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Historic preservation can cut both ways for developers.

Some profit handsomely from adaptive reuse projects. Others become stymied by regulations that restrict what can be done with a historic structure.

One project in Portland’s Historic Alphabet District, at 1727 N.W. Hoyt St., falls into both categories. There, Northwest Housing Alternatives plans to renovate the existing Buck-Prager Building at 1727 N.W. Hoyt St. and construct two new buildings nearby. In total, the project would provide 148 housing units.

The project does not yet have an official moniker, and already has drawn neighborhood opposition. Even earlier, a 2014 attempt by Gerding Edlen to demolish the Buck-Prager Building was denied by the city.

Now, the project is set to return before Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission for design review on Aug. 27. The project team is eager to gain the go-ahead needed to proceed beyond the design phase.

鈥淚t’s unique,鈥� said Michelle Black, project manager for Carleton Hart Architecture. 鈥淭here is this building central to the site, and you’re building around it, and it’s a unique design problem if you’re keeping to the nature of the neighborhood. Some is new and some is old, and that’s the nature of the Alphabet District.鈥�

Carleton Hart Architecture’s latest plans call for the original three-story unreinforced masonry Buck-Prager Building to be gutted, renovated and seismically reinforced to hold 18 senior housing units. A new four-story addition to the south would add 30 senior housing units. Meanwhile, a new five-story structure to the north would hold 100 additional workforce housing units. All 148 apartments would be affordable for people making 60 percent of area median income.

Black described the exterior design as part of a 鈥渄elicate dance鈥� needed for the project to truly fit the neighborhood.

鈥淭he circumstances of this existing building are that there’s virtually nothing on the interior,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was reused and changed over the years as an office building, so there’s less to draw upon. But when there is historic fabric to work with it’s ideal to bring that into whatever the new design is.鈥�

The north building is the taller of the two new proposed structures. It would feature a red brick facade with very pronounced banding on the cornice work.

鈥淵ou can see multiple buildings in the Alphabet District that show this,鈥� Black said. 鈥淚t’s both historic and what we’re looking at for this building.鈥�

The south side structure is more complicated.

鈥淚t’s the balance of doing something that is both complementary to the historic resource yet contrasting enough to where you’re not going to upstage the Buck-Prager Building,鈥� Black said.

Currently the Buck-Prager Building has a white-painted gable end facing Northwest 18th Avenue, while the rest of the structure is red brick. This scheme will remain, Black said.

鈥淲ith this last iteration of the design,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t is taking the rhythm of the window base and carrying it across to the south building with its horizontal banding 鈥� they look like they belong together, but they also look like separate buildings.鈥�

As Portland’s population continues to grow, a much greater effort will be needed to boost the current housing stock, affordable or market rate, said Martha McLellan, Northwest Housing Alternatives’ executive director.

鈥淭here are fewer and fewer sites, and more and more of those sites are in locations that require design review,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don’t really get the advantage of the clear and objective path for affordable housing that land use laws say should be available. So, there’s an increasing amount of turf that is subject to design review and there are fewer and fewer sites that are available and they bump into each other.鈥�

Alphabet District neighbors have raised concerns such as building heights incompatible with the neighborhood and inadequate parking. Design changes have accordingly cut 16 units and one story from earlier renditions of the workforce housing building.

McLellan minced no words about the need for greater acceptance from the public in regard to affordable housing development.

鈥淭hat’s true 鈥� the amount of affordable housing that is needed is a big number,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd building it is expensive and difficult and lengthy. And in virtually any neighborhood the first reaction is 鈥榃e don’t want change.’ So on the one hand we have 30,000 people a year moving to Portland and on the other hand the neighbors don’t want change. And, then, what is a reasonable expectation?鈥�