A nonprofit’s latest affordable housing project is redevelopment of a former motel property in Southwest Portland. Jamii Court will be a 96-unit complex at 10450 S.W. Barbur Blvd., in the West Portland Park neighborhood.

Metro purchased the Portland Value Inn in 2021, and it was leased by Multnomah County as a homeless shelter until mid-2025. The motel was demolished this past fall.

Construction of Jamii Court started in November. Project completion is anticipated in late 2027.

The five-story, 95,833-square-foot building is being developed by Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH). The project team also includes LRS Architects, civil engineer Janet Turner Engineering of Lake Oswego, structural engineer Stonewood Structural Engineers, landscape architect Marianne Zarkin Landscape Architects, and general contractor O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders.

The total project cost is approximately $43.4 million, with most of that covered by Metro and the Portland Housing Bureau.

The buildingÌęwillÌębe on the 1.1-acre property’s south side and face Barbur Boulevard; the parking lot will be on theÌęnorth side, CPAH spokesperson Cara Jack stated in an email. There will be three interconnected masses: the Barbur‑facing volume, the east–west bar, and the knuckle that links them. The Barbur mass will align with the street, while the bar mass will follow the site’s east–west axis.

“The Barbur façade is intentionally pulled back from the roadway to create a welcoming entry along this civic corridor and to establish a meaningful frontage,” LRS Architects associate principal Calista Fitzgerald stated in an email. “Together, these massing elements create several distinct placemaking spaces across the site: the Barbur‑facing stoop, the north plaza at the connecting knuckle, and the south courtyard, which is tucked between building volumes and protected from Barbur Boulevard traffic.”

The design incorporates three Islamic elements: jali, theÌęqibla, andÌęspecific colors.

Jali is traditionally a perforated stone or lattice screen featuring geometric patterns. A triangular motif was applied selectively to key vertical circulation elements that mark entrances and exits, Fitzgerald stated.

Window bays are angled in alignment with the qibla — the direction Muslims face when praying. This subtle orientation adds depth and meaning to the facade while reinforcing cultural resonance, Fitzgerald stated.

Traditional colors of Islam — green, white, blue and gold — will be incorporated throughout the complex. Window bays will be framed with two shades of green, and the graphic pattern on the angled “woof” wall (both a wall and a roof), will be outlined in gold. These colors will also appear in the interior design.

“Blue creates a continuous thread from the waiting area and drive aisle through the plaza, into the lobby, and ultimately to the water feature” in the south courtyard, Fitzgerald stated.

Building materials were selected with a 50‑year building life in mind to minimize long‑term life‑cycle costs while supporting sustainability (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum) and resiliency goals for the project. Exterior materials will include phenolic panels, fiber‑cement siding with a ceramic coating, European-style vinyl windows and aluminum storefront glazing.

Interior materials were selected for sustainability, durability, and reduced maintenance: low‑VOC paints, carpet tile, a walk‑off carpet, and rubber flooring. Gypsum board, including abuse‑resistant panels in corridors and other high‑traffic areas, will help minimize long‑term wall repair needs, Fitzgerald stated.

CPAH partnered with social services organization HAKI to engage the Islamic community in Southwest Portland in development of the project.

“Their input directly influenced the selection of the building name — Jamii Court, withÌę‘Jamii’Ìęmeaning ‘community’ in Swahili,” Fitzgerald stated.

Also, community members’ feedback shaped the designs of the community spaces and influenced the decision to include larger units, ensuring the building will support multigenerational living, Fitzgerald added.

The building will include 25 studios, 24 one-bedroom units, 29 two-bedroom units, nine three-bedroom units, and nine four-bedroom units.

The apartments will be available to households earning a wide range of lower incomes, including 49 units for people earning up to 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), 22 units for up to 40 percent of AMI, 15 units for up to 50 percent of AMI, and 10 units for up to 60 percent of AMI. Also, 39 units will come with rental assistance. CPAH will provide resident services.

Urban League of Portland will provide services — including case management and health care referrals — for occupants of the 15 permanent supportive housing units.

The building will include two community rooms: a larger one with a kitchen connected to an outdoor plaza (south courtyard), and a smaller one with a lending library and computer stations. The outdoor plaza will include grilling equipment, seating and a water feature. There will also be bike parking, dedicated service space, loading spaces, on-site laundry space, a parcel locker, on-site property management, and controlled building access. There will be 32 parking spaces, 17 of which will be ready for electric vehicles.

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As nearly a billion dollars of bond money was invested in affordable housing projects in the Portland-metro area, architects found paths to success. Don Sowieja, a principal with Ankrom Moisan Architects, and Trish Nixon, president and managing principal of LRS Architects, shared their thoughts on how different approaches to the design process can help push multifamily projects toward construction.

The city of Portland has taken major steps to encourage development, Sowieja said. One of these steps was consolidating permitting functions into a single bureau: Portland Permitting & Development.

“Prior to that shift in policy organization, you might expect three to four months before you go your first round of (plan review),” Sowieja said, adding that it now takes around six weeks.

Also, the Portland City Council last year passed its Housing Regulatory Relief Project, which temporarily suspended development and process standards that apply to building projects, such as bike parking, bird-safe glazing, and landscape standards. State legislation also has provided relief from requirements and contributed to the success of LRS Architects’ projects, Nixon stated in an email.

When it comes to the overall timeline for a project, Sowieja said the design process is critical.

“One of the things we’ve found is to keep it simple,” he said.

Keeping a layout and overall composition basic allows a project to move through the process more quickly, Sowieja said. Oftentimes a proposal’s details may be unclear to city staffers, so it’s important to keep an open line of dialogue with them, he added, to navigate the approval process. Communicating early with city staff ensures there are no surprises during the design review and permitting processes, Nixon stated.

The simpler the design, the simpler the compliance, Sowieja said. For multifamily housing, unit size and type matter.

“If you have three unit types – studios, one bedroom and two bedroom – and you have one each of those types of unit plans, that’s as easy as it gets for the city to understand, as well as for the developer to demonstrate in compliance,” Sowieja said.

Designing projects that require a minimal number of requests for modifications or variances helps improve timelines and overall efficiency, Nixon stated. Before starting to design a project, LRS Architects works diligently with clients to understand all requirements and minimize adverse impacts, she added.

For projects subject to design review, Sowieja said teams should know the rules and follow them.

“It’s right there on the page,” he said. “Reading what it says and doing what it says is the best way to move quickly through a subjective process.”

Although inclusionary housing is relatively new to Portland, many cities on the West Coast have similar criteria. In Portland, inclusionary housing requires all residentialÌębuildings proposing 20 or more new units to provideÌęa percentageÌęof them at rents or sale prices affordable to households at 80 percent of the median family incomeÌęor below, the city’s website states.

Development teams should embrace the fact that it is a requirement for multifamily projects, Sowieja said. While there was consternation at the outset, most of the development community has figured out that it is a financial and organizational impact, he added.

Meanwhile, all LRS Architects apartment projects within the city of Portland in the past five years have been 100 percent affordable, Nixon said.

Demand for multifamily projects has declined in the past 2.5 years, Sowieja said, following a roller coaster of economic cycles, including the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and interest rate increases. However, that has begun to change in 2025, he added.

“The design side is really picking up,” he said. “That takes a while to translate into construction starts, and construction is the big money and the larger economic driver.”

On the other hand, LRS Architects reports something different.

“We are seeing more exploratory activity, but not necessarily project starts,” Nixon stated, adding that such activity is taking place in the suburbs and not in the city of Portland.

LRS has seen a decrease in market-rate projects, according to Nixon. But the firm is involved in several active affordable housing projects in Portland. These include Garden Park Estates, which includes renovation and new construction (LMC Construction is the contractor), Jamii Court (O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders is the contractor), and Barbur Apartments (Todd Construction is the contractor).

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A 347,000-square-foot building designed to modernize the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission‘s (OLCC) distilled spirits distribution system is being constructed in Canby.

Crews officially broke ground on “Project Meadowlark” at 165 S. Walnut St. on April 16. They’re expected to complete work in summer 2026. The guaranteed maximum price for the project is $87.6 million.

LRS Architects designed the project and JE Dunn Construction is the general contractor. The team also includes civil and structural engineer VLMK Engineering + Design and landscape architect Otten & Associates.

The new warehouse will replace the OLCC’s current one in Milwaukie, which has been in operation since the 1950s. The new facility, not far from Oregon Route 99E, will allow the agency to expand capacity, streamline operations and improve efficiency for businesses and consumers across the state, a press release states.

Prior to the official start date, JE Dunn Construction initiated site mobilization, including clearing and leveling land as well as installing construction fencing in preparation for full-scale work.

“Breaking ground on OLCC’s new liquor warehouse and distribution facility is a tremendous milestone not only for our project team, but also the community,” JE Dunn project executive Jeff Fisher stated in a press release. “OLCC provides many benefits to the state of Oregon beyond its core operations. This facility will only strengthen that impact.”

The modern materials handling system will include conveyors, pick modules and pallet racks, along with necessary hardware and software. The facility is designed with modular capabilities, allowing for future expansion and potentially doubling the existing capacity over the next two decades, according to OLCC.

“It was very important to us to bring a human focus to our design for the interiors of the warehouse and office space,” LRS Architects principal and senior interior designer Amalia Mohr stated in a press release. “We studied how employees would experience and move around the space to perform their work, considering how to help people in demanding jobs be productive and happy at work.”

The facility is designed as a warehouse with attached supporting offices. In addition to office space, the warehouse will feature a staff lounge, maintenance shop space, and an advanced material handling system. There will also be a large break room with an outdoor space so that staff can relax and access fresh air and daylight.

A tilt-up concrete design was chosen for cost-effectiveness and longevity. The office building will have a generous number of windows for office spaces as well as a combination of textured metal panels and fiber-cement panels to provide a varied and colorful exterior, Mohr and Paul Boundy, LRS Architects’ managing principal, shared in an email.

Construction of the warehouse is expected to finish before July 2026, allowing for full operations to take place by the end of August 2026.

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For more than 40 years, LRS Architects has blended experience with innovation, delivering designs that shape communities and advance sustainable development. Based in Portland, the firm specializes in commercial, residential, and civic architecture, earning a reputation for tackling complex projects with creative solutions.

A standout example of LRS’s work is Slabtown Square, a key development in Portland’s Con-Way master plan. Transforming a former industrial site into a dynamic mixed-use neighborhood, the project features a public plaza and a festival street, demonstrating the firm’s ability to integrate community-oriented design into urban redevelopment.

LRS is also a leader in mass timber construction, adaptive reuse, and transit-oriented development, incorporating environmentally responsible practices into each project. The firm’s team-driven approach ensures that every design reflects both technical expertise and a deep understanding of how people interact with the built environment.

As an employee-owned firm, LRS fosters mentorship and collaboration, empowering emerging architects to contribute ideas and grow within the profession. This investment in talent has helped the firm remain at the forefront of the industry, continuously evolving to meet new challenges.
LRS Architects goes beyond designing buildings – it creates spaces that serve communities today while anticipating the needs of tomorrow.

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A new welcome center for Travel Portland has opened to the public with a design that aims to reinvigorate the City of Roses and update its image.

The Portland Visitor Center, designed by LRS Architects, is at 1132 S.W. Harvey Milk St. in Portland.

LRS’s design incorporates elements of biophilia using natural materials to show how people and their natural surroundings can coexist peaceably. The architecture establishes a welcoming, curated experience for visitors as they move through the center, encouraging exploration and connection. The design incorporates Douglas Fir wood and other natural materials from around the Pacific Northwest —giving the building a local feel that reflects the beauty and abundance of the region’s natural resources.

The new Portland Visitor Center was designed around three concepts: “Inspire, Explore, and Connect.” Furniture was selected for accessibility and inclusion, and visitors can find tables with maps, brochures, and plenty of seating.

Construction began last winter on an accelerated schedule to open in time for the summer travel season.

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Portland-based LRS Architects has expanded and relocated its Bend office to The Quad at 1777 S.W. Chandler, Suite 270. It is the former home of The Bulletin newspaper.

After acquiring GL3 Architects in May 2021, the firm expanded in the Bend area and has seen the office grow. The Bend architecture team focuses on mixed-use, affordable housing, multifamily housing, retail, commercial, and public projects. The new office features a naturally lit space that aligns with the firm’s goal of fostering a collaborative, active, and energetic environment. The new space also allows for future growth.

“We are excited to see our Bend office grow and thrive,” Trish Nixon, president and managing principal of LRS Architects, said in a news release. “Our goal in Bend was to bring a breadth of diverse project experience that was absent from Central Oregon, and the firm’s growth since arriving is a great sign for us moving forward.”

Mike Gorman and Jim Landin are co-directors of the Bend office. LRS has designed mixed-use and multifamily housing projects in Bend since the late 1980s. Projects include Touchmark Senior Living, 69 Newport Mixed-Use, Canal Commons Affordable Housing, Subaru of Bend, 515 Century Mixed-Use, Solis @ Petrosa Multifamily, and Bunkhouse Hotel-Madras.

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A new retail venue in Happy Valley is nearly ready for tenants.

Happy Valley Crossroads East is being built on a 6-acre lot at the northeast corner of Southeast Sunnyside Road and 172nd Avenue – directly east of the existing Happy Valley Crossroads anchored by Fred Meyer. This new, six-building center will have 60,720 square feet of tenant space.

It’s the seventh retail center Gramor Development has brought to the Sunnyside Road corridor. For every 3,000 homes in a development plan, a shopping center anchored by the likes of Fred Meyer, Safeway or New Seasons can be supported, said Gramor’s director of leasing, Marc Strabic.

Roughly 30 years ago, the developer’s only retail venues in the area were Sunnyside Plaza and Sunnyside 205. But Happy Valley’s population has since climbed to more than 23,000 people with a median household income upwards of $125,000, . That enabled development of Sunnyside Marketplace, Sunnyside Village Square, Happy Valley Town Center and Happy Valley Crossroads.

Currently, approximately 28,000 housing lots either exist or are planned under Happy Valley’s development plan, Strabic said.

A number of retailers – including Stickmen Brewing Co., Willamette Valley Vineyards and Domino’s Pizza – have signed for space in Happy Valley Crossroads East, according to Gramor’s website.

“We really noticed that Happy Valley is becoming a big draw in the suburbs,” said Carissa Cook, development manager for Willamette Valley Vineyards.

The winery will open its third off-site tasting room, as well as a restaurant, at the new center. Happy Valley was selected in part, Cook said, because some customers already reside there and because the area is a little farther than other Portland-metro areas from Oregon wine country.

Strabic said he’s seeing more retailers and restaurateurs consider suburban opportunities because there’s less competition and consumer bases already exist.

Willamette Valley Vineyards’ 3,563-square-foot space will feature an outdoor seating area, and Stickmen Brewing’s space, on the opposite side of the lot, will as well. Outdoor dining options are being constructed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Strabic said.

Happy Valley Crossroads East was designed by LRS Architects and built by CSI Construction. The center can hold 20-25 tenant spaces depending on how suites are split – currently, slightly more than 70 percent have been leased, Strabic said.

The project team expects core and shell construction to wrap by the end of the year. Then spaces will be turned over to tenants in January.

“As fast-growing as (Happy Valley) is, it’s going to continue to grow for a decade or more,” Strabic said.

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Portland projects and firms were well-represented at the recent 2021 American Architecture Awards.

More than 130 buildings from a list of over 400 received the award, which recognizes the best new architecture designed and constructed by American architects and by international architects with offices in the United States. It is described as the nation’s highest public award for new architecture and urban planning.

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, along with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies presented the awards.

Oregon’s winners are:

Affordable Housing: The Louisa Flowers

LRS Architects and LEVER Architecture designed the 12-story affordable, multifamily housing for Home Forward. The building was completed in 2019 and was constructed by O’Neill/Walsh Community builders. With 240 apartments available, The Louisa Flowers is the largest, single affordable housing building constructed in Portland in 50 years.

Institutional: Oregon Conservation Center

Designed by LEVER Architecture, the Oregon Conservation Center renovation and expansion in 2019 completely reimagined the building. The exterior was replaced with steel cladding, as well as Juniper wood cladding and cedar decks that were sustainably harvested from the Nature Conservancy’s conservation sites.

Restoration and Renovation: The Portland Building

Built in 1982 as city administrative offices, The Portland Building is an award-winning icon on the National Register of Historic Places. However, it faced structural problems and needed exterior and operational system repairs. DLR Group completed renovation and restoration of the 400,000-square-foot, 15-story building, which included new exterior cladding and a seismic upgrade.

Schools and Universities: The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon

Ennead Architects, based in New York, designed the two L-shaped towers for the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. The 166,000-square-foot structure is adorned with a glass curtain wall, while the inside uses cross-laminated timber in places as a connection to the surrounding environment. Bora Architecture & Interiors also worked as the architect of record for the project.

Private Homes:

• William Kaven Architecture – Royal
• Scott|Edwards Architecture – Slabtown 4

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After nine years in business, including production of award-winning brews, Stickmen Brewing is gearing up to open a couple of new taprooms.

One location in Happy Valley should open by early December, and another in Cedar Mill is expected to follow around April 2022, principal owner and recipe creator Tim Schoenheit said. The company currently operates in Lake Oswego and Tualatin.

The Happy Valley space will be 5,873 square feet, at the corner of Southeast 172nd Avenue and Vogel Road; there will be patio seating for up to 100 people. It’s part of the second phase of the Happy Valley Crossroads East shopping center led by Gramor Development.

LRS Architects designed the shell space, and CSI Construction is building it. Delivery is expected in late September. Then the building will be dressed up to create a family-friendly vibe.

Like in Tualatin, the company in Happy Valley will offer 28 taps, wood-fired pizza, and salad. But during morning hours, the taproom will serve as a traditional Italian coffee bar. That plan stemmed from when Schoenheit lived in Italy and would visit a coffee bar every morning on his walk to the train station, he said. The idea is to entice customers for more hours of the day.

“From a business construction (standpoint), rents are expensive in the new areas,” he said. “If I can take four to five hours (when the business) would be closed easily and monetize it, it would be huge.”

The Cedar Mill taproom will be 5,000 square feet at Kirkland Place Plaza, near the intersection of Northwest 118th Avenue and Barnes Road. That space was originally slated to open this fall, but construction was delayed. There will be outdoor seating for as many as around 30 people.

Stickmen Brewing is known for its original IPA and “The Bee’s Knees” – its take on a German Kölsch style of beer. Business in the flagship location, in Lake Oswego, was challenging for several years while the company tried to distinguish itself in Oregon’s renowned craft beer scene, Schoenheit said. But “it’s great” now, he added, being able to expand.

“The thing I’m really excited about is the ability to move through more experimental beer,” he said.

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PROJECT: Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza

LOCATION: the full block bounded by Southwest Fifth and Sixth avenues and Sheridan and Caruthers streets.

SIZE:Ìę10 stories (plus one level of underground parking), 374,000 square feet, 127 units

COST:Ìę$110 million

START DATE: May 2021

ANTICIPATED END DATE: August 2023

OWNER: Terwilliger Plaza Inc.

OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE: MHS Consulting

OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: BC Group

ARCHITECT: LRS Architects

ENGINEERS: IMEG Corp. (structural), DOWL (civil), PAE (mechanical, passive house consultant), GEODesign (soil), PBS Engineering and Environmental (environmental)

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: PLACE

CONTRACTOR:ÌęWalsh Construction

OTHER TEAM MEMBERS: DeWitt Construction (shoring design/build), Merit Electric (electric), Tapani Plumbing (plumbing), Ocean Park Mechanical (mechanical), Patriot Fire Protection (fire sprinkler design/build)

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT: Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza will be a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community for residents 62 and over. The independent-living facility will feature 127 units. Each one will have one or two bedrooms and full kitchens as well as balconies. Thirteen floor plans will range in size from 1,095 square feet to 2,310 square feet.

Designed for passive house certification, the highly energy-efficient building is projected to use 50 percent less energy than a current energy-compliant building. With 100 percent continuous preconditioned fresh air circulation, interior spaces will be substantially more healthy, quiet and thermally comfortable than those in conventional buildings. There will be green roofs, green living walls and solar panels. Features will include: improved wall R values; triple-pane windows; lighting power reduction; eco-friendly appliances; outdoor air systems with heat recovery; high-performance HVAC-VRF; heat pump water heaters; low-flow fixtures; photovoltaic solar generation; and significant thermal bridging details at balcony connections, balcony edges, parapet connections and exterior walls to concrete slabs.

The commons will include stone terracing, a wood-paneled cocktail lounge and a sports bar. The building’s architectural features will include handcrafted wood paneling and a blown-glass chandelier.

One of the goals of the Parkview project was to encourage movement throughout the campus with plenty of opportunities for residents to gather and socialize. There will be a variety of multipurpose rooms, public living rooms, lounges, sunrooms and lobbies. The building’s U-shape will allow for an outdoor courtyard and amenity space as well as views of the adjacent Terwilliger parkway hills, downtown and mountains. A landscaped rooftop also will provide additional space for gatherings.

One of the most critical elements for this project was approval for a sky-bridge across Southwest Sixth Avenue between Caruthers and Sheridan streets. It will link the new Parkview at Terwilliger Plaza with the existing Terwilliger Plaza building. The connector will double as an art gallery space, in response to community building goals.

“Building Blocks” is a 91ÊÓÆ” feature that 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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