91ÊÓƵ

Home Forward has completed the T. Joyce Phillips Apartments, a 187-unit affordable housing development at 2513 N.E. Saratoga St. in Portland that replaced a deteriorating 1970s-era complex while keeping existing residents housed throughout construction.

The development, spanning 170,500 square feet across four-story buildings, offers studio through four-bedroom units serving households at 60 percent of Area Median Income. The project was designed and built by LEVER Architecture and Walsh Construction.

Construction was divided into two phases to avoid displacing residents already living on the 5.3-acre site. Phase one delivered 47 new units in Buildings A and B, allowing existing tenants to relocate on-site before the original 15 structures were demolished. A substantial retaining wall was also constructed during this phase to address the property’s significant slope. Phase two added three buildings and 140 units, completing the full community.

The second phase also introduced a covered basketball court and community center built using cross-laminated timber and mass timber glulam beams. The centralized facility includes a community room and kitchen, laundry room and staff offices, as well as flexible spaces for resident use.

The 147 additional units were made possible by the voter-approved 2018 Metro Affordable Housing Bond.

The project was made possible through guidance from a dedicated Community Advisory Committee, along with support from Metro, Oregon Housing & Community Services, the Portland Housing Bureau, and HUD. Residents played an active role in shaping the development through meetings, design workshops and feedback sessions that influenced unit layouts, shared spaces, safety features and family-oriented amenities. The project achieved Earth Advantage certification.

The project team surpassed its minority contracting targets, with more than 35 percent of subcontractors holding Minority, Women, Emerging Small Business certification, exceeding the 28 percent goal. Jobsite culture training was conducted through RISE Up. Weekly safety meetings on site with a dedicated Walsh safety team led to 1,121 consecutive days without a recordable safety incident.

The development is named in honor of T. Joyce Phillips, an early learning educator at Albina Head Start who served Dekum Court families for decades. She dedicated her career to sup-porting early childhood education and strengthening families in the neighborhood. Her philosophy of listening to residents, amplifying their voices and fostering connection guided the redevelopment process and continues to shape the spirit of the community today.

The project is served by TriMet bus lines 17, 70 and 75, providing residents with connections to inner Northeast and Southeast Portland, downtown and major transit centers.