91ÊÓƵ

A Southeast Portland low-income housing complex is expected to start gaining improvements soon.

Home Forward, owner of the Sellwood Center at 1724 S.E. Tenino St., has applied to the Bureau of Development Services for a permit to begin nearly $7.7 million worth of renovations at the 44-year-old apartment building.

The project includes seismic improvements, sidewalk upgrades and work on the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, according to city documents.

The Section 8 apartment community houses tenants who are more than 55 years old or have a disability. Tenants also must have an annual income that does not exceed 50 percent of the area median income for their family size.

The building has 106 studio units and four one-bedroom units.

The work on the Sellwood Center is part of a larger Home Forward project, called 85 Stories, that includes $80 million of improvements to 10 high-rise buildings catering to low-income families and tenants with disabilities, according to Home Forward Public Affairs Director Shelley Marchesi.

The Sellwood Center improvements are part of phase one of the 85 Stories project. Construction of phase one is scheduled to begin in February 2015.

Phase two will include renovations at six other Home Forward-owned properties, including Dahlke Manor at 915 N.E. Schuyler St., Williams Plaza at 2041 N.W. Everett St., Medallion Apartments at 1969 N.W. Johnson St., Schrunk Riverview Tower at 8832 N. Syracuse St. and Ruth Haefner Plaza at 6005 S.W. Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.

Funding for phase two has not yet been secured yet, according to Marchesi.