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For various reasons, affordable housing developments typically offer bare-bones accessibility and energy efficiency.

But for a new project in east Multnomah County, Albertina Kerr and Edlen & Company are looking to raise the bar significantly. They are jointly developing the four-story, 150-unit Albertina Kerr Workforce and Inclusive Housing complex on the northwest corner of the nonprofit鈥檚 Gresham campus along Northeast 162nd Avenue.

Ankrom Moisan Architects designed the project, which is being funded in part with money from Metro鈥檚 2018 affordable housing bond as well as affordable housing tax credits.

The development will provide disabled residents with a wide array of features and amenities rarely included in a building of this type. Plus, other features are expected to ensure that energy use in the building is net zero.

鈥淚t鈥檚 actually not as crazy as you鈥檇 think from a financial perspective,鈥� said Jill Sherman, a co-founder of Edlen & Company. 鈥淎s much as solar costs have come down, we have a ton on the roof, and all of our surface parking has canopies that are covered with solar. You used to have to spend more money on the building and then buy all the solar, and it鈥檚 not an insignificant cost addition. But in affordable housing you get tax credits based on eligible project costs, and the cost of getting to net zero is an eligible cost, so the per-unit cost is still very reasonable.鈥�

On top of tax credits, the project also received grant funding from Portland General Electric, Sherman said.

鈥淵ou get the extra tax credits and no electric utility costs, and we felt the story of a net-zero affordable housing project and the benefits to the environment and tenants would be strong enough to attract additional grant funding, which it has,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty exciting and definitely something that we will continue to look at on our affordable housing projects.鈥�

The project鈥檚 general contractor is Pence Construction. Currently, G Builders workers are framing the third story. Completion is expected in spring 2022.

鈥淥nce we get the roof secure and dry in the building, then we do the finishes (downward),鈥� Pence Construction foreman Dave Oury said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l do as much rough-in and build what we can from the bottom up, but when you start to drywall and finish and all that you鈥檒l go from the top floor down.鈥�

Unlike many recent projects in the Portland area, this one has largely avoided the stratospheric cost increases for dimensional lumber and other wood products.

鈥淭his bid in September of last year, so that was the first initial spike, and we started procuring some materials after that buy-out before it got too rampant to where we are today,鈥� Pence Construction project manager Chris Mann said. 鈥淲e have other projects that are really suffering because of that. Luckily, we got our floor joists, and apparently that鈥檚 a major, major issue right now. Some projects are being redesigned, but we purchased our material and everyone honored our prices because we were on the front end of the initial increase, so I feel like I鈥檓 a lucky person and I should go buy a lottery ticket.鈥�

The Albertina Kerr Workforce and Inclusive Housing complex will include 25 studio apartments, 94 one-bedroom units, 23 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. Of those, 102 will be affordable for households at 60 percent of area median income (AMI) or less, 11 will be for households at 70 percent AMI or less, and four will be for households at 80 percent AMI or less.

Notably, 30 units will be set aside for residents with an intellectual and/or developmental disability. All of these units will be on the ground floor and feature wider-than-normal doorways, roll-in showers, cabinetry that can be mechanically lowered from walls, blackout curtains, and an array of smart home features able to be controlled by mobile phone apps.

鈥淭he main goal is to take somebody who may not feel like they鈥檙e totally independent in a typical house or even a typical ADA and give them that independence in these units,鈥� Mann said.

In addition to a 600-kilowatt solar array, the building will have an airtight envelope, high-efficiency mineral wool insulation, triple-paned windows, and a low-energy heat recovery system instead of traditional HVAC units.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the major difference from typical apartments that this building has,鈥� Mann said. 鈥淭hen we have water heat pumps on the roof. The equipment is as efficient as you can get.鈥�