Project name: Meridian Gardens

Location: Portland

Completion: September 2024

Size: 40,361 square feet

Owner: Central City Concern

Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects

Interior Designer: Ankrom Moisan Architects

Engineers: Tapani Plumbing, Ecotope, MFIA

General Contractor: Walsh Construction

Submitting Company: Walsh Construction

Other Key Participants: Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services, Department of Behavorial Health Services, Oregon Housing and Community Services, US Bank, Umpqua Bank

Subcontractors: All Trades General Contractors, Ambrose Glass, Andres Landscape, Applied Technical Systems, AT Publix, B&T Striping & Curbing, Berrien Concrete, Best Cabinet & Granite Supply, Brothers Construction, Buffalo Welding, Castle Masonry & Restoration, Centurion Fire Protection, Civic Construction, Columbia Allied Services, Elemental Energy, G&L Janitorial, Gorilla Hardware, Ha’s Painting, Interior Technology, Jack’s Overhead Door, Kodiak Pacific Construction, KONE, Lauzon Contracting, Mt. Hood Corps., NW Umpqua Roofing & Waterproofing, PARCA Floors, Pioneer Sheet Metal, Pioneer Waterproofing, Point Monitor, Polaris Electric, RDF Builders, Sign Wizards, Specialized Pavement Markings, Standard TV & Appliance, Tapani Plumbing, Ultra Quiet Floors, United Brothers, Vale Insulation Group, WESSCO, WMX Construction, Zavala, Zochert Fence

A new affordable housing development in Southeast Portland is taking an innovative approach to addressing homelessness by combining permanent supportive housing with recovery services.

Meridian Gardens, the third phase of Central City Concern’s Division Street Campus, offers 85 units for individuals and couples experiencing or at risk of homelessness who are in substance use disorder treatment or recovery.

Located in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, the development features Single Room Occupancy and studio apartments. Sixty-five units provide permanent supportive housing with federal rent assistance vouchers, while 20 homes are reserved for households with incomes between 31 percent and 50 percent of the area median income.

The project stands out for its holistic approach to housing instability, following the “housing first” model that prioritizes providing individuals with permanent housing as a foundation for addressing other challenges. By approaching affordable housing with holistic and integrated solutions, the project reduces the barriers to affordable housing and disrupts the cycles of instability that often accompany homelessness.

Meridian Gardens includes amenities designed to create dignified living spaces: shared computer workstations, recovery group rooms, trauma-informed design, and raised garden beds shared with a neighboring building. The Central City Concern’s Puentes recovery program provides culturally responsive services delivered by peer support specialists.

The development also demonstrates significant commitment to sustainability as Central City Concern’s first all-electric building. Sustainable features include solar panels, EV chargers, a heat pump hot water system, and mini-splits for every unit. The project even includes an emergency generator to increase building resiliency during power outages.

In collaboration with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Portland General Electric, the project incorporates a monitoring system to collect data on energy use and equipment performance in low-income, mid-rise multifamily housing.

Transportation accessibility was another key consideration. Metro contributed $500,000 through its transit-oriented development program, supporting the creation of affordable housing near public transportation. The complex is located on Division Street, where TriMet’s FX2-Division high-capacity bus line offers service to Downtown Portland every 12 minutes throughout most of the day.

Critical partners in developing Meridian Gardens included the Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services, Department of Behavioral Health Services, Oregon Housing and Community Services, US Bank and Umpqua Bank.

Walsh Construction surprised the 30 percent MWESB goal on the project, achieving 36 percent.

The post Meridian Gardens appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Central City Concern is bringing new life to the southwest corner of Northwest Sixth Avenue and Flanders Street in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown.

The old, decrepit Westwind Apartments building was demolished in October 2021, and Walsh Construction has since led the effort to replace it with a seven-story, 100-unit affordable housing structure designed by Works Progress Architecture.

Recently, the building got a name: the Starlight. Central City Concern’s director of real estate development, Mary-Rain O’Meara, said the name relates to the area better since Amtrak’s Coast Starlight line travels through Union Station nearby and the annual Starlight Parade passes through downtown.

The building will have 70 single-room-occupancy units and 30 studio apartments for people earning either 30 percent (or less) or 50 percent (or less) of the area median income. There will also be ground-floor retail space and an outdoor courtyard. Residents will have access to “extensive supportive services,” according to the city of Portland.

Early Thursday morning, Zavala Corp. crews started laying the second and last post-tensioned concrete deck. They began on the southeast corner of the site in the dark, and by 9 a.m. on a clear morning, the third-floor deck was nearly filled in.

Pouring concrete in the Portland-metro area comes with lots of challenges, especially now when there’s so much construction taking place, Walsh Construction Community Outreach Director Afton Walsh said. Project teams must pick their day two weeks out, commit to it, and then hope for good weather, she added, because concrete crews have full schedules.

Once Zavala Corp. finishes its work, framers, plumbers and electricians will enter.

“It’s kind of an exciting day,” Walsh said. “It’s sort of the completion of one scope of work, and then we’re really off to the races.”

This is the first time Walsh Construction has partnered with Zavala Corp., a COBID-certified firm based in Troutdale. Its crews laid the foundation and the two post-tensioned decks.

“(It’s the) start of a very long partnership,” Walsh said. “I know that.”

Over the coming months, the building will rise four more stories and gain a roof. Then drywall work will begin.

Central City Concern opted for new construction, O’Meara said, mainly to increase site density and provide space to better suit future residents – primarily chronically homeless individuals – and social service providers.

The new building is designed to achieve Earth Advantage platinum standards. There will be a solar array on the roof. Also, an outdoor courtyard on the second floor was designed to match neighboring buildings’ courtyards and create a small, urban oasis.

Construction of the project is expected to wrap in the fall.

“We really see it as revitalizing this corner of Old Town,” O’Meara said. “We’re looking forward to having it come to fruition.”

The post New life for a bit of Old Town Chinatown appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

PROJECT: Crescent Court Apartments

LOCATION: 11560 S.E. Division St., Portland

SIZE:��2.04 acres (138 units)

START DATE: November 2020

ANTICIPATED END DATE: February 2022

DEVELOPER/OWNER: Related Northwest (administrative general partner), Central City Concern (managing general partner)

ARCHITECT: Ankrom Moisan Architects

CONTRACTOR:��Walsh Construction Co.

SUSTAINABILITY TARGET: Earth Advantage

TAX CREDIT EQUITY INVESTOR/DEBT LENDER: U.S. Bank

OTHER FUNDING: Oregon Housing and Community Services, Enterprise Housing Credit Investments, Multnomah County‘s Joint Office of Homeless Services

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT: Located within the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood on 2.04 acres, Crescent Court Apartments will feature 138 affordable housing units for low- and very low-income individuals and families, communities of color, immigrants and refugees. Seven units have been designated as Permanent Support Housing for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Plans call for 27 studio, 42 one-bedroom, 45 two-bedroom, and 23 three-bedroom apartments. They will range in size from 416 square feet to 1,028 square feet. Common area amenities will include a community room with a kitchen, a shared laundry space, internet stations, a teen room, resident services space, a playground, and a picnic area with a barbecue. The Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization will provide services to immigrant and refugee families, and after-school care programs will be administered at no cost to residents by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland in a designated 1,700-square-foot space. Intensive on-site social services will be provided by Central City Concern. The apartment complex is located on a main thoroughfare served by mass-transit systems. It is near parks and public amenities, including Midland Library, Ventura Park, the Blackburn Center and the East Portland Community Center. Rents will range from $397 to $1,253 per month. A Residual Receipts Loan of $15.6 million is being provided through the Portland Housing Bureau (general obligation bonds).

“Building Blocks” is a new 91��Ƶ feature that spotlights noteworthy projects either under construction or approaching the start of construction. To submit a project for consideration, please visit: djcoregon.com/building-blocks.

The post Building Blocks: Crescent Court Apartments appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

A two-building development that will bring a total of nearly 200 units of affordable housing to Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood advanced last week, as construction funding was approved for the first phase and notice of a Type II adjustment review was issued for the second.

Central City Concern and Related Northwest are teaming on the phased development of a pair of properties at Southeast Division Street and 115th Avenue. The first phase, the $15 million Division Street Apartments, will include 40 single-room occupancy units and 20 studios. The second phase, the $38.3 million 115th at Division, will include 138 apartments – a mix of studios and units with one, two or three bedrooms.

Both buildings are designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects and will be built by Walsh Construction Co.

Portland City Council last week approved construction financing not to exceed $8.475 million for the Division Street Apartments, at 11332 S.E. Division St. The project is the first of two to be awarded funding through the Portland Housing Bureau‘s 2018 notice of available funding for permanent supportive housing. All 60 low-barrier housing units in the building will rent for $500 per month; 40 will serve homeless individuals with mental health issues, and 10 will be reserved for individuals with severe mental illness.

According to Ryan Hood, a project manager with Related Northwest, the project team is planning to close on the property on May 28 and break ground at the beginning of June. Construction of the three-story building is expected to require about 13 months.

The four-story 115th at Division will rise on a 1.02-acre lot at 11518 S.E. Division St. The new building will feature a large central courtyard and 87 vehicle parking spaces. Shapiro Didway Landscape Architecture is the project’s landscape architect. A Type II adjustment review will address locating vehicle access from a driveway near the property’s southern end, as the Portland Bureau of Transportation will not allow curb cuts on Division Street.

Funding for the project will come from a $258.4 million housing bond approved by voters in November 2016. The development team is hoping to close on the property in late October and break ground shortly afterward, Hood said. Construction is expected to require about 16 months.

The building is primarily intended to serve households making between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. Seven of the units are to be set aside as permanent supportive housing. The proximity of the building to the Division Street Apartments will allow for residents elevating out of permanent supportive housing units to remain in the immediate community by transitioning to living at 115th and Division. Further, both buildings’ proximity to Central City Concern’s Blackburn Center will allow residents to access that facility’s comprehensive services, which include health care, addiction treatment and employment assistance.

The post Affordable housing project team navigating review process appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The Portland Design Commission on Thursday got its first look at plans for the new Westwind Apartments: a seven-story, 100-unit affordable housing structure in Old Town Chinatown.

The project, backed by the Portland Housing Bureau and housing operator Central City Concern, would replace a decrepit, single room occupancy (SRO) building completed in 1903 with a modern one designed by Works Progress Architecture. The existing building at 333 N.W. Sixth Ave. would be demolished.

Works Progress Architecture brought a sleek, contemporary design to Thursday’s hearing. The L-shaped building would fit tightly on the quarter-block lot. The project team faces a number of site challenges, including an ongoing issue with the Portland Bureau of Transportation regarding the public right-of-way and whether an easement or a major encroachment would be required.

The building would have 70 short-term SRO units and 30 studio apartments. There would also be offices for Central City Concern and community spaces.

The exterior would have dark metal panels. The design features a prominent corner at Northwest Sixth Avenue and Flanders Street anchored by trees growing from box-shaped projections. Two loading areas would be located off of Flanders Street.

Design commissioners said the building should respond to its context: Old Town Chinatown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Oregon, with a unique collection of low-slung brick masonry buildings that date back more than a century. That presents a different challenge for Works Progress Architecture – a firm known for cutting-edge contemporary architecture in Portland’s commercial corridors.

“The thing about the buildings Works brings in – they are a meta-context,” Design Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said. “There is a body of work that you own around the city that is part of that. I would like to see – I will see – how you ultimately land one of your buildings in such a strong context.”

Design commissioners focused on the proposed materials, including exterior metal paneling.

“The metal panel for me is a tough sell because there is masonry on pretty much every building in the neighborhood,” Commissioner Jessica Molinar said.

While the project team must account for neighborhood context, it also is working with a strict budget.

“Obviously there is a cost consideration when it comes to masonry, and we don’t talk about money in the hearing room, but there are more affordable solutions besides brick,” Livingston said.

The proposal doesn’t need to mimic its historic neighbors, Commissioner Sam Rodriguez said.

“Contextually, it’s a very interesting problem, because this is a very old neighborhood,” he said. “I don’t think we need to do Disneyland, Mickey Mouse copies of what’s there.”

Commissioners also probed the design team on the tree-sprouting projections.

“We have a hard time keeping landscaping alive under overhangs,” Brian McCarter said.

The projections should work as architectural elements with or without trees, commissioners said.

The Westwind is a key affordable housing project for the city. The Housing Bureau in November 2018 used tax-increment financing to purchase the property from a Newberg couple for $3 million. The new building would be constructed using money from the city’s $258.4 million housing bond that was approved by voters in November 2016. Multnomah County��has pledged to contribute $4 million to the project.

The project team is expected to return before the Design Commission later this month.

The post Old neighborhood presents a new challenge appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The award-winning Blackburn Center opened in east Portland on Tuesday, offering the public glimpses inside the building featuring both transitional housing units and clinic space.

The six-story structure, at 12121 E. Burnside St., is intended to serve as a model of holistic care. The top three stories hold 175 apartments, while the bottom three stories have space for health care, addiction treatment, mental health services, employment assistance and other counseling. A ground-floor space facing the corner of Burnside Street and 122nd Avenue will be occupied by a retail tenant.

Central City Concern, the project’s developer and owner, will manage the building and provide comprehensive case management. Officials expect to be able to serve approximately 3,000 patients annually; new residents were accepted beginning last month.

Ankrom Moisan Architects designed the $52 million Blackburn Center, and Walsh Construction served as the general contractor. The project is a rarity, Ankrom Moisan Architects managing principal Mariah Kiersey said, because the final result is even better than anticipated.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said Kiersey, who managed the project for Ankrom Moisan. “We talked about some of those renders we had at the very beginning, and now being able to stand there and see that vision realized … You have this vision and what it should look like, but when you really see it, it’s just been awesome.”

The building features five stories of wood framing atop a post-tensioned concrete podium. There is extensive use of fiber cement panels simulating a natural wood finish. A gable end design gives units on the east side views of Mount Hood and east Portland.

On the inside, an open staircase with natural light from south-facing windows connects clinic reception areas on the first and second floors. This is one of the building’s defining touches, Kiersey said.

“I really love the double-height stair coming in and connecting those two spaces,” she said. “Being able to get that light to pour through and make those two stories feel connected was important, because those two clinics are connected even though they have very different functions on two floors.”

On the edges and corners of the building are unique “Sky Armor” panels custom-designed and fabricated by subcontractor Skyline Sheet Metal. The panels are intended to provide an aesthetically-pleasing and effective weather seal.

“They created that solution for us and now they can market it,” Kiersey said.

The project team also is pursuing Earth Advantage gold certification, with a rooftop photovoltaic array expected to deliver up to 120 kilowatts of electricity at peak output.

Before the Blackburn Center was built, it garnered Ankrom Moisan a 2018 Healthcare Design Award (in the unbuilt category) from the American Institute of Architects. Now that the building has been delivered, Kiersey said, the firm intends to pursue additional awards.

“We’re now excited, now that it’s done, to submit (entries) for the (completed building),” she said. “We’re just really proud of it and we’re glad we had the partners there to build it. That’s really where you get that success from.”

The post Housing, health care and healing appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County‘s Mental Health and Addiction Services Division and Oregon Housing and Community Services are financially supporting a pair of projects that combine new housing with mental health services in an effort to fight chronic homelessness.

Together, the three agencies plan to invest more than $12 million to provide 98 new housing units and space for social services.

“The benefits of permanent supportive housing are well documented, and this is a proven strategy we will implement statewide,” Oregon Housing and Community Services Director Margaret Salazar stated in a press release.

The Division Street Apartments project is being developed by Central City Concern and Related Northwest, and designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects. The development will be built on a 1.08-acre parcel, currently vacant, at 11332 S.E. Division St., in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. Plans call for 40 Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) units averaging 204 square feet, including a bathroom, as well as 20 studio apartments. Rent will be $500 per month for all 60 units, 40 of which are intended for homeless individuals with identified mental health issues.

The Findley Commons project is being developed by Do Good Multnomah and HomeFirst Development to serve veterans. It will be built on part of an existing parking lot at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, at 5415 S.E. Powell Blvd. Plans call for 18 SRO units and 20 one-bedroom apartments. The SRO units will rent for $350 per month. Also, 20 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers will be leveraged to support the one-bedroom units, which are intended for veterans earning no more than 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

The Portland Housing Bureau last summer issued a Notice of Funding Availability and called for cost-effective proposals to create new supportive housing for homeless individuals experiencing mental illness. These two projects, according to the bureau, are the first in which capital funding to build affordable housing has been bundled with funding to provide services for vulnerable residents.

The post Supportive housing projects in the works appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Central City Concern is in the midst of a Portland building boom, thanks to a 2016 initiative dubbed . It has received contributions from six metro-area health care organizations and is in the process of producing three developments providing a total of 379 affordable housing units as well as health care services.

The first one to open was Hazel Heights – a $26.8 million, four-story complex with 153 residential units – 92 with one bedroom and 61 with two bedrooms. The development is located at 333 S.E. 127th Ave., near Stark Street.

Eight units are reserved for households with incomes no greater than 30 percent of the median family income (MFI), 30 units are reserved for households with incomes no greater than 50 percent of the MFI, and 115 units are reserved for households with incomes no greater than 60 percent of the MFI. Rents will range from $412 to $995 per month, depending on tenants’ incomes.

For these units, Central City Concern primarily is targeting individuals who are exiting transitional housing programs and are employed, but who may still have significant barriers to permanent housing.

“These homes are important for supporting employed people with affordable housing,” Central City Concern President and CEO Rachel Solotaroff stated at the Hazel Heights grand opening several weeks ago. “When people are housed, they have a better chance for a healthy future.”

The six health care organizations participating in Housing Is Health are: Adventist Health Portland, CareOregon, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Legacy Health, Oregon Health & Science University, and Providence Health & Services Oregon.

The two other projects are Charlotte B. Rutherford Place and the Blackburn Center. Silco Construction finished the former project – a 51-unit apartment complex in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood – this past fall. Walsh Construction is expected to finish building the latter project – a 175-unit apartment complex with health care services in the Hazelwood neighborhood – this next summer.

Ankrom Moisan Architects designed Hazel Heights, and Team Construction of Vancouver, Washington, served as the general contractor. Like Charlotte B. Rutherford Place, Hazel Heights buildings will feature large rooftop solar arrays – a total of 88 panels.

Other major financial contributors to the Hazel Heights project included: Umpqua Bank, the Portland Housing Bureau, U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Federal Home Loan Bank and PGE.

The post Residential development filling key role appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Central City Concern‘s in Northeast Portland is not just a mixed-use project; it’s an award-winning mixed-use project.

Designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects, the six-story building will feature three stories of health care services and ground-floor retail space as well as 175 apartments for Portland’s most disadvantaged individuals. Earlier this year the project earned a 2018 Healthcare Design Award from the American Institute of Architects.

The building phase, with Walsh Construction serving as general contractor, is moving along. Virtually all the mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in for the Blackburn Center has taken place, according to Walsh Construction project manager Brian Ames. Meanwhile, interior tradespeople are busy installing metal framing, electrical wiring, HVAC systems, drywall, insulation and flooring.

“We’re moving down now through the building,” Ames said. “You build it up and rough it and then come down with the finishes. So right now on the inside we’re going to texture the walls on level six and we’ll paint them. And then, basically, the electricians and plumbers will put in all the finishes.”

A “pretty complicated” cladding system, as described by Ames, also is being installed. Several different materials are being used, but the dominant one is a fiber-cement product made to resemble a natural wood finish. Other materials include aluminum panels, many of them hand-cut to fit the shape of the building, as well as glass fiber reinforced concrete panels to highlight the ground-floor storefronts.

A solar array rated at 120 kilowatts of output power will adorn the roof. The building is expected to be certified Earth Advantage gold, Ames said.

Work is expected to finish by July 2019, with the building’s health clinic portion set to open to the public soon thereafter. Central City Concern will provide comprehensive case management for about 3,000 patients annually. Clinical services will focus on recovery and mental health services as well as primary care.

The building’s residential portion will offer: 80 transitional, single-room units for low-income individuals; 51 transitional, “respite care” units; 34 permanent studios and 10 “palliative care” units.

The total budget for the Blackburn Center is approximately $52 million. It’s one of three projects to come out of Central City Concern’s 2016 Housing is Health initiative. The others are Charlotte B. Rutherford Place and Hazel Heights.

The post Blackburn Center construction progressing appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Voters in the Portland-metro area said yes to affordable housing, overwhelmingly approving a $652.8 million bond measure.

Metro‘s bond won Tuesday with 65.6 percent of the vote. The money will be used to build or acquire affordable housing, or acquire land, in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, and the cities of Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Gresham.

“The outcome (Tuesday) helps to demonstrate how the greater Portland region is interested in addressing these issues at the regional level,” Metro spokesman Nick Christensen said.

A statewide ballot measure, Measure 102, also passed, enabling public agencies to issue bonds for projects involving federal tax credits. Housing advocates said they could better leverage local dollars in concert with federal funding.

Metro will act as the aggregator of bond funds and set goals and guidelines for spending. However, individual deals will be decided by city and county agencies.

“Regionally, it’s sort of an unprecedented collaboration around housing and housing affordability,” said Sean Hubert, chief housing and strategy officer at Central City Concern, a nonprofit affordable housing developer.

The regional approach means affordable housing projects will be spread across the area, instead of each city and county taking an individual approach and perhaps leaving gaps in supply.

“It’s really groundbreaking,” REACH Community Development CEO Dan Valliere said. “It’s one of the first times nationally where you have a metropolitan-wide affordable housing measure. … It’s flexible, and we can make sure we’re developing it everywhere.”

The Metro housing bond targets deep affordability, with approximately 40 percent of the dollars set to benefit renters at 30 percent or below area median family income.

“That’s hopefully a good precedent for public policy,” Hubert said.

The sheer amount of money will help make a dent in the problem, combined with new spending flexibility, Hubert said. Measure 102 allows federal low-income tax credits – the single largest source of affordable housing subsidies – to be paired with local bond money.

The timing of the bond sale has not been determined, Christensen said.

“The biggest thing is getting the bond sale done and the best value for the region’s taxpayers,” he said.

Metro and affordable housing developers have prepared for the bond’s passage and are ready to move quickly, officials said.

“For us, it’s great because there are already a bunch of projects teed up around the region,” Valliere said. “They were kind of waiting in line. Now some of those can move quicker.”

Also on Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly approved issuing $158 million in bonds for Oregon City schools. The money will be used to relieve overcrowding by rebuilding Gardiner Middle School and remodeling Ogden Middle School, improve safety and security at schools, upgrade aging schools, and build new career and technical education facilities, according to the district.

Meanwhile election results also likely drove a stake through the idea of using the former Wapato Jail as a homeless shelter. Loretta Smith, one of the few local leaders to support the idea, was trounced by Jo Ann Hardesty, who opposed it. Gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler, who had reportedly voiced support for fast-tracking conversion of the Wapato Jail into a shelter, also fell short in his campaign against Gov. Kate Brown.

The Bureau of Development Services last week issued a $1 million demolition permit for the Wapato Jail facility at 14355 N. Bybee Lake Court. Jordan Schnitzer, president of the property’s owner, Harsch Investment Properties, did not return a call seeking comment on his plans for the property. Schnitzer has said he intends to build storage facilities on the property if it can’t be transformed into a homeless shelter.

The post Voters boost efforts to acquire or build affordable housing appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.