The Portland Housing Bureau is gaining a new interim director, the city announced Wednesday. Quisha Light will start on May 18 after the current interim director, Michael Buonocore, steps down to become executive director of Home Forward.

Light, currently the city’s Public Works customer service division manager, oversees citywide customer service strategy, service delivery systems, affordability programs, and customer experience modernization. She joined the city team in 2022 as the Portland Water Bureau‘s director of customer service and led major technology modernization efforts as well as strengthened end-to-end customer operations. She later served as the bureau’s interim director.

“I am grateful to Quisha for her willingness to step up and lead this bureau and ensure there is no lapse in leadership as the city makes challenging budget decisions to address the ongoing housing and budgetary crises,” Donnie Oliveira, deputy city administrator for community and economic development, stated in a city press release. “She brings a customer-focused lens to the work, and when we are talking about providing housing to Portlanders, that service can be life-saving.”

Before entering public service, Light spent over a decade at Portland General Electric working in legal, strategy, integrated resource planning and product development roles, the press release states. She launched innovative clean energy and demand response initiatives. Prior to joining PGE, she practiced law in Tennessee.

The city’s Community and Economic Development service area and the Portland Housing Bureau plan to open a recruitment process for a permanent director early this summer. The bureau expects Light to serve in the interim until the permanent director assumes the role, Portland Housing Bureau spokesperson Gabriel Mathews stated in an email, adding that there is not a firm timeframe for when that transition will take place.

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Founded in 1907, Stoel Rives remains Oregon’s largest law firm with a real estate practice dating back 140 years.

As Oregon confronts its housing crisis, the firm has emerged as a pivotal legal force behind major affordable housing developments across the state. It recently represented Related Northwest in a transformative 13.7-acre redevelopment project in Milwaukie. The multi-phase initiative will convert low-density, single-family homes into a 500-unit affordable housing neighborhood with parks and common areas. Stoel Rives also continues its two-decade partnership with Home Forward, Oregon’s largest affordable housing provider. For rural communities, Stoel represented Chisman Development in financing five affordable housing projects last year, including the 100-unit Cypress Hill Apartments in The Dalles, Cascade Locks and Reedsport.

The firm’s work on the Portland Art Museum renovation project prompted Gareth Nevitt, chief financial officer with PAM, to nominate the firm for All-Star recognition. Stoel represented PAM on the construction and development of the project, which adds nearly 100,000 square feet of exhibit and public space. It is one of the largest capital investments in the arts in Oregon’s history. Stoel attorneys assisted PAM on drafting and negotiating the construction contracts for the new building and spaces, and they continue to assist with change order negotiations and ongoing construction-related issues.

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A four-story, 87,742-square-foot housing development is in the works in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The project – a collaboration of Portland Community College and Home Forward – will deliver 84 affordable apartments in a building along Northeast Killingsworth Street – 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.

“The project was more heavily geared towards roommates and small families,” 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.

“The building is an ‘F’ shape,” Hodney said. “It creates these two private courtyards.”

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.

“Only a small portion of the building fronts Killingsworth just because of the way the site is shaped,” 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.

“The building planning and the way we designed the apartment units was all about saving costs,” 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.

On the Boards is a 91��Ƶ feature offering a look at projects in Oregon and Southwest Washington being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact the 91��Ƶ at 503-802-7221 or newsroom@djcOregon.com.

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PROJECT: Fountain Place Apartments

LOCATION: 929 S.W. Salmon St., Portland

SIZE:��74 units

COST:��not provided

START DATE: April 2020

ANTICIPATED END DATE: October 2021

OWNER/DEVELOPER: Home Forward

ARCHITECT: Peter Meijer Architect

ENGINEERS: KPFF (structural), Glumac (mechanical, plumbing)

CONTRACTOR:��Lorentz Bruun Construction

CONSULTANT: Salazar Architect Inc. (affordable housing design specialists)

NUMBER OF WORKERS EMPLOYED: 100

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT: Work is drawing to a close on Home Forward’s renovation of the Fountain Place Apartments. Built in 1911 by local millionaire and salmon cannery owner Frank M. Warren, who died the following year as a passenger on the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage, Fountain Place is one of the earliest examples of high-end apartment construction in downtown Portland. It also is one of the area’s first U-shaped buildings.

Each floor has approximately 7,500 interior square feet, for a building total of 45,000 square feet. The building features a wood structure and a brick exterior. The contractor is dropping in six seismic braces on top of about 60 micro piles placed below the slab on grade for attachment to the walls to provide seismic safety. The additions of two layers of plywood to the existing diaphragm will also provide a more seismically resilient building.

As part of the project, on March 4, 2020, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The renovation was made possible with financing from Oregon Housing and Community Services, Banner Bank and U.S. Bank.

A major goal of the project was to retain the 100-year-old building’s historic character while adding several future-proofed improvements, said Halla Hoffer, an associate principal with Peter Meijer Architect. The seismic upgrade will not only improve safety for occupants, but also extend the building’s useful life at least 50 more years, according to the design team.

“Building Blocks” spotlights noteworthy projects either under construction or approaching the start of construction. To submit a project for consideration, please visit: djcorprod.wpengine.com/building-blocks.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday voted 4-0 to approve plans for a 206-unit affordable apartment complex in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, blessing a key project toward Mayor Ted Wheeler’s goal of producing 1,300 housing units from the 2016 housing bond.

The development at 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd. will rise on a vacant site that once hosted the Safari Showclub. Home Forward is serving as developer, and Holst Architecture is providing the design.

The project was first submitted for design review in November 2020. It did not pass an initial hearing on Jan. 7 because of remaining objections from the city’s Environmental Services and Transportation bureaus.

Commissioners said that with the bureaus’ objections satisfied, they had no remaining concerns. The Design Commission had seen the project in three prior design advice meetings, in addition to the earlier review hearing.

“I think they’ve satisfactorily amended the design to address our concerns on all of these (items),” Commissioner Brian McCarter said.

Holst’s design arranged the four-story, 137,200-square-foot building in a kinked H shape, with a central courtyard and playground. There will be 28 surface parking spaces. The ground floor will have a lobby, lofted housing units, property management offices, and residential and community amenity spaces.

Exterior materials will include brick and fiber cement panels. Commissioner Don Vallaster praised the design’s “very elegant, rich” use of brick.

Detailing of the brick and panel materials evolved as the design moved ahead.

“We have taken a lot of key details and simplified them,” said Ray Brand, a senior associate at Holst.

A neighbor, Tony Deschamps, said vehicle access to the site should not be solely on Southeast 31st Avenue – a dead-end street.�� He also urged the commission not to make exceptions for landscaping requirements.

“The project currently seems to be waiving or minimizing many requirements that were required of the prior owner,” he said.

The Powell Boulevard property spans three zones. An adjustment from design guidelines was made to raise the height limit to 60 feet on the southern portion of the property, up from 45 feet.

McCarter lamented that the parking lot design seemed to have shifted away from a shared-space concept to a more standard parking lot to satisfy the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to still make that a special place,” Brand responded.

The project is poised to be the third ground-up new construction project to draw on the $258.4 million housing bond passed in 2016, following Crescent Court Apartments and Las Adelitas. The city has made other moves to preserve existing affordable housing, such as the acquisition of the 206-unit Ellington Apartments in Northeast Portland.

Commissioners Vallaster, McCarter, Sam Rodriguez and Chandra Robinson unanimously approved the project. Chairwoman Julie Livingston and Commissioner Jessica Molinar declared conflicts of interest and did not participate in the hearing, which was held via video call.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd. project would be the first new construction project to use funds from the 2016 housing bond.

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A four-story affordable housing complex planned for 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd. still lacks sign-offs from two city bureaus.

The Portland Design Commission examined the project from the Portland Housing Bureau and nonprofit developer Home Forward, but did not take a vote during a design review hearing.

Both the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Bureau of Environmental Services said their requirements for the project had not been satisfied. PBOT officials said the project still needs preliminary permit approval from the Oregon Department of Transportation for access from Southeast Powell Boulevard – a state highway that is regulated by ODOT. PBOT also must approve improvements to Southeast 30th Avenue, which currently is an unimproved roadway at the project location.

BES said it needs more information on the project’s private stormwater management system and public improvements.

The planned complex would add 206 subsidized housing units – an important component of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s pledge to add 1,300 affordable units via the $258.4 million bond that voters approved in November 2016.

Holst Architecture is designing the project, which has gone through three design advice request hearings, most recently in June 2020. The project team will return Feb. 4 for a second design review hearing.

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Years ago, Home Forward put into motion its “85 Stories Initiative” to improve much of its low-income housing stock. Several buildings in Portland have received attention, and now Williams Plaza, a nine-story building at 2041 N.W. Everett St., in the Nob Hill neighborhood, is finally getting some.

A tight budget has forced project designers and engineers to become creative, but they have been meeting the challenge.

“This project is design-build, which yields a lot of benefits from the start,” said Matt Bokar, a senior associate at Salazar Architect. “At the start, a lot of that just goes into scoping. So it’s about getting a handle on the stuff we have to do and then the stuff we want to do and then the stuff we hope to be able to do.”

Permits for building alterations and mechanical alterations at Williams Plaza total slightly more than $7 million. Budget constraints exist for any affordable housing project, Bokar added, so Salazar Architect is working very closely with general contractor Walsh Construction to ensure as many upgrades as possible are completed.

“From the start we are working to really organize the scope into those three buckets,” he said. “Then as the design process unfolds you try to make space in the budget and the schedule for the stuff you want to do.”

Much of the investment is going into renovating units’ bathrooms and kitchens. Williams Plaza has 101 apartments (a mix of studios and one-bedroom units) occupied by tenants who are age 55 or older, or have a disability.

“This one is really systems-heavy,” said Leslie Cretan, a Home Forward senior project manager. “It’s a heavy plumbing job, and even though it started mainly as a bathroom remodel we had to pretty much gut the bathrooms to do the replacement of the plumbing.”

The building’s security systems, corridor lighting, mechanical systems and rooftop generator all are being upgraded or replaced. An old boiler is being replaced by individual water heaters, and the ground-floor community room, lobby, mail room and garbage room are being expanded and improved. And while the building’s electrical wiring will remain for now, dilapidated baseboard heaters are being replaced by more efficient wall heaters.

“With this project the timing was just perfect,” Cretan said. “We were already having water leaks all over the place and shut-off valves that wouldn’t shut off.”

New shut-off valves were installed to allow better control of water flow.

“Now you’ll be able to shut it down at the unit and not affect anyone else’s water and go in and fix whatever you need to fix,” said Brian Ames, the project superintendent for Walsh Construction.

Other work taking place includes: abatement of flooring and joint compound containing asbestos; installation of new rooftop exhaust fans and roofing as well as new exhaust fans in each bathroom unit; installation of new stove tops and splash guards; and more. A lot of these touches, including new luxury vinyl plank flooring, came via suggestions from residents.

“Community meetings were held during design, and we were blessed to have an active and engaged population,” Bokar said. “We held three meetings to walk residents through scoping and sequencing of the work.”

Tenants are remaining in the building while improvements take place. In this case, the work is being done one floor at a time, with residents being shifted to a “hotel” floor (the sixth) on a temporary basis. The sixth floor will then be the final level to be renovated.

“We just moved everybody back from the sixth floor into the fifth floor,” Ames said. “That took us two days. And then we go through and clean the hotel floor and make sure it’s ready for the next group.”

Work is proceeding from the top down, with floors 9, 8, 7 and 5 already completed. Crews currently are working on the fourth floor and the ground floor.

“We’ll go back at the end to the hotel unit, which just got new bathrooms, and we’ll do the remaining scope items there at the tail end,” Ames said.

The project schedule calls for completion by September.

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Fresh design advice is pending for a long-planned affordable housing project on the former Safari Showclub site in Southeast Portland.

The Portland Housing Bureau for nearly three years has sought redevelopment of the parcel at 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd., near Cleveland High School. In July 2019, a second design advice hearing took place for the project, which then was proposed as a five-story building with 180 residential units as well as 30 parking spaces for motor vehicles.

However, a , with applicant Dave Otte of Holst Architecture, was scheduled to take place on Wednesday. The latest submittal calls for a single building partially five stories and partially four stories, with 210 units. Also, there would be 40 parking spaces. The building would have four levels of wood framing above a single level of post-tensioned concrete. There would be approximately 7,000 square feet of active ground-level space.

Drawings submitted by Holst Architecture for developer Home Forward suggest the latest iteration would be an H-shaped structure. The project team is scheduled to appear before the Portland Design Commission on March 19.

Vehicle parking would be on the property’s south side, with accessibility from Southeast 31st Avenue.

Money for the project is coming from a $258 million affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2016.

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When it came time to choose the name for Portland’s largest affordable housing building in decades, Home Forward looked close to home.

Ian Davie, the nonprofit housing developer’s chief operating officer, rediscovered Louisa Flowers’ story in researching the Lower Albina neighborhood’s history. Now her name adorns the 12-story tower with 240 rent-restricted apartments in what’s now Lloyd.

“It’s great to name buildings not after those who provide the most funds, but actually the community members who lived there,” said Kimberly Moreland, vice president of Oregon Black Pioneers, a group dedicated to the history of the African-American experience in the state.

Flowers was an early leader of Portland’s black community. At a time when few black residents owned property – it was banned in the state constitution – she did. Louisa and her husband, Allen, also owned a Mount Scott farm that was a community asset for the African-American community when it numbered only a few hundred people.

“The black community was very small at the turn of the century,” Moreland said. “They provided a gathering place to bring together the community.”

Flowers was a member of the Old Rose Club, an early Portland women’s club, and she attended Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the first churches in Portland. She and Allen built four homes around Northeast First Avenue and Schuyler Street.

Moreland conducted research on Flowers after she was contacted by Pamela Kambur, a project manager at Home Forward. The pair combed through archives of the Morning Oregonian and The Advocate, a 20th-century African-American newspaper, and visited the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland State University archives.

“It was just a wonderful journey of discovery because women really get lost in history,” Moreland said.

The Lower Albina area was a commercial center for the black community before waves of upheaval that came with projects including Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Interstate 5.

“Portland has this disgraceful history of displacement that is so apparent there,” Davie said. “That’s kind of the epicenter of displacement in Portland, and in Oregon.”

Home Forward reached out to the black community to ensure its naming of the building in Flowers’ honor was not “merely symbolic,” Davie said.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on the demographics of the building to make sure as it’s leasing up that it’s meeting those goals,” Davie said. “To be explicit – to make sure that African-Americans can live in a neighborhood that they were historically displaced from.”

The vision became reality when the Louisa Flowers tower opened in November. The 180,000-square-foot building was designed by LEVER Architecture��and��LRS Architects.��O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders served as general contractor.

Home Forward has also modified its policies for naming buildings. Going forward, historically marginalized communities will be consulted on building names, Davie said.

Flowers was born as Louisa M. Thacker in 1849 and married Allen Flowers in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1882. Allen had children during a previous marriage, but two sons died. A daughter, Hattie, was a witness at his wedding to Louisa.

Allen first arrived in Portland in 1865 aboard the ship Brother Jonathan. He jumped ship when the vessel docked in Portland – a fortunate decision because the ship later sank off of Eureka, California.

Allen Flowers worked first as a busboy at the Lincoln Hotel and then the U.S. Custom House. He was a porter for the Northern Pacific Railroad from 1885 to 1900.

Louisa and Allen Flowers had four sons together. There are believed to be no descendants in the Portland area. Only two of the sons had children, and one had no children before dying at a young age. Descendants of the other son, Lloyd Flowers, live in the Seattle area, Moreland said.

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The largest affordable housing development to arrive in Multnomah County in the past half century is now open.

The Louisa Flowers is a 12-story, 240-unit mixed-use building operated by Home Forward in Lloyd, at 515 N.E. Holladay St. LEVER Architecture and LRS Architects designed the building to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold standards. O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders, served as the project’s general contractor.

The building has 88 studio apartments, 109 one-bedroom apartments and 43 two-bedroom apartments; all are affordable units. Ground-floor space is occupied by on-site property management and retail shops.

Louisa Flowers and her husband Allen were two of the leaders of Portland’s small African-American community in the 1890s, according to Oregon Black Pioneers. After first operating a farm in the Lents area, Louisa purchased land in lower Albina and built four homes there – not far from the new building named for her.

“The process we undertook to name this building is different than the way we’ve approached it in the past,” Home Forward Executive Director Michael Buonocore said. “We took our time recognizing that the contributions of people of color and women in this city are often disregarded in the naming of our buildings, streets and landmarks.”

Buonocore expressed gratitude to the Oregon Black Pioneers and YWCA for assisting the process.

“Their history, their contributions to this city will not be lost, and we will all understand ourselves a little better as Portlanders for knowing about the Flowers family,” Buonocore said.

Crews in late 2017 broke ground on the building that has provided the local market the most new affordable units since the 286-unit Hollywood East building opened in 1969.

The $74 million project was funded through a mix of public and private sources. The single largest chunk was $28.7 million via federal low-income housing tax credits. An additional $18 million came from bond funding, and $5.1 million more came from the city of Portland.

The Jim Smith Garden open-air courtyard, named in honor of Home Forward’s former board chairman, highlights the ground floor and connects the building’s lobby, commercial spaces and the building’s north and south sides, via covered walkways.

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