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REACH Community Development is now closer to development of an affordable housing project in Hillsboro.

The Portland-based developer received a $500,000 grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust. The award will go toward development of REACH’s Orchards at Orenco Station, a 57-unit multifamily project that William Wilson Architects, Walsh Construction, Green Hammer and PAE Consulting Engineers are creating to meet passive house standards.

Passive house designs use superior insulation and air ventilation systems to reduce energy consumption. The Orchards complex is expected to cut down on heat loads by 90 percent and be one of the first passive multifamily projects in the nation.

The goal is to minimize ongoing housing-related costs for tenants. The development will cater to residents earning 50 percent of median family income, or $25,000 for a single-person household. In a prepared statement, Meyer Memorial Trust CEO Doug Stamm, said planning for affordable housing in Washington County is important for the area’s rapidly expanding workforce.

The award from the Meyer Memorial Trust follows a $750,000 grant that REACH received in February 2012 from Washington County.

REACH hoped to receive a 9 percent housing tax credit from Oregon Housing and Community Services last year, but it was not selected. REACH project manager Jessica Woodruff said the organization intended to re-enter the competitive process for the tax credit in 2013.

REACH had hoped to begin construction of the $8.2 million to $8.4 million project this fall, but Woodruff said the team now is shooting for spring 2014.