Along MAX Orange light-rail tracks, visions of transit-oriented multifamily development are slowly becoming reality.

Completed in 2015 at a cost of $1.49 billion, the route between Milwaukie and downtown Portland was meant to more tightly link the region and encourage car-free transportation alongside dense, transit-oriented multifamily development.

Only now is the multifamily piece of the puzzle beginning to fall into place.

One example is the Dean River Apartments, which is rising in Southeast Portland. The four-story, 72-unit building is being constructed on a 0.32-acre triangle left over from creation of the Orange Line. A light-rail station is located only a block away at Southeast 17th Avenue and Rhine Street.

The project is from Northwest Sustainable Properties and Siteworks Design-Build. Both companies are owned and managed by Jean-Pierre Veillet, a local sculptor-turned-developer who has focused on urban infill projects in Portland neighborhoods.

The Dean River Apartments will have living units on all four floors, and no parking. The building will include 47 studio units, two one-bedroom units, 21 two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units. The project is subject to inclusionary zoning, and a complement of units will be provided to renters at 60 percent of median family income.

“I don’t think this is just for young people,” Veillet said. “It’s for people who don’t want a big house in the West Hills, or even a small house.”

The building – named for a pristine natural river in British Columbia – might also make sense for retirees, Veillet said.

“They can retire to an environment where they can get everywhere on transit,” he said.

The building, designed by Siteworks’ David Mclaughlin, places a premium on units. There was no room within the 45-foot height limit for a rooftop deck. However, the building does have an amenity deck and bike parking. Special attention was paid to soundproofing in the busy corridor.

The small parcel at 3255 S.E. 17th Ave. was carved out from land left over after construction of the Orange Line. Neighbors had urged TriMet to allow them to cultivate a garden on the parcel. Instead, the transit agency sold the property to Veillet for $959,000.

“They put $1.5 billion into the MAX line,” Veillet said. “The best and highest use is apartments that are going to drive (rail) traffic.”

Veillet said he expects the project to cost approximately $13.5 million. Earlier this week, a crew from subcontractor Barry Bray Construction Co. was pouring concrete for the foundation and doing some framing. The project is expected to go vertical soon, with completion anticipated next summer.

“The Orange Line was really unique,” said Bob Hastings, a TriMet official who serves as a liaison with developers. “It was cutting through so many different sectors, from downtown to OHSU’s Schnitzer campus. When we crossed over to the Eastside, we realized this would be more fine grain, more entrepreneurial. So what it’s attracted is folks who see a different thought or spin on things.”

Another developer, Michael Tevis of Intrinsic Ventures, is planning to construct a seven-story building at Southeast Eighth Avenue and Division Street on land purchased from TriMet. The building would have 115,600 square feet of occupied space, including industrial and traditional office, manufacturing and production, and ground-floor retail.

Further south, adjacent to the downtown Milwaukie stop, Guardian Real Estate Services is building Axletree – a five-story, mixed-use building with 110 apartments. The developer’s website touts Axletree’s close proximity “less than 300 feet away” from the MAX station.

“If we were urban planners, we’d be drawing this project up,” said Shawn Sullivan, senior project manager for Guardian. “It’s right in the core … It’s the poster for light-rail stop multifamily urban development.”

The building is on track to be ready for occupancy in mid-to-late September, Sullivan said. Earlier this week, crews were finishing siding and the fifth-floor punch list.

TriMet has been more aggressive in recent years working with developers.

“We want development to happen around our light-rail stations, so we’re looking to be more proactive,” Hastings said.

There may be more to come. A new proposal was submitted Aug. 2 to the Bureau of Development Services for a 160-unit multifamily building designed by Hacker. The building at 4245 S.E. Milwaukie Ave., in the Brooklyn neighborhood, would be five blocks from the Orange Line.

Discussions are picking up to develop the Clinton Triangle, an industrial area off of the Orange Line that includes land owned by Portland Fire & Rescue. The Portland Housing Bureau has expressed interest in eventually building affordable housing in the area.

“The whispers are turning into audible voices and discussions,” Hastings said.

A new home for the fire bureau would have to be found prior to developing the site. Hastings said TriMet still has plenty of remnant properties that could conceivably host a fire station. Discussions are still in an early stage, according to Housing Bureau spokeswoman Martha Calhoon.

“There hasn’t at this point been coordinated conversation about the removal of essential city services from the property for future development,” she stated in an email.

Veillet said he has taken an interest in the Clinton Triangle.

“That whole area is locked up and it’s right near a transit station,” he said.

Some commercial growth has occurred too, including Mt. Hood Brewing Co.’s Tilikum Station location and Ruse Brewing’s taproom in the Iron Fireman Collective building.

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is working on a master plan to develop its 18.5-acre campus along the Willamette River. Gerding Edlen is serving as master developer.

For Northwest Sustainable Properties and Siteworks Design-Build, the Orange Line project followed previous ones, including a major historic building renovation for Pine Street Market. Veillet’s multifamily portfolio includes Sunshine Apartments, a 90-unit development next to Hopworks Urban Brewery off of Southeast Powell Boulevard and 29th Avenue, and ecoFLATS on North Williams Avenue.

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