91ÊÓƵ

A new, 150-unit affordable housing community is coming to the heart of Hillsboro.

Nueva Esperanza will feature 12 residential buildings and a community building on a six-acre lot near the intersection of Northeast 53rd Avenue and Hidden Creek Drive.

The co-developers of the $37 million project are Hillsboro-based Bienestar and Portland-based Housing Development Center. Scott | Edwards Architecture is the designer, and LMC Construction is the general contractor.

Most of the apartments will have two or three bedrooms, though others will have one or four bedrooms. Sixty of the units are intended for households earning 30 percent of the area median income or less. The remainder will be for households earning 20 to 60 percent of the AMI.

The complex will have 169 parking spots, exceeding the requirement of one spot per unit.

The intent of the design, architect Eugenia Fama-Higgins of Scott | Edwards Architecture said, was to create small neighborhoods within the larger one. Residential buildings will be grouped into three distinct clusters – each with its own character and an outdoor plaza in the middle. Walking paths and vehicular streets will circulate through the site and connect the plazas.

Nueva Esperanza, according to Bienestar’s website, is its first project designed to meet two culturally different communities: Latinx families and Somali immigrant families. To ensure the needs of both would be met, focus groups were engaged at different stages of development. This made the project unique for Fama-Higgins, she said. From those conversations, she added, importance was placed on picnic areas, a piñata pole and a large meadow to accommodate soccer games and outdoor movies during summertime.

Both communities requested a separate vanity in the two-bedroom apartments where there’s only one bathroom. In units with two bathrooms, one has a shower and the other has a tub. For the three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments, future residents asked for the kitchen to be separated from the living area by a partition wall or a door.

One point of contention between the communities was whether dogs would be allowed. To find middle ground, Fama-Higgins said, the team added a fence around the area for dogs. Also, signage will indicate whether dogs are allowed in certain areas.

All residential buildings will be three stories. The walk-up apartments will be stacked and identical, with entryways on the plaza and street side. The other configuration will be a two-story townhome unit over a flat.

The buildings will have a traditional wood siding, but Fama-Higgins said it would be a vertical board-and-batten pattern to add a bit of playfulness. The bluish color is still being finalized, she added, but so far feedback from the city of Hillsboro, clients and community members has been positive.

Earth Advantage gold certification will be sought for the project. Residential buildings at the site’s south end will be made solar-ready for a maximum 26-kilowatt load. The solar power will serve the community’s side lighting and some common spaces.

Construction crews will use an advanced framing method for the residential buildings. Instead of 16 inches of separation between studs, there will be 24 inches. This will allow use of less material and reduce the labor cost, Fama-Higgins said, but also create more space for insulation and thus improve the building’s energy performance.

The project team already has exceeded its goal of 20 percent participation by minority-owned, woman-owned, or emerging small businesses. So far, it is at 30 percent, according to a Scott | Edwards Architecture representative.

Currently, permits are being sought for the project. Crews expect to break ground this month and finish in fall 2023.

On the Boards is a 91ÊÓƵ feature offering a look at the projects in Oregon being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact the 91ÊÓƵ at 503-802-7221 or [email protected].