Guardian Real Estate Services is on the verge of breaking ground on a 234-unit apartment project in Milwaukie, making it the Portland developer’s second multifamily project in the southeast metro suburb.

The project follows Axletree Apartments, a five-story, 110-unit building that was delivered in downtown Milwaukie in November 2019. Axletree is now 95 percent occupied, Guardian President Tom Brenneke said.

Guardian is eager to double down on Milwaukie, he said.

“People are fleeing the city, and they’re finding Milwaukie, they’re finding Vancouver (Washington), they’re finding these other areas,” he said.

Milwaukie is 20 minutes from Portland’s central business district and easily accessible via TriMet’s MAX Orange light-rail line, Brenneke said. The area has its own strong employment base, including Oregon Tool, Bob’s Red Mill, Precision Castparts and Dave’s Killer Bread.

“You know, there’s real employment there,” Brenneke said.

Guardian found itself with essentially a turnkey project after another developer, Johnson Development Associates, based in Spartanburg, S.C., backed out. Guardian approached the land seller to secure a deal. Guardian was able to buy the plans from Johnson and keep the project team together.

“They got all the way to the altar with permits and walked away,” Brenneke said. “It dropped right in our lap.”

The project team includes LMC Construction, BC Group, Arris Studio Architects, DOWL and Tello Interiors. Guardian Management will manage the property.

Milwaukie, unlike Portland, has no inclusionary housing requirements, making it easier for a multifamily project to pencil out despite commanding lower rents. The city of Milwaukie encourages development, Brenneke said.

“We get red carpet treatment in that city,” he said.

In a news release, Ann Ober, Milwaukie’s city manager, stated: “For the past five years, the Milwaukie City Council has been dedicated to the development of housing through their housing affordability goal. We are excited about these units coming online as well as the construction of a portion of the Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway, another critical city project.”

The Guardian project at 10999 S.E. 37th Ave. is more spread out than Axletree. The forthcoming development comprises five residential buildings on 7.2 acres. The property will also have a clubhouse with a kitchen, a lounge, a conference room, a fitness center and a yoga studio. An outdoor plaza will feature a barbecue and picnic area, a pool and spa, a dog park and a playground.

Apartments will range in size from 495 square feet to 1,198 square feet in studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom configurations. A washer and a dryer will be included in each unit.

“I’m just so confident in this project,” Brenneke said. “There’s such a need and demand.”

Completion is expected in April 2023.

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A long-awaited hotel project is continuing to advance, with a public hearing before the Beaverton Planning Commission scheduled for Wednesday.

Commissioners will consider a request for design review for the proposed five-story, 121-room hotel on the Westgate property near Beaverton City Hall, at the southwest corner of the intersection of Southwest Rose Biggi Avenue and Crescent Street. The project’s designer is Arris Studio Architects.

The developer, Canterbury Hotel Group, previously told the city it hopes to ink an agreement with Hyatt to use the Hyatt House brand. The hotel will be managed by InterMountain Management.

The Beaverton City Council in December 2017 approved a with Canterbury. The city, which bought the property in 2005 for $4.9 million, gave it to Canterbury for no charge.

Design and construction are estimated to cost $23.5 million. Deacon Corp. will serve as general contractor.

According to the development agreement, the hotel will be a “five-story, high-quality, upscale lodging facility of approximately 120 rooms.” Amenities will include a “spacious lobby, lobby bar, fitness facility, business center, sundry shop, guest laundry facilities, boardroom, and an outdoor terrace with a swimming pool.”

A 3,000-square-foot restaurant space is planned on the ground floor, but a tenant has not been announced yet.

The city has been trying to develop the Westgate property, formerly home of the Westgate Theatre, for several years now as part of the Creekside District Master Plan. A 2015 development agreement with Rembold Properties to construct a two-building, 230-unit mixed-use development, a new hotel and a possible arts center on the property fizzled when Rembold backed out of the hotel portion in 2016. This forced the city to issue a second RFQ. Rembold, however, went on to develop the mixed-use project, The Rise Central; construction began in summer 2017 and is expected to finish this winter.

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