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A long-sought Northeast Portland affordable housing development that has undergone multiple redesigns has gained the Portland Design Commission‘s permission to move ahead.

Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved plans for Hazelwood Plaza. The 62-unit complex, at 312 N.E. 102nd Ave., will consist of two five-story buildings with a central entry plaza, three ground-floor retail spaces and 44 tuck-under parking spaces.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and require 18 months to complete, said project architect Alberto Rinkevich of Portland-based ARDesign LLC. A general contractor has not been hired yet; several companies are still being considered, he said.

Portland developer Ricardo Berdichevsky since 2012 has sought to build the approximately $6 million Hazelwood Plaza, but the effort stalled during the city design review process. In response to commissioners’ feedback offered during four design advice hearings for the project, Rinkevich made multiple revisions.

鈥淲e are here for the fifth time and we changed a lot during the process,鈥� he told the commission on Thursday.

Design revisions included changing materials planned for the facade of the 59,018-square-foot development and sticking to a more neutral color palette instead of original plans for highlights of bright red and blue.

鈥淲e tried to articulate the facade in a rhythm of different colors and materials on both sides (and) two different colors of cement board lap siding,鈥� Rinkevich said.

Plans to build one long building with an enclosed tenant amenity space in the middle were also nixed in favor of two separate buildings that share a central ground-floor entry plaza and second-floor terrace.

Design Commission Chairman David Wark said he appreciated this move.

鈥淚 think the break is way more successful now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s a total break in the building.鈥�

Hazelwood Plaza will be the fourth affordable housing complex in the Portland area owned by Berdichevsky’s company, Quail Court Management. In October 2013, the project received the Portland Housing Bureau’s approval for a 10-year tax abatement via the Multiple-Unit Limited Tax Exemption program.

After voting to approve the project, Commissioner Tad Savinar commended the Hazelwood Plaza project team for sticking with the lengthy revision process.

鈥淚 really appreciate your patience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know you’ve come in here a few times and thought we were all nuts 鈥� You’ve found a way to design a building that I’m proud to have in the city. I really appreciate your time.鈥�

Also on Thursday, commissioners offered feedback on Mill Creek Residential Trust‘s Modera Belmont, which is being designed by Portland-based SERA Architects. The mixed-use development is expected to replace the Oregon Ballet Theatre building in Southeast Portland.

Plans call for a six-story, 230,000-square-foot building, at 818 S.E. Sixth Ave., with approximately 214 residential units and 105 spaces of below-grade parking. The ground floor of the U-shaped building would include 7,000 square feet of retail space facing Southeast Morrison Street, live-work units facing Southeast Belmont Street and an at-grade courtyard facing Southeast Sixth Avenue with apartment patios and large stormwater planters.

Commissioners suggested reducing the number of materials used on the facade, which includes fiber cement board and four types of metal panels, and widening the ground-floor courtyard.

The planned courtyard would be too narrow, and stormwater planters would diminish it further, Commissioner Guenevere Millius said.

鈥淚 would like to see a courtyard that was a little more generous,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he slot courtyards 鈥� they’re just not very meaningful courtyards.鈥�

Wark pointed out that a larger design issue was the lack of cohesion. He said that facades appeared too busy.

鈥淭here needs to be one clear concept,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now, there’s a lot of conflict 鈥� I don’t see the need to get too acrobatic with the massing.鈥�