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A four-story, 87,742-square-foot housing development is in the works in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The project 鈥� a collaboration of Portland Community College and Home Forward 鈥� will deliver 84 affordable apartments in a building along Northeast Killingsworth Street 鈥� on land now occupied by PCC’s Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center.

The existing training center, at 5600 N.E. 42nd Ave., will be demolished after staff moves into the new one now being built nearby. That will allow construction of the affordable housing project, which was designed by Hacker.

Home Forward, an independent government agency, is leasing approximately one acre of the PCC property to build and operate the housing complex. Units will be available to people who make no more than 60 percent of median family income.

Hacker began designing the housing development in February 2020.

鈥淭he project was more heavily geared towards roommates and small families,鈥� Hacker design principal Chris Hodney said.

The units are designed to be flexible. There will be 15 three-bedroom units, 45 two-bedroom units, six one-bedroom units, and 18 studios.

鈥淭he building is an 鈥楩’ shape,鈥� Hodney said. 鈥淚t creates these two private courtyards.鈥�

One courtyard will be an active play area for kids, with terraces connected by slides. A second courtyard will have multiple gathering spaces as well as outdoor seating adjacent to a communal room on the first floor.

The courtyards will be lined by some ground-floor apartments as well as amenities such as community rooms, management offices and support service spaces.

鈥淥nly a small portion of the building fronts Killingsworth just because of the way the site is shaped,鈥� Hodney said.

That frontage is lined with commercial space, Hodney added. The Native American Youth and Family Center signed a long-term lease for space where its programs and services will be accessible by residents. The project design team will be available to help NAYA plan for offices, child care space, and possibly micro-retail spaces for clients such as startup businesses.

With a goal for Earth Advantage platinum certification, Hacker focused on cost-efficient design. Apartments will be only as big as they need to be, building plan dimensions (including floor-to-floor heights) will minimize wood-framing and gypsum-board waste, structural design will eliminate the need for a more expensive post-tensioned concrete slab, and thoughtful placement of exterior glazing will ensure the overall window-to-wall ratio is optimal.

鈥淭he building planning and the way we designed the apartment units was all about saving costs,鈥� Hodney said.

O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders is expected to begin construction in June 2023 and finish in August 2024. The estimated total project cost is $24 million.

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