After overseeing $109 million in projects that brought 263 apartments and commercial space in five buildings to Lents, Prosper Portland is moving forward on a second round of development in the neighborhood.

Preliminary plans include a new multifamily building on a vacant lot and renovations to the existing Brewery Blocks property, at 5716 S.E. 92nd Ave., that is home to Zoiglhaus Brewing Co.

The projects have been long in coming. Palindrome Communities, a Portland development firm led by Chad Rennaker, was chosen as the developer after a 2014 request for proposals.

The program for what Prosper Portland is calling Lents Town Center Phase II has not been finalized. The agency will host a public open house on Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Wattles Boys & Girls Club, 9330 S.E. Harold St.

Prosper Portland and Palindrome Communities are considering construction of a 200-to-250-unit multifamily development on a 4.4-acre property on Southeast 92nd Avenue between Harold and Ramona streets. Portland’s inclusionary housing policy will apply, providing a complement of affordable housing.

“There’s no prescription here yet,” Prosper Portland spokesman Shawn Uhlman said. “The investment is real, and certainly we want to have that engagement as we move into Phase II.”

The first-phase multifamily units are effectively fully leased, said Alison Wicks, Prosper Portland’s Lents project coordinator. The first phase included 204 units at various levels of affordability, 57 market-rate units and two managers’ units.

The Phase I commercial space is approximately 50 percent leased, Wicks said.

Prosper Portland developed Lents Commons. The Asian Health & Service Center developed its own building. Rose Community Development developed the Woody Guthrie building. Palindrome Communities developed the two-building Oliver Station project.

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Metro is continuing to spur an effort to develop a group of properties it owns in Gresham‘s Civic neighborhood.

On top of Civic Northwest – a mixed-use development on five acres bordered in part by light-rail tracks and Northwest Civic Drive – a similar and even larger development (Civic Southwest) designed by SERA Architects was presented to the Gresham Design Commission on Wednesday for early assistance.

The proposed 400-unit Civic Drive Apartments project is being developed by Palindrome Communities. Plans call for two mixed-use buildings and one solely residential building on 4.23 acres. The development would be separated from Civic Northwest by only light-rail tracks; the two developments are poised to rise virtually simultaneously.

Preliminary plans for the Civic Drive Apartments presented Wednesday by Gauri Rajbaidya, a SERA Architects associate, show two five-story buildings and one four-story building. A below-grade parking garage would include storage space, building services, back-of-house space serving commercial tenants and approximately 400 parking spaces. Plus, 42 additional surface parking spaces would be built to accommodate visitors and commercial tenants.

Both Civic Northwest and Civic Southwest are being designed with the Civic Drive MAX Station in mind.

“We are looking to complement the activity that happens on the northwest side to really make the site very active,” Rajbaidya told the Design Commission.

Commissioners, however, asked that designers reconfigure Building C, on the property’s northeast side, to provide better views of the MAX station from both Civic Drive and an interior courtyard.

“It seems like it’s really blocking off the main driver to this project, turning your back on it and putting a barrier in the way of that MAX stop,” commissioner Pat Lando said.

Building A, on the southeast corner of the site, would be a U-shaped structure and include apartments, retail space, building services, tenant services, a leasing office, a fitness room and an exterior courtyard with seating and landscape amenities. This building would face the back the back of the Gresham Station shopping center, so a brewpub, fitness center or other active space would likely be pursued to energize the streetscape.

“It’s a shame that code wasn’t better written when Gresham Station went in,” Commission Chairman Rob Cook said. “As far as I’m concerned, landscaping and things of that nature are going to be your best friend to try to contain the beauty of your project from what’s across the street. There’s not much you can do with those hard concrete surfaces without any vegetation.”

Building B, on the southwest corner, would be rectangular and have a lobby and apartments on the ground level.

Finally, Building C would dominate the north side of the site. It would be V-shaped, according to preliminary drawings, and have a lobby as well as meeting and lounge space on the ground floor.

Initial plans do not indicate the exact composition of each building (one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments are planned), but 240 market-rate units would be split between buildings A and B, and 160 workforce units would be in Building C.

All three buildings’ exteriors would feature brick and fiber cement panels.

Overall, the commission expressed enthusiasm for the project, which is on track to continue the transformation of central Gresham between Burnside and Division streets.

“We’re really excited to see this project coming through to complete that Gresham civic core,” Cook said.

A formal pre-application meeting for the project will be scheduled next, prior to submission of a development application.

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The city of Portland is forging a new program to provide affordable commercial space in city-owned buildings.

The will offer leases below market rate and technical assistance to selected commercial tenants, with a preference for businesses owned by women and persons of color.

At first, the city is offering affordable commercial space in four buildings where projects managed by Prosper Portland are ongoing. The buildings are Alberta Commons in Northeast Portland, the Southwest 10th Avenue and Yamhill Street parking garage in downtown and two small buildings at Southeast 92nd Avenue and Foster Road in Lents: Oliver Station and Lents Commons.

In total, the available space represents at least 12,000 square feet – and likely more after the parking garage’s affordable retail space is determined.

Prosper Portland has received more than 30 applications for the program, said Alison Wicks, a project coordinator for the city agency. It’s accepting applications for the first three buildings; the 10th & Yamhill garage will open for applications at a later date.

The program has been a “long time coming,” Commissioner Nick Fish said. The city missed opportunities to maintain affordable commercial space during the most recent recession, he said.

“We were building very attractive affordable housing developments throughout the city, but we never viewed the commercial spaces as a community asset,” Fish said during a City Council meeting last week. “In fact, in many ways, we got it completely wrong.”

Nonprofit housing developers were not able to effectively use the ground-floor commercial spaces in affordable housing developments, Fish said.

“It was not in their wheelhouse to know how to market it and sell it,” he said. “That was not their core expertise.”

Mayor Ted Wheeler said the program is emblematic of a recent refocus in mission at Prosper Portland, which in May rebranded (the agency was formerly the Portland Development Commission) to place a greater emphasis on equity and shared prosperity. In August 2016, Kimberly Branam was promoted to executive director. Seats on the agency’s board have turned over too.

“I’m thrilled with the new direction of Prosper Portland, and I think this is a great example of the direction we’re going to see Prosper Portland go under new leadership,” he said.

The program is in part a reaction to increased rental rates and scarce vacancies, Wicks said. But affordable commercial space is needed for businesses owned by women and persons of color in any economy, she said.

“Those are businesses that will consistently have barriers to entering into a retail space,” she said. “That’s something that even in a downturn would be exacerbated.”

Prosper Portland is looking to form an ongoing partnership with the Housing Bureau to provide affordable commercial space, said Kyra Straussman, Prosper Portland’s director of development and investment.

“What’s happening here is an innovation nationally, so it’s not like we have a lot of examples to run with,” Straussman told the City Council.

Alberta Commons will have about 5,100 square feet in total for four program participants, who will receive business coaching from Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, a Portland nonprofit group.

Lents Commons will have 3,725 square feet of affordable commercial space, likely split between two tenants, Wicks said.

Oliver Station will have approximately 4,000 square feet of affordable commercial space through an agreement with developer Palindrome Communities, likely divided by two to three tenants.

The downtown parking garage, which is on the verge of a major renovation, will have 21,000 square feet of commercial space, although it’s unclear how much of that space will be dedicated to program participants.

Prosper Portland is working with brokers on each project now, and is in discussions with prospective tenants, Wicks said. Some tenants could be chosen by the end of the year, with tenant build-outs beginning in early 2018.

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The Portland Development Commission and Palindrome Communities will break ground for Oliver Station on Dec. 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The project will be built at 5932 S.E. 92nd Ave., which is the site of the former New Copper Penny.

Oliver Station, one of several key projects planned for the Lents Town Center, will feature two mixed-use buildings, with ground-floor retail space and 145 residential units, including 126 affordable units.

The ceremony is open to the public, and refreshments will be served. The event is free, but registration is requested. To learn more and to register, visit .

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