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For the past 15 years, thousands of housing units have popped up around Orenco Station in Hillsboro, but they have been out of reach for people who earn $30,000 a year or less.

That situation is about to change with the opening of the first phase of Orchards at Orenco, a 57-unit affordable housing project that owner and developer REACH Community Development says is on target to become the largest multifamily passive house building in the country.

The decision to design and construct Orchards’ first phase to achieve one of the highest benchmarks of energy efficiency in the building world was about more than a title. In addition to filling a much-needed housing gap for those who earn 50 percent or less of median income for Washington County, where the project is located, pursuing an actual passive house project has given REACH a foundation for creating highly energy-efficient buildings that the organization will be able to implement on future affordable housing projects throughout the Portland-metro area, according to Laura Recko, REACH’s director of fundraising and public relations.

It also offered some valuable lessons for the construction firms that worked on the project, starting with general contractor Walsh Construction Co.

Students become teachers

Before joining the Orchards at Orenco project, Walsh had been introduced to the high standards of passive house while helping another organization study the feasibility of converting an existing building to meet passive house standards, said Mike Steffen, Walsh’s general manager聽 and the company’s principal in charge of the Orchards project. Even so, the general contractor faced a learning curve when it joined the Orchards project team, a situation that Steffen says was eased by the collaborative environment and the fact that Walsh was involved in the project from the earliest stages.

Walsh soon found itself passing the lessons it learned on to project subcontractors, few of which had ever been involved in a passive house project.

鈥淲e did the education 鈥� as part of the bid process,鈥� Steffen said.

Throughout construction, the company also provided subcontractors with reminders that a passive house project requires flexibility and a new way of thinking about the building process.

A Walsh foreman, for example, posted a cup next to a sign with a message: 鈥淣ormal does not exist here.鈥� Each time someone working on the project said, 鈥淭hat’s not how we normally do it,鈥� he or she was required to place a dollar in the cup.

鈥淭hey learned not to say 鈥榥ormally’ very quickly,鈥� Steffen said.

Education about the project is extending beyond just those who helped build it. Tenants who will live in the building also need to be taught a whole new way of interacting with their living environment.

鈥淲e’re really engaging our residents in new ways,鈥� said Ben Sturtz, REACH’s housing development project manager.

Something as simple as how residents treat the triple-paned windows in their apartments, for example, is critical.

鈥淭he windows are crucial to (the residents’) indoor air quality and their comfort,鈥� Sturtz said. 鈥淏ut also, if we’re really going to make this (project) energy efficient, how those windows get used is crucial.鈥�

Tracking how residents interact with the energy-efficient features of their units will be boosted by an energy monitoring system installed in the lobby area, Recko said. The flat-screen television will show how much energy is used in each unit throughout each month.

While the screen will allow residents to engage in a friendly competition to save energy, the monitor also will let REACH determine which residents need more help understanding how to obtain the best performance from the energy-saving features in their units.

鈥淚f we see hot spots, that will show us that we need to do more education and will allow us to offer incentives to reward those who are doing well,鈥� Recko said.

Planning for the future

Units in Orchards at Orenco already are in high demand, Sturtz said. Part of the draw is the opportunity for renters already watching their budgets to save money with lower utility bills. But another part of the attraction is a simple matter of supply and demand.

Sturtz estimates that there’s a need for approximately 19,000 living units in Washington County for residents who earn at or below the 50 percent median income level. But REACH and other groups that focus on affordable housing are only able to bring a total of roughly 150 units online each year. Surtz doesn’t see the imbalance improving in the future.

鈥淎s Portland becomes more unaffordable, it becomes an even bigger challenge,鈥� Sturtz said.

Recko, Sturtz and others at REACH consider their foray into the world of passive house a success. But while future phases of the development 鈥� as well as REACH projects throughout the Portland-metro area 鈥� will likely be 鈥減assive house inspired, they won’t be designed and built to pursue official designations, Sturtz said.

Finding the funding to cover the extra costs that came with the decision to pursue a designation for phase one, which Recko estimates increased the project cost by 10 percent to 11 percent, required stitching together money from several sources, which likely won’t be available for future phases. A $500,000 grant received for the first phase of Orchards, for example, was a one-time opportunity.

鈥淲e made a pitch to Meyer,鈥� Recko said. 鈥淲hat they did was over and above what they would typically invest. They were investing in (research and development).鈥�

Ground will be broken this month on a second phase of Orchards, near the first. Its 58 units of workforce housing are expected to be ready for tenants around June 2016.

A third, final phase is further down the road. REACH is considering possibly locating that development near an elementary school and including two- and three-bedroom units to serve families, according to Recko. But right now, planning is still in the early stages.

鈥淲e’re at the point where we’re starting to seek out financing,鈥� she said.

If you go

What: Orchards at Orenco phase I grand opening

When: June 29, 10:30 a.m.

Where: 6520 N.E. Cherry Drive, Hillsboro

More information: call 503-231-0682
Orchards at Orenco Phase 1

Owner/developer: REACH Community Development

Architects: Ankrom Moisan Architects (of record), William Wilson Architects (design)

General contractor: Walsh Construction

Construction manager: Housing Development Center

Passive house consultant: Green Hammer

Special limited partner: Washington County Housing Authority

Funding partners: Enterprise Community Partners, Community Housing Fund, Energy Trust of Oregon, Meyer Memorial Trust, NOAH, Oregon Housing and Community Services, NeighborWorks America, Washington County Office of Community Development, Wells Fargo