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A series of major projects planned for the Gateway area of Northeast Portland would combine housing for seniors and workers, an elementary school, parking, retail space and potentially other amenities.

The city and its economic development organization, Prosper Portland, are working to bring together David Douglas School District, Mt. Hood Community College, Warner Pacific University and private landowners to build what officials hope will be an anchor for Gateway.

The 10.5-acre Gateway project, envisioned for property at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Pacific Street, would encompass two roughly 5-acre parcels 鈥� one owned by the school district and another owned by a partnership of developer Ted Gilbert and the principals of Generations, a Portland-based senior housing provider.

The proposed development involves complicated discussions among several players. The driving force is Generations principal Chip Gabriel. Generations, based in an office near Clackamas Town Center, owns and operates five senior communities in Oregon, Washington and California totaling 1,668 housing units.

Gabriel grew up in Gateway at 111th Avenue and Market Street, and attended Portland Adventist Academy in the neighborhood. His mother still lives in the area.

鈥淚 know the area really well and watched the transformation for better or worse over the years,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s had its challenges the last couple of decades.鈥�

Generations also owns and operates a retirement community, CherryWood Village, in the neighborhood. Gabriel believes there’s a need for more mid-market senior housing in the area. 鈥淚’m very familiar with the need and the demand,鈥� he said.

Gabriel is planning an approximately 300-unit senior housing community on the property that would come with a retail component. There’s room on the same property for workforce housing, he said.

Prosper Portland and Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office are weighing whether to devote the entire remaining balance of Gateway urban renewal area dollars 鈥� totaling $13 million 鈥� to the project. Backers of the Gateway plan believe they have Wheeler’s support.

鈥淗aving the mayor and Prosper Portland there to shepherd the process is going to be critical,鈥� Gabriel said.

The mayor’s office did not respond to messages seeking comment. But Wheeler showed up to a community meeting in July and pledged his support for the project, according to a report in the Mid-County Memo, a neighborhood newspaper.

Time is running short for Gateway’s URA: The urban renewal district expires in June 2022. The city must commit the remaining money before that date, and officials want to use it as leverage on projects that are likely to spur private development in the surrounding area.

The city has poured money into Gateway in recent years with Gateway Discovery Park, affordable housing, streetscape improvements, a new trail and other infrastructure in addition to the Gateway Transit Center 鈥� a major transportation hub.

鈥淎ctivating the area will encourage other private investment,鈥� said Susan Kuhn, a project manager at Prosper Portland.

The parties hope the project will galvanize development in Gateway 鈥渢oward the idea of an intergenerational mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented district,鈥� Gilbert said.

The private senior housing development is on a faster track than other projects planned for the area. David Douglas School District has long-term plans to build an elementary school on its 5-acre parcel, but it is likely a ways off. The district has not identified funding or established a timeline for the project.

鈥淥ur intention is to build on our land eventually,鈥� said Dan McCue, spokesman for David Douglas.

District officials have been in discussions with stakeholders, McCue said.

鈥淲e have been in talks with the surrounding property owners just in terms of what’s a fit,鈥� he said.

Gabriel said he’s interested in having educational facilities next to Generations’ planned senior housing community.

鈥淲hat seniors don’t want to be is with other seniors,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey love the security, the activities, the amenities 鈥� they just want to be with younger people.鈥�

Likewise, McCue said, schoolchildren could benefit from being near seniors.

鈥淥ur kids could certainly benefit from older folks,鈥� he said.

There have been discussions of a so-called 鈥�2 + 2 + 2鈥� program that would allow students to spend two years in high school, two years in community college and two years in a four-year college, with the credits seamlessly transferring through the three institutions.

鈥淚t’s a way to help young people get into and through college more efficiently and cost-effectively,鈥� Gilbert said.

YMCA has also been involved in discussions about a possible fitness center at the site.

Generations found success with a property in San Diego that included a 50,000-square-foot commercial center that brought in visitors of different ages.

鈥淚t’s been very well received down there,鈥� Gabriel said. 鈥淲hat we’re hoping to do in Gateway is really the next evolution of that.鈥�

To that end, Generations hopes to leverage the URA funds. Without them, the Generations project may not be economically viable, Gabriel said.

鈥淭he challenge that we’ve come across (is) to do a rental community in Gateway, our construction costs are the same they are in the Pearl District or the South Waterfront,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he construction costs are high, and we can’t get rents you can get elsewhere in the community.鈥�

Advocates of the projects are clear-eyed about the challenges, including rising construction costs, scarce financing and Gateway’s history of slow economic investment 鈥� as well as wrangling several different public institutions and private interests toward a common end.

鈥淲hile we’ve come quite a distance, there is still quite a bit more to do before we know the project will happen,鈥� Gilbert said.

Elementary school project being discussed

A proposal by the David Douglas School District to build a new, five-story elementary school in Portland’s Gateway area was discussed at a pre-application conference last month.

According to Bureau of Development Services records, BBL Architects of Lake Oswego is the applicant for the proposed school project, which would be built on property comprised of six separate tax lots zoned CX for central commercial use at 725 N.E. 100th Ave.

The new school would displace an existing vacant building, according to PortlandMaps.com, but the tax lots in question are otherwise undeveloped or part of an ex-Elks parking lot.

Conceptual site plans show the new school and adjacent soccer field would be next to the Gateway Regional Center, a three-block long site stretching from Northeast 99th to 102nd Avenue. That proposed development would see possibly three mixed-use buildings built alongside an assisted living and skilled nursing facility.

Drawings show the new school would face Northeast 99th Avenue at the intersection with Irving Street. An underground parking garage would provide 70 spaces to supplement 15 surface parking spaces.

More information is available at: . 鈥� Josh Kulla