köz Development
Developer: Köz Development
Köz SW 4th & Grant Apartments
Total Units: 108
Level of Affordability: 21 units @ 60% AMI; 87 units @ market rate
Architect: Köz Development
Developer: Köz Development
Köz 216X SW Yamhill
Total Units: 30
Level of Affordability: 6 units @ 80% AMI; 24 units @ market rate
Architect: Köz Development
Developer: Köz Development
N Williams Center (2124 N Williams Ave)
Total Units: 61
Level of Affordability: 40 units @ 30% AMI; 4 units @ 50% AMI; 17 units @ 60% AMI
Architect: Ankrom Moisan
Developer: Bridge Housing
N Williams Center
New Meadows (8502 N Wayland Ave)
Total Units: 15
Level of Affordability: 14 units @ 50% MFI; 1 unit @ market rate
Architect: Carleton Hart Architects
Developer: Bridge Meadows, New Avenues for Youth
NW 17th & Kearney
Total Units: 139
Level of Affordability: 28 units @ 80% MFI; 111 units @ market rate
Architect: SERA Architects
Developer: Holland Partner Group
NW 17th & Pettygrove
Total Units: 197
Level of Affordability: 40 units @ 80% MFI; 157 units @ market rate
Architect: GBD Architects
Developer: Holland Partner Group
Oliver Station (9202 SE Foster Rd)
Total Units: 126
Level of Affordability: 6 units @ 30% MFI; 120 units @ 60% MFI
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects
Developer: Palindrome Communities
Redwood Apartments (233 NW 16th Ave)
Total Units: 50
Level of Affordability: 10 units @ 60% MFI; 40 units @ market rate
Architect: Studio 3 Architecture
Developer: WDC Properties
Riverplace Parcel 3
Total Units: 364
Level of Affordability: 90 units at 30% MFI; 113 units at 60% MFI; 161 units at market rate
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects
Developer: BRIDGE Housing and Williams & Dame
Stark I & II (12613 SE Stark St)
Total Units: 162
Level of Affordability: 37 units @ 50% MFI; 125 units @ 60% MFI
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects
Developer: Central City Concern
Woody Guthrie Place (5728 SE 91st Ave)
Total Units: 68
Level of Affordability: 22 units @ 60% MFI; 50 units @ market rate
Architect: Carlton Hart Architects
Developer: ROSE Community Development
This post has been updated to show current images of Oliver Station, Stark I & II, and N Williams Center.
“Note that this list does not contain any buildings which will be required to provide affordable housing as part of the newly passed Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (which came into effect this month)”
It remains to be seen whether any such housing will be regarded as sufficiently profitable to build. Revenues lost from affordable units will have to be made up by charging more for remaining units. If the rent on market rate units is set too high above market rates, they won’t rent out at all.
Also, those who can afford to pay far above market rate for an apartment would rather rent in a building where they don’t have to live around poor people. People of means will pay premium to live around people whose lifestyle and habits they don’t find obnoxious.
I just don’t see this as a workable model. The city council passed the inclusive zoning measure more as a form of moral self-congratulation than as an actual solution to a problem.
Once the apartments already in the pipeline are built, I foresee the construction of more smaller apartment buildings with 18 units or less (which the rules don’t apply to), which there will fortunately be more room for, given zoning changes in the residential sections of inner SE. I suppose that’s fine – smaller apartments have a faster construction time, and can still create the compactness needed for a walkable city.
Oh, yeah, just what we need: more compact apartments. Why and how people are paying so much for the small apartments that are already being built is a mystery to me. It is quite possible to have a walkable city that also has flats larger than 500 square feet. I know because I used to live in one. I’ve since come to believe that our problem is systemic in nature. It makes no sense for the majority of housing to be so unaffordable to the majority of people. It didn’t used to be this way until fairly recently. We may not need 2,000+ square foot single family homes in huge numbers to make the city viable, but nothing but small apartments won’t cut it either. We need affordability to the majority of people like before, and we also need affordability for units in the 600 – 1,400 square foot range in a variety of housing types. That’s the sweet spot for a big chunk of would-be city dwellers. This country used to manage this fairy well, even in cities like New York and San Francisco (albeit smaller in such big and very densely populated places), so we can do it again. If we only make excuses for why it’s impossible, the problems will only get worse. If the market can’t do the job, maybe it’s time to revive public housing and use best practices from parts of the world that do it right. It beats hordes of homeless or millions living on the edge of eviction, and if all our know-how and resources can’t meet basic human needs, what good are they?
unfortunately, without housing that is enticing to a broad slice of people you end up with only those who can afford $3,000 a month studios. I can tell you that there are plenty of people leaving the city completely. Where I work they’re getting desperate for workers. Another one just announced she’s moving to Vegas. We have 2 that are on their way out of town also. I’ve lived here for 12 years, and I’m heading to a more affordable city…….
I believe the Powell Apartments are at 3730 SE Powell (not 3630) or, re-addressed as 3605 SE 38th.
You’re correct – I’ve updated the post.
Wonderful progress, with a solid list. For context, can you include status of project and estimated completion?
Unfortunately that’s not information I have access to.