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A seven-story affordable housing development in Portland鈥檚 historic Lower Albina neighborhood marks the first completed project in a larger community-led initiative to restore roughly 94 acres of historically Black land lost through decades of displacement and urban renewal. The development opened in October.
Albina One, located at 1771 N.E. Flint Ave., delivers 94 affordable homes across approximately 94,000 square feet. The project was developed by Albina Vision Trust, designed by LEVER Architecture and built by Colas Construction 鈥� a fully Black-led team spanning ownership, design and construction.
The building incorporates amenities uncommon in affordable housing, including a multifunctional community room, community kitchen, shared balconies, outdoor courtyards and a maker space. Residents also have access to expansive views of the river and city skyline 鈥� vistas historically inaccessible to the Black community that once resided in the area.
鈥淕rowing up in Northeast Portland, I understand the history, resilience, and meaning this neighborhood holds for the Black community,鈥� noted Andrew Colas, president and CEO of Colas Construction, in the Top Projects nomination form. 鈥淚t is an incredible honor to build this project, and we are proud to be part of what comes next for Albina.鈥�
Afro-Deco is a defining design lens that sets Albina One apart from comparable affordable housing projects. As shared by project architect Chandra Robinson, the building draws inspiration from Yoruban artistic traditions, whose geometric language and ornamentation later informed what became known as Art Deco. Albina One intentionally reclaims this lineage through a contemporary Afro-Deco approach.
The project is among the first all-electric affordable housing developments in the region. Rooftop solar panels, battery backup, a large generator fuel tank and mobile generator infrastructure were integrated to ensure uninterrupted life safety operations during power outages 鈥� an uncommon level of redundancy for the building type.
Contaminated and unstable soils presented significant construction challenges. The project team implemented deep soil-mixing columns to stabilize the foundation system, reducing excavation and mitigating risks of cost escalation and schedule delays. Colas Construction also advised the owner to carry remediation costs separately from the main contract 鈥� an approach that improved budget transparency and reduced financial uncertainty.
Safety management relied on regular site-specific safety talks, controlled access points and routine audits tracked through Procore鈥檚 safety management platform, which maintained real-time visibility into site conditions.
The project set a 20 percent COBID minority contracting participation goal and finished at 40 percent. Thirty-one percent of total subcontract value went to COBID-certified equity firms, with 38 percent of that participation delivered by Black- and Brown-owned businesses. Notable trade partners included Affordable Electric, the largest Black-owned electrical contractor in the region, and J.A. Mechanical, a Latino-owned HVAC firm.